Disaster movies such as Twister are often designed to embellish the special effects as much as possible in order to make the movie more dramatic and even more dangerous-looking than they are in real life. The F5 tornado that was so feared in the movie is in fact a scale that is apparently not used any longer, but it’s a good example of showing nature’s wrath in a manner that people have learned to fear. As experts would tell you though, a tornado of such intensity is survivable, since one of the most dangerous parts of the tornado is the fact that it will tend to pick up heavy objects and fling them hundreds of hards in all directions, which could severely impact anyone within the surrounding area. But as Jan de Bont, the director of the original Twister is hoping for, the special effects will be dialed down a bit in order to tell a story rather than drive the story entirely. There were a huge number of misconceptions spread by the initial movie that released in 1996, many of which have been debunked over the years. The less people know about tornadoes, the easier it is for filmmakers to simply thrust a handful of special effects at them in order to scare folks and make them think that yes, a tornado is a natural killer that will strike wherever and whenever. Given how 2020 has been going that’s kind of a dangerous thought to have, but a Twister reboot will still need great special effects, but perhaps a little more realism this time around.
The truth about tornadoes is that they are survivable, and those that live within areas where tornadoes are known to happen on occasion are wise to reinforce their homes and buildings just to guard against such an event. While nothing is bound to be one hundred percent proof against a force of nature, there are ways to bolster a community and keep them as prepared as possible for such instances, and a reboot would be wise to bring this to mind since human beings have been living with the reality of tornadoes and other natural disasters for some time now. In the days of long ago it might have been attributed to the displeasure of one or more deities, or spirits, or something similar that was used to explain why the world around us appeared to be angry and spiteful, but since science began to take over things have changed in a big way as scientists have done what they could to discover why these strange weather patterns happen and what can be done to minimize the damage they cause. The Twister reboot needs to be kind of like The Perfect Storm in a way since that natural disaster movie actually focused on the story of the fishermen that were at the heart of the tale, as well as the massive storm that proved to be their end. Simply relying on the effects isn’t a great way to go, and going bigger isn’t going to save a reboot in any way. Focusing on a great story and seeking to match the effects might be a good idea though since there’s no need to minimize the very real threat that more powerful tornadoes pose to anything they come in contact with.
Realism in the reboot would be greatly appreciated no doubt since it would help to tell the tale in a way that would be entertaining but also fairly educational if the facts were to be revealed in order to let people know just what was really going on, rather than relying on half-truths and fabricated facts that could keep people happy. The fact that many people have found Twister to be entertaining but not that accurate is hilarious really since from a financial standpoint the movie was successful and it was easily one of the more popular movies of the 90s since it injected humor into the mix as well as drama and a very real sense of danger. But the manner in which this was done was easy to come up with in the 90s since like it or not, every decade has seen moviegoers become more and more discerning when it comes to their movie experience and as a result, people are now wanting a lot more realism and less sensationalism, even though both tend to make the movies what they are. In this instance though, Twister would benefit from a large dose of actual science that could help to explain why a tornado is so dangerous and why it’s still very survivable.
Keeping things believable would be a big up for this reboot, but also keeping the movie action and drama-packed would be just as good of an idea. It could work, but it’s bound to be a little tricky.
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