I had the most surreal experience when I first saw Twister in theaters. When I went in, it was a nice bright shiny day outside. When the movie was over and I departed from the theater, a terrible storm was visibly moving in, much like in the movie. I don’t live in tornado country, but it was definitely a weird and sudden change in the weather that felt as if Mother Nature had been inspired by Jan DeBont’s work.

While it’s going to be rare to experience Twister on that same level, the movie does hold up pretty well, with some of the storm effects still coming across quite powerfully. I can’t wait to see how a high definition version of the movie plays. Fortunately, I don’t have to wait too long. Warner Brothers is putting out a new, 2-disc edition of Twister on May 6th, the same day that a Blu-ray version of the movie will come out (a HD DVD version will be available on May 27th).
Just a side note before getting into the bonus material: if you haven’t seen Twister since it came out, you definitely should check it out. While everyone recognizes Helen Hunt, Cary Elwes, and Bill Paxton, the supporting cast includes Alan Ruck, a long haired Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Lost newbie Jeremy Davies.

Here’s a look at the bonus material according to Warner Bros’ press release.

Commentary by Jan DeBont and Stefan Fangmeier Chasing the Storm: Twister Revisited The Making of Twister [HBO First Look Special] Anatomy of a Twister Nature Tech: Tornadoes [2003 History Channel special] Van Halen Humans Being Music Video Theatrical Trailers

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