Rating: * * * +
Type: Stand-up theater show
Time: 15 minutes
Kelly says: Amazing in-your-face special effects

Here is an attraction that will almost literally blow you away. Based on the hit film of the same name, Twister is a theater show without seats that leads you through three sets for a payoff that lasts all of two minutes. But what a two minutes it is!

The journey begins as you snake though a waiting line in Wakita, Oklahoma, around large props from the film. You are entertained by two disk jockeys (“the storm chasers of rock and roll”) from WNDY (“windy”) who spin peppy rock songs with appropriately stormy titles. You will be kept cool by large fans that blow a fine water mist over the crowds. As you draw closer to the Soundstage on which the real adventure unfolds, the entertainment gives way to videos of actual tornadoes, some of which are really scary.

The line may seem formidable but don’t despair. This show can handle 2,400 people each hour, so the line moves fairly quickly. Once inside, the show follows a familiar three-part format. In the first chamber, themed as the prop room for the film, you watch a video in which the vivacious Helen Hunt and an oddly wooden Bill Paxton set the scene. If you missed the movie, this segment gives you the information you need to understand what the film and this attraction are all about.

The second chamber is themed as the ruined interior of Aunt Meg’s house from the movie. Trees and the front end of an automobile protrude through the ceiling, where a string of video monitors continue the introduction process. There is not a great deal of “edutainment” in this attraction, especially as compared to, say, Earthquake, but what little there is happens here. We get a brief explanation of how high-end computer software was used to re-create tornado physics and see some production shots that illustrate how some of the niftier scenes in the film were created.

Then it’s on to the final chamber where the “real” show happens — live, in-person, and right before your eyes. You enter a set where you stand on a three-level viewing area under the deceptive protection of a tin roof. In front of you is the Wakita street that runs past the Galaxy outdoor movie theater where a “Horror Night” double feature of The Shining and Psycho is being shown. The street is deserted, but no sooner is everyone in place than all heck breaks loose and the inanimate objects before you take on a scary life of their own.

The best seats in the house. You will have a great experience here no matter where you stand. However, die-hard thrill seekers will want to be as close to the action as possible. Stay to the right as you are ushered into this final chamber if you want to stand in the front row. Most people hug the railing, but you can form a second row and make your way to dead center if you wish.

I don’t want to give too much away about what happens next but you’ve probably already figured out that you’ll be living through the vortex of a twister. Some of the effects are versions of what you may already have seen while riding Earthquake. But when the twister arrives stage center, just feet away, you will gape in awe and wonder, “How’d they do that?”

Tip: This is a wet, if not precisely soaking, experience. A poncho might be in order if you’re really fussy. Otherwise, you probably will find the sprinkling fun, even refreshing. Interestingly enough, I have gotten wetter in the back row than I have in the front.

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