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Co-produced by Warner Bros. and Universal PicturesNew version of "Tornado"，It will be released nationwide on July 19.

△ The new version of "Tornado" will be released this week

The first version of "Twister" 28 years ago has extraordinary significance in the history of the Hollywood film industry.As a Hollywood blockbuster introduced to China in the early years, its amazing visual and sound effects also brought a great shock to the Chinese audience on the big screen.

△ 1996 version of "Tornado"

For me, this movie carries a special emotional memory - it is the second Hollywood movie I can remember in my life. The amazing visual effects of the film deeply attracted me and shaped my love for movies.

Back then, "Twister" opened the door to Hollywood blockbusters for us. Today, let us take the opportunity of the release of the new version of "Twister" to review that heart-stirring classic together.

1 Hollywood disaster blockbusters: from eye-catching to shocking

As one of the most popular commercial film genres, disaster films have the charm of vividly presenting stories that come from life but transcend life through sound and picture. It brings together almost all the commercial elements that can attract audiences and has a glorious period in Hollywood history.

The 1970s was the golden age of disaster movies: Classic works such as "The Poseidon Adventure" (1972), "Earthquake" (1974) and "Skyscraper" (1974) have successfully attracted widespread audience attention by showing large-scale disaster events and human response in crises.

△ The 1972 film "The Poseidon Adventure" received 8 Oscar nominations and won 2 Oscars

△ "Earthquake" in 1974 received 4 Oscar nominations

△ The 1974 film "The Burning Tower", which depicts a fire, received 8 Oscar nominations and won 3 awards.

Disaster films are unique in that:They provide thought-provoking content and enlightenment while entertainingWhether facing natural disasters or man-made crises, these films demonstrate people's courage and wisdom in extreme situations, allowing the audience to think about deeper issues while enjoying the visual feast.

andIn the 1990s, special effects movies entered a golden ageThe success of Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) and Jurassic Park (1993) made special effects a major selling point for audiences, raising their expectations for special effects and making filmmakers more willing to invest in high-speculations films.

△ The groundbreaking computer special effects in "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" (1991)

△ Steven Spielberg on the set of "Jurassic Park", picture from Universal Pictures/Amblin Entertainment

After experiencing the craze of action movies and science fiction movies in the 1980s, audiences were eager for new movie genres.“Disaster film + special effects”Entered the vision of Hollywood.

The goal of Tornado from the beginning wasTo create a commercial film with visual impact, one of the leaders of this film is the famous Hollywood director and producer Steven Spierberg.。

△ Spielberg won the Best Picture and Best Director awards for "Schindler's List" at the 66th Academy Awards in 1994, and was very proud of it. Image from the Internet

After the great success of "Jurassic Park" in 1993, Spielberg wanted to make another film that focused on visual effects. He and his producing partner Kathleen Kennedy askedIndustrial Light & Magic (ILM)challenge.

Although Industrial Light & Magic, founded by George Lucas, the father of the "Star Wars" series, is at the top of the special effects production field, unlike the extinct prehistoric dinosaurs, tornadoes are something that audiences around the world have seen."How to use digital technology to create a convincing and realistic tornado" became the primary challenge facing the special effects team.

When the "Tornado" project was first launched, there wasn't even a script, because if the "tornado special effects" problem was solved, other problems would be easily solved.

This time, the author had the honor of interviewing Dennis Muren, the creative consultant for the visual effects of "Twister".

△ Dennis Muren (Dennis Muren), picture from LucasFilm

Dennis is a legendary Hollywood visual effects master who has served as the visual effects supervisor for films such as Jurassic Park, ET, Star Wars, and Raiders of the Lost Ark.Nominated for 13 Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects, won 8 times, and received an Academy Award for Scientific and Technological Achievement。

△ Dennis Muren on the set of "Star Wars", picture from the Internet

Dennis still remembers the production process of "Tornado" vividly.

In 1993, Dennis served as the visual effects supervisor for "Jurassic Park" directed by Steven Spielberg., and won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. With this pleasant and trusting cooperation experience, he received a call fromAmblin EntertainmentSpielberg, Kathleen Kennedy, and Frank Marshall called to inquire about the feasibility of special effects for a film featuring a tornado.

Dennis' initial reaction to the project was cautious optimism.

When I first heard about this project, I thought it was a great idea, but I also realized that it came with huge challenges.


We had to create something that looked very realistic so that the audience would believe that it was a real tornado.

He realized that this was not only a technical challenge;The team was required to reach new heights in visual effects。

Before this, no other Hollywood film had experience in using digital technology to produce complex weather phenomena. The only tornado scene with screen memory might be "The Wizard of Oz" in 1939, when the tornado effect was created with a cloth model.

When you see the tornado scene in a movie like The Wizard of Oz, it's very revealing because it shows how powerful and dynamic visual effects could be, even in an age with limited technology.

△ The tornado scene in The Wizard of Oz (1939)

△ In the 1996 version of "Twister", director Jan de Bont also paid tribute to "The Wizard of Oz" in the final film.

Dennis, who likes to accept challenges, decided to take the leadMake a test video, he watched and studied a large number of real tornado videos.

I did some initial testing, what we called proof-of-concept testing, just to see if it could be realistic enough to make this film.


If the results seem a bit fake, there is no point in proceeding.

Dennis chose to shoot test footage north of San Francisco, using computer graphics to recreate and destroy a barn to demonstrate the power of a tornado.

We found a spot just north of San Francisco Bay where there was a lone barn… We shot this shot from a moving car, and as the car was turning a corner, you could see the tornado.

△ The test footage that appeared in the 1996 version of the "Twister" trailer. The complete original film has been lost

For Hollywood at the time, the effect of this test clip shocked almost everyone. Even though most of the visual effects team had rich experience, the effect created this time was groundbreaking.It was this short film that successfully convinced the producers to invest in the film.。

There was a glimpse of this clip in the early trailer of the film, but it did not appear in the final film; unfortunately, the complete film was lost during the relocation of Industrial Light & Magic, and now only a dozen seconds of the clip can be found.

During the production of "Twister", although Dennis was busy with the special effects production of "Jurassic Park 2: The Lost World", he was still deeply involved in the special effects production of "Twister" as a consultant. The specific visual effects supervision was done by Stefen Fangmeier, John Frazier, Habib Zargarpour and Henry LaBounta.

When discussing technical challenges, Dennis mentionedComplexity of particle systemsandHow to make a tornado visually realistic：

The team uses a particle system to generate and control a large number of tiny particles, which move according to set rules and environmental changes.

For example, if you want to simulate a ball moving in the wind, you can dynamically control the movement of the ball through a particle system.


If you generate millions of these particles and combine them together, you can form and simulate a realistic tornado effect.

Dennis also emphasized the importance of lighting.Not only do we need to control the dynamic behavior of particles, but we also need to achieve realism in the lighting effects.。

We had to make it look realistic enough to be able to light the scene correctly, so that when the light was coming from one side it didn't look like pure CG but looked very natural.

A considerable part of the film's plot unfolds in "chasing a tornado on the road"; and for Jan de Bont, who has directed a large number of car chase scenes in "Speed", this gives him an excellent opportunity to display his talents.

In Speed, De Bont used a lot ofHandheld camera and dynamic shooting techniques, creating a tense and exciting effect; in "Twister", he continued this style, capturing the tense scenes of storm chasers through handheld cameras and fast-moving lenses, adding to the film's realism and urgency.

Although the effect is excellent, the instability of handheld photography also brings great pressure to post-production special effects.

When asked about the difficulty of handheld photography for special effects, Dennis emphasized“Let the director give full play to his creativity”of importance, which he believes is the key to achieving the best results.

He supported the director's vision, including the use of more dynamic camera movements and dust effects to add to the film's sense of realism and danger.

You can let the director do what he wants to do...keep an open mind, be optimistic, and let him make his movie.

Dennis believes thatTwister set a new standard in visual effects and had a profound impact on the film industry:

I think it’s had a big impact in the special effects community… The research we’ve been doing has really paid off.

Dennis emphasizedVisual effects are not just technical achievements, but they can evoke an emotional response from the audience.He strives to ensure that every film he is involved in not only looks realistic visually, but also makes the audience feel emotionally impactful and resonates.

In "Twister", Dennis and his team not only focused on the appearance and movement of the tornado when designing the special effects, but also considered the audience's emotional response when seeing these scenes to enhance the depth and immersion of the viewing experience.

△ Stills from "Twister" (1996)

△ The classic "cow caught in a tornado" in the film

2 Behind the scenes of the director and casting

The director selection process for Twister went through multiple stages and involved several well-known directors. The production team considered James Cameron, John Bandham, Tim Burton and many other directors, and finally chose——Jan de Bont。

△ Director Jan de Bont (center) "Tornado"

Jan de Bont rose to fame after directing Speed, which showcased his talent for handling action scenes and intense rhythms. Although Speed ​​was his directorial debut, his experience as a cinematographer on action films such as Die Hard and The Hunt for Red October made him an ideal choice for Twister.

△ "Speed" (1994)

Before joining "Twister", Jan de Bont worked on the pre-production of "Godzilla" for a year. Although he eventually chose to leave that film, the experience working on "Godzilla", which also focused on visual effects, quickly helped him to move forward in the production of "Twister", as both films also had a lot of CGI work.

Jan de Bont recalled at the beginning of production that he had never seen a tornado before, but his directorial team hired a team of storm chasers to capture a large amount of video footage of real tornadoes for research and preparation.

Jan de Bont was fascinated by the thrilling images they recorded when their lives were hanging by a thread, and heard them excitedly say "I almost lost my life", and was very excited to direct this film.

Many big-name actors were considered at the beginning of the casting process. During the contact process with different actors, some did not want to have their hair dyed, and some refused the invitation after discovering that the real protagonist of the film was the tornado.

According to the notes of casting director Risa Bramon Garcia, after reading the script, her goal was to find some faces that were not too "urban style" for the film; before "Twister",Helen HuntShe had almost no experience in big-budget films, and the director insisted on using her even when the producers raised doubts.

△ Helen Hunt

She reminds me of a tornado. She is in control and has a strong personality, which are qualities I admire... She is willing to do her best and try to perform many of the action scenes herself.

He felt that Hunter had the leadership skills and strong presence that matched his expectations for the role of Joe Harding, a character who needed to have the temperament to play a central role in a storm chasing team.

And he had previously performed brilliantly in "Apollo 13"Bill Paxton, was chosen to play the leading actor because he was willing to perform in person and his image had a cowboy-like country style.

△ Bill Paxton in Titanic

After “Twister,” Helen Hunt continued to be successful in the film and television industry, winning an Oscar for the film “As Good as It Gets”;

Bill Paxton performed outstandingly in many films such as "Titanic" and began to try his hand at directing. Unfortunately, Paxton died in 2017 due to complications from surgery.

Other main actors such asPhilip Seymour HoffmanAfter Twister, he also achieved great success and won the Academy Award for Best Actor for Capote. Hoffman died in 2014 at the age of 46.

△ Philip Seymour Hoffman (center)

3 Pursuit of Reality: Shooting Notes Combining Real Shooting with CG

Although it was determined at the beginning of the project that this would be a film dominated by CG visual effects, in order to strive for maximum realism in the images, the director and production team still tried to shoot live action as much as possible.

The main filming locations of the film were selected in Oklahoma and Iowa in the United States. These locations were chosen because their terrain and climatic conditions are very suitable for depicting the storm scenes in the film.

Oklahoma in particular is located in the so-called "Tornado Alley," an area known for frequent tornado activity, providing a realistic backdrop for the film.

In addition, the open plains and vast skies of these places also enhance the visual effects of the film, making the tornado scenes more shocking and real. According to the cameraman's recollection, when shooting at some locations, there were warnings that there were tornadoes not far away.

The filming process of the film was just like the protagonist of the story, the tornado, with all kinds of uncertainties and changes, which caused a lot of hardships for the actors and crew members.

In order to show the ferocity of the storm, a large number of blowers and props such as dust, glass, branches, and ice were used on the set, making it almost impossible for the actors to open their eyes; the two leading actors had to endure such harsh shooting conditions for five full days, and in the end their eyes became inflamed due to foreign objects entering their eyes.

△ "Twister" (1996) set photo, picture from the Internet

In order to capture the effects of storms and lightning, the production crew used high-intensity light sources in one scene. After a full day of shooting, the two leading actors said they could not see with their eyes when they were putting on makeup the next day.

Recalling these arduous shoots, Helen Hunt recalled with understanding many years later that the reason director Jan de Bont's films looked so cool was because of his high demands on details and effects. Although this was very strict and hard for the actors and crew, it was exactly the quality that a good director should possess.

Such stringent requirements ultimately resulted in stunning visuals, which is what everyone expects from a film director.

4. "Twister" becomes a classic in global film history

Twister received widespread critical acclaim upon its release in 1996. Although critics had some criticisms about the film's characters and dialogue, the majority of media and critics overwhelmingly praised the film's visuals and overall entertainment value.

"Twister" far surpasses previous movies in terms of special effects.


In fact, it would have been hard to even imagine making such an impactful film a few years ago, because special effects had become so proficient.
—— Variety Show

Well-known film critic Roger Ebert believes that "the film is full of special effects, and these special effects are very convincing."

The Los Angeles Times believes that director Jan de Bont is excellent in creating tension and suspense, allowing the audience to feel the impact of the experience along with the actors.

Time magazine felt that the film was full of breathtaking excitement, and although the character development and dialogue were somewhat weak, its visual effects and stunt work made up for it.

Twister was a huge success at the box office:

The film was released on May 10, 1996The film grossed over $41.05 million in its opening weekend., breaking the first weekend box office record for a May movie at the time; the film ultimately accumulated approximately $241 million in box office revenue in the United States.The global box office total exceeded 494 million US dollars, becoming one of the highest-grossing films of the year.。

This achievement not only demonstrates the film's wide appeal, but also proves the huge commercial potential of the disaster film genre.

In addition, the commercial success of "Twister" is also reflected in its impact on the home entertainment market.

It was the first film to be released on DVDThrough the advanced DTS surround sound system, the audience can experience the shocking effect of the cinema at home, which marks the entry of home audio and video entertainment into a new era.

△ After the birth of DVD technology, the first feature film released in this format was "Twister" (1996)

With outstanding visual and sound performance,"Twister" was nominated for two Oscars for Best Visual Effects and Best Sound。

After the success of the film, plans for a sequel were never realized. "Twister" used a lot of computer special effects at the time, but also relied on a lot of practical special effects.

Jan de Bont noted that it would be very expensive and complicated to use the same practical effects for a sequel, and mentioned that early visual effects processing was very slow and each shot was very expensive.

Each shot was a huge expense and it took three days to transfer all the information to film.

The lead actress Helen Hunt once proposed an idea for a sequel and hoped to direct and act in it herself, but was ultimately rejected by the production company.

TornadoSeptember 1996It was introduced to China for screening. As one of the early Hollywood blockbusters to enter the Chinese market, it attracted widespread attention when China only allowed 10 Hollywood blockbusters to be screened that year.

After its release in China, Tornado quickly attracted a large number of audiences.For many Chinese audiences, this is the first time they have seen such realistic natural disaster special effects on the big screen., the film's outstanding performance in visual and sound effects greatly enhances the audience's viewing experience.

The film grossed over 54 million RMB in China that year, ranking second in the annual box office after Jackie Chan's "Police Story 4."

1996 was the year when China entered its second full decade of blockbuster films, and going to the cinema to watch Hollywood commercial blockbusters had become a social fashion at the time.

Although the film was not introduced simultaneously and did not share the bonus of the summer vacation, the campus group activities in September and the National Day holiday gave "Tornado" a place to call the wind and rain. This film has become a veritable new eraThe "enlightenment" of disaster movies for Chinese audiences。

△ Overseas disaster films introduced to China before 2010 and their box office rankings (click to see the full picture)

For movie fans, the charm of classics lies in their ability to stand the test of time and still move people many years later. The 1996 film "Twister" deeply influenced a generation of audiences, making them full of love and expectations for disaster films.

Now, the new version of "Twister" has once again chosen to be released during the summer vacation.

△ "Twister" (2024)

For the audience who were shocked by "Twister" in 1996, this is a great opportunity to relive the classic, and for the new generation of audiences, this will be the first time they can experience such a shocking visual feast on the big screen.

Whether it is nostalgic old movie fans or expectant new audiences, this film will undoubtedly once again bring us incredible visual enjoyment and spiritual shock.