Some things I liked some I did not.

not horrible nor great

brilliant actors, brilliant editing

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

I first saw Night of the Twisters on TV in early 1996. I was only 8 years old at the time and remember loving it the first time I saw it. I taped the movie on VHS and remember watching it over and over again during the lead-up to Jan de Bont's "Twister" which came out a few months later. It was this movie that got me interested in tornadoes. I had read the book by Ivy Ruckman when I was in school, and it has always been one of my favourite books. And despite the movie not being as good as the book, it is still a nice little film.The story revolves around teenager Dan (Devon Sawa) who has trouble getting along with his stepfather Jack (John Schneider). He is also getting used to having a new baby brother. During the night, Dan's best friend Arthur (Amos Crawley) helps Dan stay home and babysit while Jack goes to check on Dan's grandmother. While the two teenagers and the baby are home alone, the twister hits the house. Afterwards, Dan sets out on a journey to find his family.The only thing I have against the movie are some of the differences from the novel. It is a shame what they did to Arthur in the movie, turning him into a complete moronic goof. In the book, Arthur was still goofy, but during the disaster, he was just as brave and smart as Dan. I also didn't like it in the movie when the characters of Arthur and Stacy were side-lined for Jack. Arthur and Stacy accompany Dan in his search for his family all through the book, but in the movie they are hardly seen after the first tornado. Jack was not an important character in the book, and it saddened me to see other characters so important in the book be pushed to the side. I am still hoping that someone in the near future will read the novel and decide to make a more faithful theatrically released Night of the Twisters movie. Despite that though, I still love this movie and continue to watch it at least once a year.

as TV movies go,this one is pretty good.the special effects are,for the most part,well done.however,the film dwells not so much on the Twisters which descend on as small town,but more on the dramatic area,such as how the relationship between father(John Schneider)and son(Dewon Sawa)changes throughout the course of events.it also deals with the aftermath of the destruction.We do see some twisters,but not as many as you might hope.a lot of the movie shows destruction taking place without actually showing the tornadoes.the acting is a bit suspect,not so much with main characters,but with minor characters such as the newsman reporting on the weather.not very believable,at all.there are also some dialogue issues,such as being corny,and clichéd,or downright ridiculous.the way some of the characters(again,thankfully minor characters)behave during the crisis and what they say is not realistic for the situation.However,the film is still quite watchable and not at all boring,so i give "Night of the Twisters" a strong 6/10

Timothy Bond has outdone himself with this.Daniel Hatch(Devon Sawa)has problems. His father Jack(John Schneider)doesn't trust him. His friend, Arthur Jones(Amos Crawley)even notices it. But when a storm tracks off it's path and comes toward them with hurling winds it all changes. Dan and his father are now a family. His brother,Ryan(Alex Lastewka and Thomas Lastewka)is alive.A wonderful film to watch on a stormy night with your family by your side. This really will bring out the family. It'll leave you thinking, "Wow, storms really do bring a family together."We do actually get a few laughs. Arthur Jones really does act like a fool, even in the face of danger.

I have read the book a couple of times and this movie doesn't follow exactly as it should. I could let this slide, it is after all a movie. However I have serious issues with the setting of the movie. Nobody has seemed to mention that this movie and the book it is based on are based in actual events that happened in Nebraska. I live in Nebraska. I grew up in the town that this movie is supposed to be based on. First of all, the "small" town that is talked about as the setting, is the third largest city in the state. With a population of around 50,000. Grand Island is the largest city between Lincoln and Denver. Second the scenery for the movie is wrong. Grand Island is in the Platte river valley. Which is very flat with very few trees. I tried watching this movie, but it made me mad to see my hometown being treated so bad. This was a real event. Large sections of the city were wiped out. In the book they talk about riding bikes from Mormon Island to Fonner Park. I guess you could if you don't mind a 15 mile ride each way. For anyone who wants to know what really happened go here http://www.theindependent.com/twisters/