Question: When the team hunts down what will become the hilltop tornado, we see the landscape change dramatically from flatlands to more hilly terrain in a matter of seconds. Was that just to dramatically show the passage of time on the hunt while listening to their radio conversation in real time?
Question: After Jo's truck is destroyed and they have to use Bill's truck to load two of the Dorothys in, what do they do with the top that was over the bed of Bill's truck?
Chosen answer: I imagine they just left it at the house where they loaded the Dorothys. You only need a couple of wrenches to remove a camper top.
They were not at a house.
Answer: It was most likely placed inside one of the other vehicles, the most likely being Dusty's "Barn Burner," which would've had ample space for it.
Question: What exactly is Preacher's role in the group? He only has a few lines and never appears to be really doing anything of use.
Question: It's obvious that Jo still has feelings for Bill at the beginning of the film, so why, after he sort of admits that he still has feelings for her, does she purposefully go ahead and sign the divorce papers, after purposefully not doing so in the beginning?
Chosen answer: Jo finally signs the divorce papers after she sees how upset Bill's fiance is getting after all the near misses with the tornados. She also sees that Bill does care for his new fiance and she finally decides not to stand in the way of his new relationship, even though it did not work out in the end.
Answer: She signs it as at the time she was very annoyed with Bill. She wanted to stop and pick up the sensors but Bill dragged her into the truck instead and then even reversed and hit the machine.
Question: Why did Jonas steal Bill and Jo's idea? I remember the movie very fondly and I don't think it ever explained why he did.
Answer: I don't think Jonas stole the their idea. In some scenes, Jo gives Jonas information on the weather. Without Bill around, it's quite possible Jo shared information with Jonas on how to build Dorothy. She didn't care about copyright because all she wanted to do/cared about was getting those things inside the tornado. Think of it like a surprise gift to all of meteorology.
First, Jo and Jonas aren't seen sharing information. Jonas had offered her info hoping to get some intel in return, but she denied sharing any. The most likely thing is that Jonas probably got word that Jo's team was developing this instrument pack and used his corporate resources to build a better version. If you look at Dorothy compared to DOT3, Dorothy looks like the type of pack that was built from scratch using random parts whereas DOT3 is a more refined version.
Question: During the F4 tornado at the drive in, the wind causes some debris to turn on an air hose in the pit where everyone took cover. After this happened, some of the guys tried to grab the hose, and after Preacher managed to grab hold of it he got sliced on the head from a sharp hubcap flying through the air, causing him to let go of the hose. Why was it so important that they grabbed the flying hose?
Answer: Well, the hose was a long, flailing object blowing forced air which could have caused physical harm had it thrashed into people. And it would only have gotten worse. Preacher's elation at grabbing hold of it was probably a bit out of proportion to the accomplishment. However, under the circumstances, subduing the hose was a pretty good move at the moment, even though its potential for harm paled in comparison to the cars and drive-in sign that would soon descend upon the pit.
Question: If the two waterspouts were swirling closely around the pickup truck, how come they weren't able to pick it up?
Chosen answer: A tornado would have to be at least an F3 to be able to pick up a truck. The waterspouts were very small.
The Fujita Scale is incorrectly portrayed as being used to describe the size of a tornado. It's actually used to describe the amount of a damage it has caused AFTER it has passed.
Question: When Jo and Bill drove through Wakita after the twister came tearing through moments earlier, she saw a family that looked just like hers from when she was a little girl standing in the wreckage. Was that an actual lookalike family who were victims of the Wakita tornado, or was her mind playing tricks on her because of the mixture of lack of sleep, stress, and her childhood trauma/PTSD?
Question: During the hilltop tornado scene, Preacher mentions "the cone of silence." What exactly is that?
Answer: In the context of the movie, I believe they're referring to a moment where it appears everything is over, but is about to start up again. In real life, the term is evidently a term for a specific area that weather radars can't necessarily pick... usually very close to the radar since being overhead would mean they're outside of the radar's angle.
Answer: In the TV series "Get Smart", there was a device called the "cone of silence." It's used so that no one could hear private conversations, but it never worked properly. It was most likely a cultural reference.
Question: Why did Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt dislike each other when working on this movie?
Answer: Reportedly, their personalities just didn't mesh, and it was also a very hectic shoot due to all the effects. So, the atmosphere was high-stress, which isn't typically conducive to people getting along. Though Hunt has stressed that they were always cordial after filming was complete and had even talked about potentially working on a sequel together a few times, so it seems that they didn't overtly dislike each other.
Question: At the beginning, why did Jo's dad try to hold the storm cellar door against the raging winds of a tornado when he could have just scooted them into the farthest corner of the cellar – and even shielded them with himself if necessary? It was almost foreseen what had happened when he held the door.
Question: Did Melissa not trust Bill? He told her to take the truck and head home, but she was adamant she wanted to tag along.
Answer: It's unknown what Melissa's motive was, but probably a combination of factors. She may have felt uncomfortable about Bill being with Jo, but also wanted to show her loyalty and commitment by staying, and proving she is as strong as Jo and can tough it out. Mostly it's a plot device to drive the story and sets up a conflict for Bill between his relationship with Melissa, who he does not truly love, and with Jo, who he still cares deeply for.
Question: Did any of Jonas' DOT parts or even the majority of it come from the little robot, "Jinx" in the movie Space Camp? Most of DOT looks like Jinx.
Chosen answer: Because the two films are completely unrelated (even from a company perspective), and because there isn't some giant Hollywood Prop Flea Market where everybody shares each other's props, I'm going to say no. The design may have been based on the robot from the movie.
Question: Do storm chasers keep regular phone call communication with the staff at NSSL? It seems the staff at the weather station reports directly to the ground teams what their readings are.
Answer: They don't communicate with the storm chasers. They gather and release the information publicly. The storm chasers get the information from the public releases.
Question: In the end, after Bill and Jo survived the F5 tornado, why does Bill point out the house that was standing, which the tornado did not destroy? Was that a reference to anything?
Answer: Earlier in the film, Jo says to Bill that he doesn't understand what it's like to have a tornado destroy your house and family, but not another, as if the tornado did that by choice. He even says to her, "Is that what you think it did?" Seeing the lone house at the end made him finally understand why she thought that.
Answer: That a category 5 tornado destroyed everything but the house. It's a million to one shot, but it has happened in real life.
Question: Why did they feel the need to install red lights and sirens on each of the Dorothy devices? Were those just to alert the operators when the machine was activated?
Answer: Exactly this. How do you know your oven is switched on? Because it has a light on it.
Question: When we first see Jonas and his army of storm chasers, what did the guy mean by telling Joe "I think we've got fleas" (at least that's what the subtitles say!).
Answer: He's making a wisecrack about Bill and Jo's team being scruffy, ill-funded, and not as "slick" as Jonas'. Basically comparing them to stray dogs, and joking that by being around them, they've picked up fleas from Jo's crew.
It was one of the guys on Jo's team that made the comment, not Jonas'. Whoever it was (sounded like Beltzer possibly), was referring to the fact that Jonas' team is like fleas to them. Pesky bugs that they can't shake.
Question: When Jo and Bill are in the car with Melissa in the back, Melissa is confused as to why they're chasing another storm given Jo and Bill nearly got killed in the previous tornado. Yet wouldn't Melissa already know they were chasing another tornado given they were driving as part of a 'pack' and there was another Dorothy in back of the truck? (00:34:45)
Answer: She's confused, scared, and her thinking is unclear. She wrongly assumes she knows how Bill will react. She does not really know the person Bill is, as he had put his storm chasing life behind him. Once he is thrown back in his old environment with Jo, which is where he really wants to be, Bill reverts to his old self.
Answer: No double meanings. Jo just sees the lethal-looking farm equipment (which is ordinary equipment that many farmers have) and in her panicked state wonders who would have such dangerous things in their barn, as though they were serial killers or something. Bill's "I don't think so!" just means they're not hiding in the barn where they could get impaled or decapitated at any second.
Krista