Admittedly, the special effects are mind-blowing on the big screen, but sadly, they ultimately amount to no more than window dressing on a flimsy foundation. Twister is made up of cardboard characters strung precariously together with a plot no thicker than an excuse and is riddled with every action cliche in the book. Save for the special effects and an entertaining performance from Helen Hunt, there very little creativity to be found.

Plot: a couple are in the process of breaking up get back together. Characterization: one character is characterized as "cheerful," another is characterized as "skeptical," and yet another is characterized as "psycho." The main characters are characterized less. Cliches: they can't all be ignored even by the most forgiving viewer, for there's nothing left without them. And Twister has every last cliche you can think of: the tragic flashback for an opening scene, the wise elderly lady, the ditzy other woman, the meanie rival, and that especially annoying one where one character says something like, "No. Absolutely not. I won't do it. No," and then the movie cuts to a shot of the character doing what he said he wasn't going to do. Twister is guilty of committing this last one not once but twice.

Like a lot of substanceless blockbusters, this is a good movie to look at. But looking and watching are two different things.