I would be willing to bet that virtually every laser disc collector that saw this past summer's mega-blockbuster, 'Twister', came out of the theatre thinking the same thing. This is gonna make a helluva disc. It did.
Widely criticized as "dumb" or "lame", 'Twister' seemed to be the critics target of choice for railing against Hollywood. I suppose when you are a target this big you invite critical potshots. One thing these critics don't mention, or fail to realize, is that sometimes people go to the movies for something besides intellectual enlightenment. Sometimes you just want to have a little fun. And 'Twister' is a lot of fun. Director Jan De Bont's follow-up to 'Speed' is a huge thrill ride through America's heartland chasing after, and being chased by, one of nature's most unpredictable and deadly phenomenons, the tornado. Sure, the story is thin and the characters are two-dimensional, but you immediately know who's who. The good guys are a collection of odd-balls, misfits and geeks who caravan around the countryside in beat-up cars and trucks using equipment held together with bubblegum and bobbypins listening to rock music and the bad guys all dress nicely, have corporate sponsors and drive shiny black vans. Can't get any simpler than that. Since you don't have to waste time figuring out who to pull for, you can spend more time being dazzled by the incredible special effects and state-of-the-art soundtrack. And if this new disc release from Warner is anything, it's state-of-the-art.
The THX approved video transfer of 'Twister' is as sharp and detailed as I have ever seen from a laser disc. Colors are solid and accurate without a trace of noise. Brightnesss and contrast are also excellent. The letterboxed framing appears to be spot-on 2.35:1, an absolute necessity to preserve De Bont's widescreen compositions and DP Jack Green's gorgious photography.
The soundtrack of 'Twister' is simply incredible. There is layering and detail here that most commercial theatre systems could not hope to reproduce. Very wide dynamics and frequency response that will tax any system. The real test of your audio system's guts, though, is the Dolby Digital track. Even though I saw 'Twister' in a THX theatre with very good digital sound (DTS), that was merely a taste of what this baby really sounds like. I can safely say that this is, to date, the most intense movie soundtrack I have ever heard. There is no doubt that this will become THE Dolby Digital demo disc for some time to come. And if listening to this disc in Dolby Digital doesn't convince a prospective customer, nothing will.
'Twister' runs 113 minutes and the disc contains 36 chapters. The side break is only so-so, but probably the best that running time would allow. Warner also included two trailers, a teaser trailer at the beginning of the feature and a longer trailer at the end. List price is $34.95. If trying to pick apart special effects is your thing, Warner also offers a CAV edition with a list price of $49.95.
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