A New 'Twister' is in the Works, But the Original is Still the Greatest Car Commercial of all Time

This is it, baby, the holy grail of automotive excellence. Forget Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt; this Club Cab pickup is the star of the movie. Fun fact: they used something like 10 of these bad boys during filming, and eagle-eyed viewers will notice that not all of them are 2500 V10s. Ah, the magic of movies! This is one of the first shots in the movie once the plot gets going, so it lets you know right away what this movie is about right out of the gate.

Eventually the bed cap goes away to fit the titular Dorothy. Be right back, I’m on Craigslist looking for these once again.

My only issue with the entire movie lies with this truck, though. Bill apparently only have liability insurance on his brand new pickup. It makes no sense at all.

Here we have Jo’s Jeep J10. Are you sensing a MOPAR theme? Good, you should be. That mean’s it’s working.

This is another truck I’ve been lusting after on Craigslist, but unfortunately they’ve all rusted and returned back to the earth. It’s a shame that this particular J10 meets a very grim death when it’s sucked into a tornado and dropped right in front of Bill’s fiancé driving the Ram 2500. It’s a shame really.

If you watch the movie, you know it sums up Jo perfectly.

On God, I do not understand how the director and cinematographer of this movie made a Dodge Grand Caravan look bad ass, but they did it. These were the cars that the movie’s antagonist, Jonas’s (a corporate kiss but who is in it for the money, not the science) nameless and faceless henchmen drove.

My mom had a similar vintage Plymouth Grand Voyager when I was growing up, and I promise you that it was not badass. Yet, in this movie, they look so cool.

Also, more Chrysler products. Awesome!

This movie is such a good Chrysler commercial that even the movie’s villain, Jonas, who will rue the day he came up against The Extreme, drive a Chevy SUV. It’s too perfect. Painted in all black, this behemoth is menacing, and perfect for a nightcrawler who stole Bill’s idea.

It’s another car that get’s royally fucked up by a tornado. Bill and Jo tried to save them, but Jonas was too much of a hot head. It’s a shame.

Hey look! It’s another Chrysler product. This one doesn’t play too much of a roll, and it’s only in the movie for like 3 seconds, but it’s still neat. From a different angle you can see the wood paneling down the site. Stellantis should really bring that back.

Anyway, this XJ looks cool as hell with that tornado in the background.

This iconic vehicle was the caboose of the Twister convoy, and was piloted by Dusty, played by the late, great Philip Seymour Hoffman. He also probably lived on the bus. Who is to say? I don’t really know what Dusty did for the crew other than provide vibes. Lots of Van Halen and Eric Clapton was played through the exterior speakers. Good feeling all round with this one.

This was one of the original Dorothy transporters, that also had all sorts of satellite and tech gubbins inside. That’s all well and good, but look at that custom paint job. Have you ever seen anything as cool as that? It’s a trick question. You haven’t. It’s one bitchin’ ass twister.

I’ve got no idea the names of the characters that drove this car or what they did for the convoy, but damn does a K-10 look badass. Even with the dorky bed cap/camper thing on the back, it still just works. Add those fog lights to the front, and it’s just *chef’s kiss*.

Also get out of the way, Melissa. Bill obviously loves Jo.

Rabbit is good, Rabbit is wise. This is the navigator’s car, and that navigator is none other than Connor Roy/Cameron Frye himself — Alan Ruck. He’s still a baby here! Anyway, this truck made sure the convoy got where it had to go, and Rabbit knows rural Oklahoma like the back of his hand.

I’ll be honest with ya, folks. I’ve got no idea what the dude who drove this car does for the team. I know he sliced his head on a flying hubcap. He was also able to pilot this beast down muddy back roads while keeping up with 4x4s. That’s gotta count for something.

Alone, all of these vehicles are excellent. But, when you put them together magic happens. Combine that with some really beautiful camerawork from a helicopter and you get this shot. It’s gorgeous. Even when compared to movies today it looks great.

It expresses so much. It’s the end of an incredibly long day. The team is battered and bruised but they’re still going. Of course, they are being led by their fearless leader, Bill.

Boo and hsss! These guys suck. Good thing Bill and the gang are cutting them off.

I bet that behemoth at the back of the bad guy convoy caught your attention. Well, here’s a closer look. Inside there are all sorts of computers and monitors that are pertinent to storm tracking. Bill doesn’t need that though. He’s got instincts. He knows what a storm is thinking.

Just look at this shot and tell me you don’t want a Dodge Ram. You literally cannot. Combine this with the absolutely epic music score and you get goose bumps. Man, I really need one of these trucks. I have no reason to do truck things. I just want one anyway.

This could be the best shot in the entire movie, and the culmination of Mopar’s efforts to make a TV commercial that was also a movie.

Please, I beg you. Go watch Twister. It’s streaming right now on HBO Max. You’ll be happy you did.