How realistic was the movie "Twister"?

[Rockwell Schrock]

How realistic was the movie "Twister"?

I already know the answer to this question ("not very"), but perhaps a learned chaser could explain some of the numerous inaccuracies that this Hollywood spectacle presented.

[Andy Wehrle]

>Twisters suck, not blow: In the movie it appears from the motion of objects and debris that the wind is blowing away from the tornadoes. In real life, wind blows toward the tornado to feed it with moist air. Tornadoes dominated by outflow like those in the movie would dissipate quickly.

>The movie doesn't do a very good job of showing supercell structure. On many occasions the tornadoes are shown descending from a nondescript stratus deck. I believe I only saw one tornado that formed from what could be called a wall cloud during the entire film.

>There's no way to determine the strength of a tornado while it is on the ground, or before it's formed. The only way to assign a Fujita rating is to assess the damage.

>In few scenes with real storm footage in the movie, it's apparent the "chasers" don't know what they're looking at. Early on, around when Bill remarks "the sky is talking", it shows a clip of a spectacular supercell. If they were really that desperate to get in the path of a tornado, they would want to be under that cloud right now.

>The chasers don't die in about 50 situations where they should have been killed.

>They have a tornado on the ground before 11 AM one day, and an F5 on the ground as the sun rises the next morning. This is not impossible, but is rather farfetched. Most classic tornado outbreaks start developing in the early afternoon and reach their peak in the late afternoon or early evening.

>The crushed ice cubes that they use for hailstones don't look quite realistic enough to pass muster to anyone who's actually seen a hailstorm.

[Sheila_Ward]

There are several threads on Stormtrack concerning this. Here's one:

http://stormtrack.org/forum/viewtopic.php?...ghlight=twister (http://stormtrack.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2720&highlight=twister)

[Alex Lamers]

I was always baffled by the fact that they had all of these decked out chase vehicles with live weather information, yet they were totally surprised when a huge wedge tornado rampages through the drive-in movie theater they were at. Clearly the thing didn't just develop, it was way too powerful.

Talk about a lack of situational awareness!

[Thomas Loades]

Science, via the NSSL, learnt in 1985 — not 1995 — that putting a big, clunky device in the estimated path of a tornado with the aim of getting scientific data from within doesn't work nearly as well on the field as it sounds in theory. They learnt this with TOTO (the TOtable Tornado Observatory), which tipped over in 67-mph winds and got limited data. Technically, you could get more data if you strapped TOTO onto the back of an NSSL chase vehicle, but I don't know if their budget really covers that.

At any rate, attempting this to extend tornado warning times from "3 minutes to at least 20" is something of a folly, as three-minute warnings are not the average now, or even 10 years ago — it really is closer to 20, if not more.

[Craig Maire II]

At the beginning of the movie there talking about how the tornado getting ready to hit the farm could be an F5, to bad it was 1969 and the Fujita scale wasn't ready for use until 1971! And those ice cubes certainly didn't look anything like real hail! (as was stated in another post).

[Jim Bishop]

LOL! I'm trying to think of something in that movie that actually was realistic......still thinking....

Got it. They make it seem like common practive for researchers to make fun of the weatherman on TV. In the real world this actually has some truth!

[Andy Wehrle]

They make it seem like common practive for researchers to make fun of the weatherman on TV. In the real world this actually has some truth!

:D :D Check this out: http://www.atmospheric-violence.com/weatherchannel/

It's chaser Dean Schoeneck's list of on-air goofs by TWC meterologists. I recall one from earlier this year where somebody on there (Vivian Brown I think) said, "there is a tornado watch in effect, which means you need to take shelter immediately". All the effort Greg Forbes and Jim Cantore put into drilling the difference between a watch and a warning into viewers' heads, and one of their own needs a refresher course.

Speaking of Dean Schoeneck, does he belong to this forum? Anybody know what happened to him, was he forced to quit chasing at the end of April for some reason?

[Greg Stumpf]

"NWS has issued a tornado watch for most of Mississippi..."

What's wrong with this one?

[Glen Romine]

"NWS has issued a tornado watch for most of Mississippi..."

What's wrong with this one?

Maybe someone doesn't think the SPC is part of the NWS? Or, maybe there is a misquote and she said local NWS? I don't get it either.

Glen

[Jim Bishop]

"NWS has issued a tornado watch for most of Mississippi..."

What's wrong with this one?

Maybe someone doesn't think the SPC is part of the NWS? Or, maybe there is a misquote and she said local NWS? I don't get it either.

Glen

There has always been a discrepency in my head between SPC and NWS even though SPC is part of NWS. I do wish TWC would stick with one because it has obviously resulted in confusion among even weather savy persons. Personally I think they should stick to saying SPC issues the watches,which is true, and NWS issues the warnings, which is true. Saying NWS has issued a Tornado Watch is not incorrect, but misleading and confusing!!

[Greg Stumpf]

The NWS issues both watches and warnings.

The SPC issues the watches.

The WFOs issue the warnings.

They are all part of the NWS.

[Thomas Loades]

Ooh, that reminds me — not in Twister. There, the NSSL takes care of everything.

[Shane Adams]

I think what newbies want to hear when they ask this question is simple to deliver in one sentence:

No, chase days like the one in TWISTER aren't common. In fact they're rare. However, contrary to what many naysayers blabbed in the weeks following the movie's release, May 3, 1999 proved that it's quite possible to (a) see five tornadoes in a day and that (B) tornado outbreaks sometimes DO last into the night and over to the next morning.

It's been almost a decade, and anyone who chases knows it's not real. Amazes me how people still take cheap shots at this flick, like they're afraid someone else in the room will think they're stupid if they don't point out every flaw.

[Christopher Madairy]

I couldn't get past the weed in the beginning of the movie.. You know the one that sways in the wind, straigtens up instantly and sways in the wind again. One happy weed. :D

[Verne Carlson]

LOL - those were great Chris! :lol:

If you ever get a chance watch Twister on DVD with the directors comments on. (Yeah, I get bored sometimes)

They have Jan Debont (sp?) and the guy who did the visual effects commenting on it. It was hillarious! The visual effects guy
asks Debont why something exploded on top of hailstone hill?? Later, when the 18-wheeler gas truck explodes, he says something like 'it's an action movie, we need explosions' and then when Jonas's SUV explodes he says 'oh yeah its been 30 minutes - time for an explosion'

He's totally ripping on his own movie. :lol: :lol:

[Dave Gallaher]

Not to belabor the point, but the most amazing thing about watching those explosions was the lack of continuity--a factor that is usually watched with some degree of quality/reality control in mind. But they were sleeping when they allowed large flaming clouds to float lazily straight up while everything else was flying across the screen in the simulated windfield.


Perhaps there was not a reliable way to film a fireball influenced by a cinematic wind machine to dub into the production.

Dave Gallaher
Huntsville, AL

[Mike Mezeul II]

I got quite a kick out of this. On the back of the video box for Twister, it states its rated PG-13 for, get this... "Intense depiction of very bad weather"!! I was rolling around on the floor with tears in my eyes after reading that one! :D

[Scott Udell]

I've recently wondered if they could've made a more realistic movie and still gotten the fun action flick they were aiming for? Here's a question: how would you redo the questionable scenes while still keeping them interesting?

(I confess, even after reading all the flaws in it, I still enjoy the flick! :) )

[Perry Williams]

Twister lost my interest within the first five minutes....at least regarding accuracy.

For example, Jo Harding's dad was supposedly sucked out of his storm cellar and killed by a F5 tornado in Oklahoma during 1969...and there WASN'T an F5 tornado anywhere in America in 1969. In fact, there wasn't even a F4 in the state of Oklahoma during 1969.

Also, the fact Jo's farmer dad supposedly knew about something (Fujita-Pearson intensity scale) which didn't exist until several years later was a major gaffe..

It was a fun movie to watch (especially since I'm a fan of both Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt)....but the lack of research/ accuracy into past Oklahoma tornadoes was dissapointing to me.

[Laura Good Buffalo]

Twister was a good watch from an entertainment standpoint to me. but the more I learn, the more the science sucks. also, did anyone notice how many times they were under total cloud cover, but when they switched to inside the truck, it was full sunlight complete with strong shadows? and did anyone catch the scene where they were on a deserted road with a tornado right in front of them, then they switched to an inside the truck shot, and you could see a car going by them the other direction, once again in full sunlight? and yes, the ice chips sucked.

[Darren Addy]

As an old photographer, I'm especially sensitive to lighting gaffs in movies. So much so that I have to control myself or people may not enjoy watching movies with me. :oops:

Darren Addy
Kearney, NE

[Steve Miller TX]

The only thing I got out of "Twister" was a hearty laugh and a life-long obsession for a chase partner like Helen Hunt. :wink: I should also throw in the most worn-out and now irritating question I always get from people when they find out I chase storms. Good grief! I now count down the number of seconds before they ask what I thought about "Twister"...just for grins. :wink: That ranks second with "Fly Like An Eagle" regarding my namesake.

If you watch it, look carefully in the background while they are supposedly traveling through OK....you'll see Texas FM road signs. :-) The crushed ice that they got from an ice machine supposedly representing hail was hilarious. I would have loved to have seen "behind the scene" to see a bunch of stage hands throwing handfulls of ice at the truck. LOL! I could go on, but I digress.

It's Hollywood, folks. What else didya expect? Definitely my favorite comedy of all-time. :lol:

[Morgan Palmer]

I'm the world's worst at picking apart movies, and I needed a legal pad for this one.

It seemed the storms in the movie blew up out of nowhere and were tornadoing within minutes. Then, once the tornado had managed to pass right over them, the skies parted a-la C.B. Demille and everyone went back to Defcon 5.

A little dramatic interlude and it's back again.

Unless the day was already busted, I likely would not being stopped at Auntie so-and-so to have "chicken fry" and not paying attention to what's around me.

That is, as mentioned above, unless Helen Hunt asked me to. :)
mp

[Chris Sokol]

For example, Jo Harding's dad was supposedly sucked out of his storm cellar and killed by a F5 tornado in Oklahoma during 1969...and there WASN'T an F5 tornado anywhere in America in 1969. In fact, there wasn't even a F4 in the state of Oklahoma during 1969.



Actually there wasn't an F-rated tornado period, as the Fujita scale had not been invented yet.

[Chris Sokol]

BTW....speaking of tornado movies...there is one on Sci Fi this weekend called "Tornado: Nature Unleashed"(2004). I think that one viewers comment probabbly sums it all up:

OMG! What the hell is this?

Interesting note....Tornado: Nature Unleashed is what Sci Fi calls it, but every other reference to the movie has it titled Nature Unleashed: Tornado.

[Fred Gossage]

From Dish Network's on-screen program guide:

Movie. Daniel Bernhardt, Ruth Platt, Casper Zafer. (2004) A massive tornado threatens the lives of a journalist, a producer, and a town of Gypsies

OOOOOkkkkkaaaayyyyyy.......yeah :roll: :roll: :lol: :lol:

[Traci Heath]

One of the funny things I thought about with the movie Twister was how everytime they were in a tornado it would disapate. The tornado would not move on.

[Rob_Davis]

I got quite a kick out of this. On the back of the video box for Twister, it states its rated PG-13 for, get this... "Intense depiction of very bad weather"!!
Maybe it was a misprint. Surely, they must have meant to say:

"Very bad depiction of intense weather." :lol:

[Robert Edmonds]

I'm not going rooting for the movie. I just was thinking that it might have been a little hard for the computers of the time to develop storms to the degree of accuracy you guys want. I played with 3ds max, (crated the effects to Armageddon, I believe) and it takes computers today with the software a long time to produce nice weather effects. I could see maybe the computers that made the movie final fantasy doing a better job. As a joke for you guys.... Maybe twister should do what star wars did, make a new digitally enhanced version!

[Chris Sokol]

I am awaiting the sequel:

Twister II: Revenge of the Cap Bust!

[Rob_Davis]

Hey, that would make a great bumper sticker for chasers:

"I'll cap a bust on your ass!"

:lol:

[Dan Robinson]

It's interesting, I hesitate to admit, that some things in chasing lately have vindicated a few of Twister's extravagances.

For instance, multiple-tornado days (3 or more) for chasers seem to be pretty common the past 3 years or so. And with WxWorx, we've got 'satellite com-link with nexrad realtime'.

[robynlowry]

It just proves to show that Hollywood thinks they know it all by making a really bad weather movie. Everything's fake like their actors. I feel sorry for there makeup intoxicated minds. 8)

[Lisa Wadlow]

Overall I like the movie even though it’s corny. At least it’s about tornadoes (instead of something that doesn’t interest me like basketball). The top absurdities IMO:

1. Getting so close to tornadoes (including being in the middle of an F5) without getting injured or even dirt in your eyes.
2. Experienced chasers paying no attention to what’s developing and then running helter skelter to get to the tornado (or away from it at the drive-in).
3. Yelling stuff like “they’re in the core!” when they weren’t.
4. No busts, in fact most of their tornado encounters turned into near death experiences.
5. Driving all the way through the middle of a house.
6. Setting out on a chase because the sky turned green.

[Will Astle]

Originally posted by Jim Bishop
LOL! I'm trying to think of something in that movie that actually was realistic......still thinking....

Got it. They make it seem like common practive for researchers to make fun of the weatherman on TV. In the real world this actually has some truth!

Also...John Deere tractors can and DO become airborne...

[Shane Adams]

I'd like to see everyone get their wish for a day. All movies suddenly become realistic. Then maybe people would get it.

I still maintain that people who have to keep on bashing Twister nearly a decade later are simply afraid that, if they don't point out obvious flaws, other people will think they're stupid. This kind of falls into the same vein as my earlier observations/opinions on the state of the ST board and my loathing of purely science-driven posting: why can't people allow themselves to be entertained instead of always having to constantly "keep it real"? We all know the movie's a joke technically, c'mon. Just like Day After Tomorrow. We know it's wrong, but just sit your a** down in the chair, buy some f-ing popcorn, forget the maproom and all your peers, and enjoy yourself.

I remember that thread last year where people were trying to get a bunch of met folks into the same screening of Tomorrow just to make fun of it. I'd like to get a bunch of Hollywood producers together to make fun of these people going out on a Saturday night. I'm sure both attempts at the genuine article would be equally-amusing to both observing parties.

[Angie K Holliday]

As a meteorologist, I have to say that even though there are flaws, I still love Twister. I love the Day After Tomorrow too!! These movies at least are about the things I love. Movies are not always realistic, but they allow you to see the things you love on the big screen.

I'm afraid to ask dumb questions here, but I'm also afraid that if I don't post often enough, I'll be kicked out. I am a meteorologist, so as I understand it, I am allowed to stay for now. I hope to contribute to the board, but with the severe lack of storms here, I have little to comment on.

I have learned a lot here, and I hope to learn more in the future!