Rating: ****
Producer: Steven Spielberg
Director: Jan DeBont
Cast: Bill Paxton, Helen Hunt, Carey Elwes, Jami Gertz
A non-stop actioner about a group of tornado chasers led by Bill Paxton and adorable Helen Hunt. In the lame by-the-numbers Michael Crichton concocted script, the worst weather pattern in fifty years is ripping through the midwest and two teams of scientists (the good down-to-earth weathermen and the evil corporate-backed weathermen) are scrambling to study the tornadoes while simultaneously scrambling to stay out of their way. Some other dramatic and romantic bullshit is thrown in to round out the impact of the film, but the real reason you're watching is to see a bunch of really cool tornadoes tearing things apart. And the effects are indeed quite spectacular. Paxton and Hunt work well together and they both deliver honest and genuinely human performances. Some of my friends complained that the acting was terrible but I disagree. To me, it seemed like all of the characters were convincingly portrayed as real people that you'd meet every day, so maybe it wasn't "acting" so much as "performing." Who knows, but regardless I thought it was a fantastic film. (and Helen Hunt is a mega-babe)