Atomic Twister (2002) (TV)

User Rating:

3.8/10   

Director:

Bill Corcoran

Writer (WGA):

Ron McGee (written by)

Release Date:

9 June 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

It Takes A Disaster to Make A Hero.

Plot:

The staff of a nuclear reactor must struggle to avert a disaster when tornadoes cause damage that threatens to start a meltdown.

Plot Keywords:

Disaster | Nuclear Power Plant | Nuclear Reactor | Tornado | Deputy

Cast

Sharon Lawrence	...	Corrine Maguire
Mark-Paul Gosselaar	...	Deputy Jake Hannah
Carl Lewis	...	Securityman Stu
Jonathan Blick	...	Potter (as Johnny Blick)
Daniel Costello	...	Campbell Maguire
Charmaine Guest	...	Ashley Bishop
George Henare	...	Manuel Fluentez
John Leigh	...	Deputy Rollins
John Sumner	...	Neville
Corbin Bernsen	...	Sheriff C.B. Bishop
David Aston	...	Man at Cliff
Paul Barrett	...	Fuel Tanker Driver
Grant Bridger	...	Maguire's Neighbor
Katrina Devine	...	Gloria
Peter Feeney	...	Fireman

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Canada:PG | USA:PG | Australia:M (TV rating)

Filming Locations:

Auckland, New Zealand

Company:

Once Upon a Time Films

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the scene with Jake pulling Ashley from the car, you can see the wire that is pulling the car further once he has her free.

Quotes:

[There are strong winds outside the police station]
Police Officer: It's only a tornado watch right now!
Jake: Of course! They only give you a tornado warning when your house is 50 feet from where you built it!

Really unintentionally funny

Atomic Twister is a film about tornadoes threatening a nuclear power plant written by someone who has apparently no knowledge of tornadoes or nuclear power plants. I'm not going into the plot here, because it's pretty simple, rather, let's take a look at what the writer messed up. First of all, I was not aware that, in Tennessee, they had "stealth" tornados. At one point, a character makes a call on his cell phone, then turns around to see a tornado about 50 yards away, bearing down on him. In reality, of course, tornados are so loud that one can be heard at least a mile away, if not more. Also, the impending tornadoes are always signaled by high winds whipping around the characters. The writer must have gotten tornadoes mixed up with hurricanes. The fact of the matter is that the air can be quite calm before a tornado strikes.

As for the nuclear power plant, the writer again drops the ball. The characters keep talking as though a meltdown will cause the plant to explode like an atom bomb. That is a total impossibility. The plant may suffer a meltdown and release large amounts of radiation, but it CANNOT explode!!!

All I can say is, watch Atomic Twister is you want a good laugh. Otherwise, stay clear.