Twister opened in 1998, replacing the Ghostbusters Spooktacular show that had run in the park's New York since the park's opening. How tornadoes ripping through Wakita, Oklahoma fit into New York City is a mystery that remains to this day. But the movie Twister was a huge hit in 1996, earning nearly half a billion dollars in box office, so no one could blame Universal for wanting to get this franchise into its park as quickly as possible.
An odd location in the park wasn't the only mismatch reflected in this show, however. Twister, the movie, demonstrated the power of computer generated imagery [CGI] in creating an on-screen spectacle. But Twister, the show, relied entirely upon practical effects that looked, well, pretty cheesy — especially when the impressive CGI tornadoes of the film remained fresh in audience's minds.
But Twister's on-stage windstorm looked absolutely authentic when compared with the pre-show performance by Twister star Bill Paxton. [Paxton appears at 1:10.]
Paxton's deadpan spiel appealed to a generation of fans who howled at the apparent insincerity of the performance. Universal might have produced better practical-effects demonstrations with its Lights! Camera! Action! Hosted by Steven Spielberg show in Singapore, or even the old "Backdraft" show at Universal Studios Hollywood. But no Universal attraction did unintentional comedy better than Bill Paxton in Twister.
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And the "ride?" Well, I honestly see how Twister could have been a good ride. Universal was able to make an awesome ride out of Michael Bay's Transformers, another undeservedly successful blockbuster, so they could've made Twister work. But that didn't happen. First off, the name of the attraction is "Twister: RIDE It Out,"! But it's not even a ride! It's a show/walk through! Second, Paxton's spiel. I perfectly understand why some people would find it funny, but I found it kinda boring. And third, the main show. With all it's bad special effects...ugh...
Ok. My little rant is over now. Have a good day and Happy Halloween.
I thought that Twister was a charming and undemanding experience, and after the first viewing was mostly fun for watching everyone else's reaction to the (spoiler alert) lurching platform at the end. And the "movie set" in front of you was in real, living 3D, so real you could literally touch it.
Definitely an interesting choice to replace it with, especially with the recent "chatter" about Jimmy Fallon and the concerns that NBC execs have about his increasingly frequent partying lifestyle. Would be a big miss to prepare this attraction and then have to change it suddenly should they end up dropping him at some point.
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