Twisters appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.39:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Expect a solid visual presentation.
Sharpness worked well at all times. Outside of some footage shot on consumer video for flashbacks, no issues with delineation ever manifested in this tight image.
The movie came without jagged edges or moiré effects, and I saw no edge haloes. We got a light layer of grain and print flaws remained absent.
Unsurprisingly, the film’s palette leaned toward teal and amber. At least these remained somewhat on the subdued side and didn’t seem comical or oppressive. The disc reproduced the hues as intended.
Blacks became deep and tight, while low-light shots offered appealing clarity. Across the board, the movie looked very good.
Downconverted to Dolby TrueHD 7.1, the film’s Dolby Atmos soundtrack also fared well, though I admit it disappointed me. That stemmed from my view that the 1996 Twister offered one of the all-time great soundtracks and the sequel didn’t live up to its exceptional quality.
Not that I’d call this mix subdued, but it lacked the overwhelming intensity of the Twister audio. That one really attacked the listener and placed the viewer among the weather in a manner that didn’t quite click with this Atmos track.
Still, once I got past the letdown that Twisters failed to match with its predecessor’s audio, it worked very well. Though not as impressive as that early track, Twisters still used all the channels in an active and engaging manner.
Of course, this kicked into highest gear during the tornado scenes, of which we got quite a few. Quieter sequences used the spectrum to flesh out environments well, and music filled the speakers with distinctive material.
Audio quality seemed solid, as effects boasted good range and impact. Though without the terrifying roar of the 1996 mix, these components still packed a good sonic punch.
Music felt lush and full, while dialogue sounded natural and concise. As long as you don’t expect a track as good as the one that came with the 1996 movie, you’ll find a lot to enjoy with this mix.
The disc comes with a mix of extras, and these open with an audio commentary from director Lee Isaac Chung. He provides a running, screen-specific look at story/characters, connections to the 1996 film, cast and performances, sets and locations, photography, music, stunts/action, effects and related domains.
Chung offers a satisfactory chat but not one that I think excels. While he covers the production in a perfectly competent manner, the track never quite becomes more than generally decent.
Six featurettes follow, and Tracking the Fronts runs 14 minutes, 53 seconds. It offers notes from Chung, producers Patrick Crowley and Frank Marshall, executive producers Thomas Hayslip and Ashley Jay Sandberg, director of photography Dan Mindel, tornado consultant Kevin Kelleher, set decorator Missy Parker, and actors Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos, Glen Powell, David Corenswet, Brandon Perea, Katy O’Brian, Harry Hadden-Paton, Sasha Lane, Tunde Adebimpe and Maura Tierney.
“Fronts” examines aspects of the first movie and the move toward the sequel, cast and performances, research, what Chung brought to the project, shooting on film vs. digital, and locations. A few good details emerge and we find a nice look at the shoot but much of “Fronts” feels fluffy.
Into the Eye of the Storm lasts 24 minutes, seven seconds. We hear from Powell, Edgar-Jones, Ramos, Chung, Perea, Parker, Sandberg, Hayslip, Lane, visual effects supervisor Ben Snow, special effects supervisor Scott R. Fisher, compositing supervisor Ben O’Brien, ILM VFX supervisor Florian Witzel, production designer Patrick Sullivan, supervising stunt coordinator/2nd unit director Casey O’Neil, VFX department supervisor Joakim Arnesson, and actors Nik Dodani, Kiernan Shipka, and Daryl McCormack.
With “Eye”, we cover various effects, stunts and action, set design and dressing, research and the depiction of tornadoes. Despite some of the happy talk from the prior piece, “Eye” digs into technical domains pretty well.
Next comes All Access, a three-minute, 12-second piece in which Powell leads us through a typical day on the shoot. Nothing especially interesting results, though we do get to meet the actor’s parents.
Front Seat to a Chase goes for five minutes, 16 seconds. It involves Powell, Kelleher, Perea, storm documentarian Sean Casey, NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory’s Dr. Sean Waugh, and meteorologists Dr. Jana Houser and Justin Walker.
“Chase” discusses the work of real-life storm chasers and meteorologists on Twisters. We get a short but informative reel.
After this, we go to Voice of a Villain. This six-minute, 16-second featurette gives us notes from Chung, supervising sound editors Bjorm Ole Schoeder and Al Nelson, re-recording mixer Christopher Boyes, sound effects editor Benjamin A. Burtt, foley artists Ronni Brown and Jana Vance, and assistant supervising sound editor Sarah Shaw.
During voice, we learn about the movie’s audio. It fills out the topic well.
Tricked-Out Trucks comes next. It lasts four minutes, 31 seconds and offers info from Chung, Powell, Fisher, Ramos, Waugh, art director Jessie Haddad, and picture car coordinator Rick Collins.
As the title implies, “Trucks” details the movie’s special vehicles. Expect another moderately engaging reel.
Three Deleted Scenes occupy a whopping two minutes, four seconds. They offer minor character beats and nothing more.
Finally, a Gag Reel occupies three minutes, 57 seconds with the usual goofs and giggles. The collection of clips seems forgettable.
28 years later, Twisters fails to recapture the crazed action of its 1996 predecessor. More remake than sequel, the movie doesn’t sink but it also never really clicks or becomes especially exciting. The Blu-ray boasts strong picture and audio along with a pretty long roster of supplements. Twisters turns into a disappointing follow-up to the silly but thrilling original.