Twister (1996) - Turbine 4K UHD SteelBook

So I’ve already reviewed Turbine’s 2021 Mediabook, and I reviewed both the standard and SteelBook editions of Warner Bros. 4K sets. Reiterating the same points as a tornado-obsessive fan of Twister would be redundant. I loved it 28 years ago on opening night when the film broke RIGHT at the end and couldn't be repaired, and I still love it today. And now that my son is a fan of the film I have another great reason to sit down and watch the high-speedy windy exploits of Jo and Bill all over again!

Want to read more about Twister on disc? Of course you do. Check out our previous reviews below:

Warner Bros. 2024 4K UHD Blu-ray Review

Turbine 2021 Mediabook Blu-ray Review
Ugly Ass Ancient History Warner Bros. 2008 Blu-ray Review

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray 

Twister lays waste to 2160p 4K UHD Blu-ray once again, this time courtesy of German boutique Turbine with a two-disc 4k UHD + Blu-ray SteelBook. For this release, the 4K edition has been giving a roomier encode with a triple-layer BD100 disc with a Region Free BD50 for the 1080p edition - which as also been remastered. The two discs are housed in a genuinely lovely SteelBook replicating the original classic theatrical poster art which quite easily outshines the dippy SteelBook art we got here stateside. Each disc loads to a language menu, German or English, so you won’t have to worry about deciphering the menu tabs or changing the language option. Click English and you’re off to the races.

While I heaped my amount of praise on the Warner Bros. disc when it dropped, I have to acknowledge the notable difference Dolby Vision and a cleaner encode has to offer. About 90% of what I had to say for the WB disc holds true here:

“Fine film grain is apparent throughout, but nowhere near noisy or intrusive. That one static shot with lightning flashes at the beginning still looks janky as ever but that’s just charm at this point. Facial features, Hoffman’s wild attire, and little fine details in the team’s vehicles are all on display with terrific clarity. Faces actually look like real human faces, not pod people who got interrupted halfway into their cloning process. I was also very impressed with how well the old CGI tornado effects held up and blended with the improved resolution. Some fake rain effects still stick out, but they always have. 

Now the film has undergone a little bit of a color-timing tweak, and largely for the better. One of the criticisms of the film and early discs was how “bright and sunny” the movie could look when a killer storm is raining down just a few feet away. Some effort has been made to darken the film just a little to mitigate that. You can still see the show, it’s not like what hit Twilight Time’s NOLD 90 disc, but enough to maintain a mood. There might be a little more blue, but reds and yellows still pop beautifully. That said, they did add quite a bit of green for the opening “Going green” tornado. It was a bit jarring at first, one could argue they overdid it a tad by trying to achieve the look de Bont always wanted for that opening sequence, but it does fit. I’ve seen plenty of green storms in my day.” 

Now for the two primary difference makers of this release. Since this edition was pressed on a BD100 disc, it’s a much cleaner encode with a vastly superior bitrate throughout. Where the WB disc had a solid average in the 60-70mbps range with spikes into the 90s, Turbine’s disc average bitrate is in the 90s with regular spikes into the 120mbps range! In some scenes, the bitrate for this disc was almost doubled over our domestic disc. What that gives the image is a better sense of clarity and depth. I immediately felt a stronger three-dimensional vibe as Jo’s father grabbed his coffee to look at the weather report on television that continued throughout the run. Film grain also appears a little more refined and cinematic without appearing too noisy or intrusive. In general fine details just popped out more clearly.

On top of a better encode, we actually get Dolby Vision HDR on disc which I have to say was another unexpected improvement. The transfer still holds the new greener color timing, but there’s much better shading of the color in some of those initial shots of the sky. Likewise, some of the darkened moments to achieve that appropriately stormy look have better shadow management and don’t quite look so uniformly darkened. Darker yes, but not impenetrably so our unwatchable. My understanding is the U.K. disc is also a BD100 with Dolby Vision, I don’t have that set so I can’t speak to its quality or the accuracy of those specifications, but if you didn’t grab the domestic edition, you can snag Turbine's disc with confidence knowing it’s the far superior option.

For this edition, Turbine offers the same English Atmos mix we had here in the states forgoing their previous track and they have also dropped the Auro 3D 13.1 mixes from the set. So that is certainly something some fans might take note of. As I said in a very long-winded way, the new Atmos track and Turbine’s older Atmos track were both bangers. Both were excellent intense mixes that did their jobs well if in slightly different ways. This new track might have some new or slightly enhanced (but not distractingly so) sound effects, but it’s a rip-roaring experience all the way through. You can read what I thought about that in the linked review above.  What’s especially nice about this release is we also get a legacy DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix. And while the Atmos is still superior, I can’t knock the 5.1 track. It hits hard and strong in its own way. So if you’re not rigged and ready for Atmos, you still get a real sub-thumper of a mix to enjoy at home. Both tracks offer clean dialog with an exciting expansive and immersive soundscape. One just does the job better than the other.

On the bonus features front, the same extras from the WB disc are carried over, but this edition keeps Turbine's exclusive interview with Jan de Bont. It's not a long piece but an insightful one all the same. Unfortunately, that old PBS piece about tornadoes also didn't come over so if you really need that extra, it's the lone reason to hold onto your old discs.

• Audio Commentary featuring Jan de Bont and Stefen Fangmeier 
• The Legacy of Twister - Taken by the Wind (HD 15:17)
• Storm Chasers - An Interview with Jan de Bont (HD 18:55)
• Chasing the Storm: Twister Revisited (HD 28:58)
• HBO First Look: The Making of Twister (HD 13:51)
• Anatomy of a Twister (HD 8:34)
• Van Halen “Humans Being” Music Video (3:37)
• US Teaser Trailer
• US Trailer
• UK Trailer
• German Trailer 

I’d known for a while that Turbnine was working on their own 4K UHD of Twister - long before the domestic edition was announced, in fact. But when Warner Bros dropped their disc and it turned out so well, I was curious what else Turbine could bring to the marketplace. That disc was pretty damn good. Turns out Turbine brought quite a bit to their 4K UHD SteelBook actually. Giving the film the full breathing room of a triple-layer BD100 disc was a huge start letting the image expand that bitrate, and enhance it with Dolby Vision HDR, while also enjoying the same impressive new Dolby Atmos track along with legacy DTS 5.1 audio. Bonus features are nice additions and highlights, but the SteelBook (or Mediabook if you choose) packaging is leaps and bounds better looking than what we got here stateside. While that Warner Bros disc is still very good, I can’t deny Turbine unleashed the power of a full F5 for this release. If you’re still waiting to get this on 4K - this is the set to run for. Highly Recommended