Twister

A wondrous reminder that, sometimes, it's nice to fool with Mother Nature. From the safety of your theater seat, that is.

It's fast, it's ferocious and it's also very funny. Even as it takes your breath away, this film makes you laugh your head off.

Twister swirls in as the first of the big summer movies, a beautifully shot action picture with heart-stopping effects. It's by and for adrenaline junkies.

It's a grand, thrilling subject. But the movie doesn't really treat its theme seriously. Instead, as directed by Jan De Bont and co-written and co-produced by Michael Crichton, Twister is unabashed entertainment, an undemanding, full-speed-ahead joyride.

Twister outdoes Jurassic Park in its lack of narrative momentum, its incoherent logic, and its utter contempt for characterisation.

In the wrong hands apocalypse can be deadly -- deadly dull, that is -- but when it comes to cheap thrills, Jan De Bont is up there with the best.

Nearly 30 years later, Twister has aged into a pleasant memory of when middlebrow action fare for adults ruled the box office.

The sum of its great and hokey parts is very entertaining to watch, and even its flaws are enjoyable because nothing about the film feels cynical or pandering.

Think of Twister as the multiplex version of a porn flick: You have to sit through stretches of uneven acting, stale plotting, and dumb dialogue to get to the good stuff.

It lacks any interesting characters or drama. Like an amusement park ride, its ups and downs ultimately peter out, leaving the viewer with little more than a momentary buzz or two to remember.