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Parents' Guide to

Twister

By M. Faust, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

'90s disaster movie has violence, some cursing.

Movie PG-13 1997 113 minutes
Twister Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 12+

Based on 14 parent reviews

goldengiraffe
goldengiraffe Adult
December 29, 2021
age 12+

The effects are still impressive 23 years on!

My children are 13 and 11 and we watched this together as a family. I think the language makes it a 12. My son has seen this kind of language in films but it really depends on your child. Overall it's a great action packed film that you can watch with your kids, when many other films are too violent or have way more language issues. The effects are still as impressive as when I saw it as an 18 year old in the cinema in 1996!

This title has:

Too much swearing
3 people found this helpful.
tasha-nicolas
tasha-nicolas Parent of 5, 7 and 12-year-old
April 21, 2023
age 10+

Would watch again

I loved this movie! It didn’t have nearly as much swearing as CSM said, no F-bombs or anything like that. My then 5yo and 7yo brothers watched it with us, but got too scared after the first scene (where the dad gets taken by the tornado) and started crying. It was pretty scary, but mostly intense.
See all 14 parent reviews

What's the Story?

When conditions create a perfect storm for multiple tornadoes in TWISTER, storm chaser Jo Harding (Helen Hunt) finds herself re-teaming with her ex-husband, Bill (Bill Paxton), 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 do.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (14 ):
Kids say (44 ):

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 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 didn't challenge the audience a bit more here. Still, despite being clichéd, the characters are likable. In particular, Helen Hunt is as inspirational to young women interested in science as Jodie Foster was in Contact.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the popularity of disaster films, and what makes a good one.

  • How does the movie use contrasts between the two tornado chasing groups, and between Melissa and Jo, to reveal character?

  • The opening scene is a flashback showing a pivotal moment in Jo's life. Why do you think that scene is in the movie? What would be lost if it wasn't there?

  • Has the movie aged well?

Movie Details

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