Twister 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Review

The 4K UHD release of "Twister" represents a significant leap from its previous home media versions. The film, scanned from the original negative and finished in native 4K with HDR10 grading, offers a much-improved visual experience. The most notable enhancements include a dramatic increase in detail, showcasing refined texturing and subtle elements like facial features and fabric textures. The film's notorious softness has been mitigated, providing clearer and more defined visuals. Although some CGI elements betray their age, such as early satellite shots, the overall effects hold up well and blend more seamlessly with the live-action sequences. Grain presence is appropriate—light in live-action scenes while naturally heavier during VFX-intensive shots.

One of the primary talking points is the revised color grading. Particularly, storm sequences exhibit a noticeable green tint, reflecting actual tornado conditions coloristically, albeit slightly exaggerated to fit the film's dramatic tone. This HDR-enhanced palette delivers vibrant, natural colors that truly shine, particularly in scenes with intense lighting contrasts, such as lightning during storms or sunlight glinting off characters and structures. Skin tones generally appear natural and lifelike. However, there are isolated instances of color anomaly, like a slightly reddish-purple tint during a crucial post-tornado scene.

Despite minor quibbles about softness and some overdone color grading, the 4K transfer stands head and shoulders above previous Blu-ray and HD-DVD releases. The high bitrate ensures smooth playback with no significant encoding issues, and the consistent sharpness—apart from inherent CGI limitations—offers a definitive visual presentation for both new viewers and longtime fans alike. The film's classic 1990s aesthetic is maintained while elevating the fidelity to match contemporary standards.

The Dolby Atmos mix of "Twister" on 4K UHD Blu-ray is a landmark achievement in immersive audio presentation, standing out as a significant upgrade over the previous 5.1 mix. The use of overhead sound objects enhances the soundstage, creating an enveloping experience with debris and wind swirling all around the listening area. Dialogue remains crisp and centered, despite intense surround activity and deep, room-rattling low-frequency effects. Mark Mancina's score also benefits immensely from the extended dynamic range and clarity provided by this new mix.

Storm scenes are where the Atmos mix truly shines, with tornadoes growling and shrieking from all directions. The sound of flying debris smartly sweeps across channels, keeping listeners in the center of the chaos. The overhead channels effectively heighten the storm sequences, contributing to the sense that these massive weather events are realistically looming overhead. Notably, the famed opening tornado scene exerts such physicality in its bass response that it will thoroughly test the capabilities of any home theater subwoofer.

While every element of the mix operates cohesively, small details such as occasional muffled dialogue during post-storm scenes do not detract from the overall experience. Compared to earlier versions, this mix offers more precise sound steering, although minor differences in bass emphasis can be noted when directly comparing this new Atmos track to previous ones like Turbine’s mix. Nonetheless, it remains a nearly flawless audio presentation that establishes new standards for demo-worthy home theater audio.

The 4K UHD Blu-ray release of "Twister" boasts an impressive collection of extras that provide profound insights into the movie’s groundbreaking production. The new featurette, "The Legacy of Twister: Taken by the Wind," shines as an engaging retrospective, where director Jan de Bont discusses the film’s innovative visual effects, the challenging production process, and the updated 4K transfer. The retained legacy extras, sourced from previous DVD and Blu-ray releases, include an audio commentary by de Bont and VFX supervisor Stefen Fangmeier, who offer captivating behind-the-scenes anecdotes. The featurettes such as "Chasing the Storm: Twister Revisited" focus on the technical aspects, while "Anatomy of a Twister" and "HBO First Look: The Making of Twister" provide diverse perspectives on the movie’s creation. However, it is worth noting that this release omits some previous materials like the History Channel program.

Extras included in this disc:

• The Legacy of Twister – Taken by the Wind: Jan de Bont discusses the groundbreaking film.
• Chasing the Storm: Twister Revisited: A retrospective on the production.
• Anatomy of a Twister: In-depth look at how key scenes were made.
• HBO First Look: The Making of Twister: Behind-the-scenes insights.
• Van Halen Humans Being Music Video: Blistering track with film footage.
• Audio Commentary: Insights from Jan de Bont and Stefen Fangmeier.

"Twister," directed by Jan de Bont, remains a quintessential '90s blockbuster, characterized by its thrilling visual effects and dynamic cast. The film follows Dr. Jo Harding (Helen Hunt) and her estranged husband Bill (Bill Paxton) as they chase tornadoes across Oklahoma to test a groundbreaking tornado data-gathering device, "Dorothy." The narrative's emotional depth comes from Jo's traumatic past of losing her father to a tornado, providing an underlying motivation for her relentless pursuit of better tornado prediction technologies.

Though the film is not lauded for scientific accuracy or deep storytelling, it excels in delivering pure cinematic fun. The character-driven plot involving Jo and Bill's tumultuous relationship adds an emotional core to the high-octane storm sequences. Supporting performances by Philip Seymour Hoffman and Cary Elwes add levity and villainy, respectively, enriching the film's appeal.

On the technical front, "Twister" was groundbreaking for its time, effectively blending CGI with practical effects. Notable scenes like flying cows and drive-in theater destruction have become iconic. This 4K UHD Blu-ray release features a 2160p/HDR10 transfer and Dolby Atmos audio, significantly enhancing the visceral thrill of the original film. These upgrades underscore the film’s nostalgic value while offering a modern viewing experience that maintains the heart-pounding excitement of the 1996 classic.

Jan de Bont's Twister, a staple of 90s-era disaster thrillers, continues to capture audiences with its compelling mix of action, humor, and groundbreaking special effects. Warner Bros.' long-awaited 4K UHD release significantly improves upon the aging 2008 Blu-ray, providing an outstanding 2160p/HDR10 transfer that features minor color tweaks but overall demonstrates a highly satisfying visual presentation. The new Dolby Atmos audio mix is equally impressive, offering a dynamic and immersive experience that perfectly complements the film's intense and chaotic sequences.

While the returning bonus features are largely the same, this release includes a new retrospective interview with Jan de Bont, adding some fresh insight to the existing supplementary content. As much as this update enhances the main feature, the exclusion of a remastered Blu-ray is a notable oversight. Considering the impact of the film and its significance to both new viewers and nostalgic fans, a comprehensive remaster for all formats would have been ideal.

Twister remains a quintessential summer blockbuster populated by an enthusiastic ensemble cast that elevates it beyond its "cheesy disaster flick" roots. Although the plot sometimes leans into implausibility, the film's sheer entertainment value excuses these moments. Warner Brothers' 4K UHD edition delivers substantive A/V upgrades that reaffirm Twister as a must-own for physical media collectors. This release is highly recommended for its enhanced technical presentation and timeless appeal.

Conclusively, Twister is simply a fun popcorn flick with a killer audio track. It’s not super special on the surface, but the entire ensemble cast elevates the film from cheesy disaster flick into a summer blockbuster. Everyone involved is having a blast, and except for the sheer lunacy of Bill and Jo surviving a category 5 tornado simply by running, is a solid movie all the way around. Warner Brothers delivers the goods with killer audio, a brand new remaster on the video (thank goodness) but the extras are mostly the same except for a single retrospective addition. I would have loved for Warner to release this as a combo pack, with the Blu-ray being remastered as well as the 2008 disc is simply WAY outdated and needs a refresh as well that only a new remaster and re-encode can do. Highly recommended as a fun popcorn film.