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Twister

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 12, age appropriate for kids over 14; suggested age 13.

  • Is it any good?

    3.0
  • Common Sense says

    Decent disaster movie for teens.

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 13–14

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    All of the characters put themselves in dangerous situations as part of their job, to study tornadoes. Some sex-related humor.
  • Violence:

    Jo's dad is killed by a tornado, as well as a few others. A man is impaled by flying debris. In the opening scene, a girl watches as a tornado carries her father away. There are many very intense encounters with the tornadoes.
  • Sex:

    One character is a "reproductive therapist" whose academic views on human sexuality provide comic relief.
  • Language:

    Moderate profanity, with one "F" word.
  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    There's a mention of a character being drunk and naked.

What Parents Need to Know

This review of Twister was written by M. Faust

Parents need to know that teens will be excited about the great special effects in this adventure movie, although they may be disappointed by the thin plot. Parents should know that the main characters are a soon-to-be-divorced couple who are still sexually attracted to each other. All of the characters put themselves in dangerous situations as part of their job. In the opening scene, a girl watches as a tornado carries her father away, and there are several frightening scenes involving the destructive storms.

Families Can Talk About

Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
  • Families can talk about the popularity of disaster films, and what makes a good one.
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More on Twister

What’s the Story?

When conditions create a perfect storm for multiple tornadoes, storm chaser Jo Harding (Helen Hunt) finds herself re-teaming with her ex-husband Bill (Bill Paxton) in an attempt to collect valuable data using their high-tech invention called DOROTHY. Meanwhile, corporation-funded Dr. Miller (Carey Elwes), armed with a similar device, tries to get the vital statistics before Jo and Bill.

Is It Any Good?

Twister's raison d'etre is showing off elaborate special effects that create the experience of being near and even in a tornado. A tornado isn't an easy phenomenon to build a plot around--they can't be predicted more than three minutes in advance, and they don't last very long. So it's partly forgivable that the filmmakers haven't come up with much of a story. The relationship woes and scientific rivalries only serve as filler between the wholly believable scenes featuring huge objects hurtling through the air.

The opening scene, about Jo's first experience with a twister, is both exciting and scary. After that, the filmmakers satisfy themselves with thrilling viewers rather than frightening them. They also drop so many references to The Wizard of Oz that families can make a game of counting them. It's a bit of a disappointment that scientist-turned-scriptwriter Michael Crichton doesn't challenge the audience a bit more here. Still, despite being cliched, the characters are likable. In particular, Helen Hunt is as inspirational to young women interested in science as Jodie Foster was in Contact.

Movie Details

Studio: Warner Bros., Director: Jan De Bont
Run time: 113 minutes
Theatrical release: 8/27/1997, DVD release: 8/27/1997
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense depiction of very bad weather

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Our Members Say

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Kid Reviewer Age 8
    Lives in Oklahoma
    I rate this title iffy for age 4 and give it 5.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate language
    • My highlights are:
    • Positive messages

    HEY PEOPLE

    if you like twisters,watch the movie.if you dont like twisters,DO NOT WATCH THE MOVIE!!!!!!!!

  2. Kid Reviewer Age 12
    Lives in Pennsylvania
    I rate this title on for age 17 and give it 5.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate language

    Awesome!

    My whole family (including my almost 8-year-old sister) watched the uncut version a few months ago. First thing I have to say is the language is extremely profane. The word "fu**" is used once, but it's very hard to hear it. The word "sh**" is used at least fifty-five times throughout the film. At least five times Bill Paxton's character refers to a man as a "son of a bi***". Two, the violence is pretty scary for younger kids. My almost 8-year-old sister had to cover her eyes a whole lot for the frequent twister scenes. Think of this: the film is 2 hours long; my sister only got to see about 40 minutes of it because of how much it scared her. She missed about 1 hour and 20 minutes of it.

  3. Kid Reviewer Age 12
    Lives in Pennsylvania
    I rate this title iffy for age 10 and give it 5.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate language

    NOT A MOVIE FOR LITTLE KIDS!!!!!!! :( PERFECT FOR OLDER TWEENS!!!!!!! :)

    My whole family (including my 8-year-old sister) watched the uncut version last night. First thing I have to say is the language is extremely profane. The word "f--k" is used once. The word "s--t" is used at least fifty-five times throughout the film. At least five times Bill Paxton's character refers to a man as a "son of a b---h". Two, the violence is pretty scary for younger kids. My 8-year-old sister had to cover her eyes a whole lot for the frequent twister scenes. Think of this: the film is 2 hours long; my sister only got to see about 40 minutes of it because of how much it scared her. She missed about 1 hour and 20 minutes of it.

  4. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    Lives in California
    I rate this title on for age 10 and give it 5.0

    Great movie!

    I loved it! It was just everything about it, I loved the special effects and the main charaters! I highly recommend to anyone looking for an adventure!

  5. Teen Reviewer Age 16
    Lives in Pennsylvania
    I rate this title pause for age 14 and give it 5.0

    I love Tornadoes

    great movie. now i really want to be a storm chaser haha

  6. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    Lives in New York
    I rate this title on for age 0 and give it 5.0

    whoa...

    its a Twister!!!great movie

  7. Teen Reviewer Age 17
    Lives in Washington
    I rate this title on for age 0 and give it 4.0

    AWSOME!!!

    ITS A TWISTER!! this movie is just plain awsome!!

  8. Teen Reviewer Age 16
    Lives in Arizona
    I rate this title on for age 0 and give it 3.0

    Fun, okay for older kids. Good for kids 10+

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