Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983) User Reviews

Hit and Miss

[jrs-8 · 7/10 · 26 May 2005]

As is the case with movie anthologies, "Twilight Zone - The Movie" is hit and miss. If there was a movie destined to have four short stories that were all home runs it was this one. But the film falls short partially due to the expectations of the fans of the TV show and partially due to the fans expectations of the results of the four directors. What was most interesting back in 1983 was which ones hit and which ones missed.

The prologue gets things going in the right direction with Albert Brooks and Dan Aykroyd as two guys traveling down a dark and seemingly lonely road. What transpires in pure Twilight Zone. Then we move into the first story which is directed by (as was the opening prologue) John Landis. Landis, who got the whole project off the ground, foolishly decided to go with an original story instead of updating a classic episode. His story is that of a bigot who constantly and bitterly complains about the minorities who are getting job promotions and moving into his neighborhood. Of course the bigot then gets a real taste of what it feels like to be frowned upon as a minority. Basically that is the whole story in a nutshell. Landis provides no real twists to his story to give us that Twilight Zone flavor after the first few minutes. Once we see where the story is headed it never changes directions. For film buffs Landis adds a nice touch with a subtle reference to his classic "Animal House" in the Vietnam section of the story. Of course it should be noted that this was the story being shot when Vic Morrow and two children were tragically killed which would explain its abrupt ending. The two children are never seen which would suggest perhaps Landis had more to tell but we'll never know. Of the four this is the weakest story.

Story two is not much better then the first which is particularly surprising since Steven Spielberg is at the helm for this one. It's a remake of "Kick the Can" which was not one of my favorite episodes from the series and Spielberg adds nothing to his version. It's the tale of residents of an old folks home who encounter a new resident who promises them something no one of this Earth could possibly give them. While the story and individual moments are very sweet it goes absolutely nowhere. Having just come off "E.T." perhaps Spielberg was in that same gushy mood at that time.

Story three picks things up drastically and heads us in the right direction. Directed by Joe Dante who, at that time, was best known for "The Howling" with films such as "Gremlins" still in his future, this is the story of a little boy who hears people's thoughts and has a way of "wishing people away" if he gets angry enough at them. Kathleen Quinlan plays an unsuspecting traveler who goes to the boy's home and realizes almost immediately things are not normal. The star of this story is the art direction and sets as we are transformed into almost cartoon like worlds that are both funny and frightening.

The last and best story is the tale of a frightened airline passenger (well played by John Lithgow) who threatens the safety of everyone when he seems to be the only person that sees a creature on the wing of the airplane. George Miller, best known for the "Mad Max" movies, was smart enough to pick a popular episode from the series and he delivers with a bang. When you leave the theater this is the story you remember most.

On the whole the film is worth watching especially after the first 45 minutes. Landis and Spielberg perhaps were a little too high on their horses and thought whatever they did would work. Apparently they under estimated the legions of Zone fans. I'd love to see someone try another Twilight Zone movie someday and try re-working some of the other most famous episodes. I should also mention the terrific musical score by Jerry Goldsmith. Its one of his least mentioned but I think it's one of his best.

A good film tainted by a senseless onscreen tragedy

[virek213 · 7/10 · 20 June 2002]

It is very hard to think of another film anywhere that had such a great potential as TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE had, only to have a senseless and totally preventable tragedy--the deaths of actor Vic Morrow and two illegally hired Asian child actors--mar the impact. Aside from that, and some heavy-handed moralizing that even the original show's creator Rod Serling would have had problems with, this is a fairly good tribute to what was perhaps the best TV series in history.

The prologue (with Dan Aykroyd and Albert Brooks) and Segment 1 are both originals, written and directed by John Landis. The segment deals with a very embittered white man (Morrow) who, after being dealt the denial of a promotion at work in favor of a Jew, unleashes his bigotry at a bar. But when he steps outside, he soon gets a dose of his own bitter medicine: persecution by the Nazis in Vichy France circa 1943; stalked by the KKK in Alabama in 1956; attacked by US soldiers in Vietnam circa 1969. Landis' penchant for hamfisted dialogue and erratic direction dilute what could have been an effective piece; and the tragedy that occurred on his watch taints not only this segment but much of the rest of the movie.

Segment 2, a remake of the 1961 episode "Kick The Can", directed by Steven Spielberg, stars Scatman Crothers as an elderly magician who brings a sense of youth to the residents of a senior citizens home, though over the objections of a veritable old fuddy-duddy (Bill Quinn). Spielberg has often been attacked, mostly unnecessarily, for his tendency toward sloppy sentimentality, but here a lot of the attacks may be justified, despite the best of intentions. He is still my favorite director, but this is one of his weakest.

Segment 3 remakes "It's A Good Life." Under the inventive hands of director Joe Dante (THE HOWLING), this film stars Jeremy Licht as a boy with the power to enslave and terrorize his family when he comes to feel that they hate him. Kathleen Quinlan stars as the teacher who unintentionally gets caught up in the melee, only to wind up volunteering to teach Licht how to better use his powers before they become too big for him to control (a la CARRIE). Dante's use of inventive special effects (courtesy of Rob Bottin) and black comedy enliven this segment, despite some weird overacting from the rest of the segment's cast (including William Schallert and Kevin McCarthy).

Segment 4 is a reworking of the famous episode "Nightmare At 20,000 Feet." With George Miller (MAD MAX) at the director's helm, the segment stars John Lithgow as an incredibly anxious passenger with a morbid fear of flight who constantly sees a monstrous gremlin tearing apart at the wings of his plane during a severe storm. His anxiety explodes into terror and madness, and the other passengers think he is certifiable. But when the plane lands, and the damage is inspected...

The final score on this is that Landis and Spielberg, who also produced, come up with the weaker segments, and Dante and, especially, Miller come up with the best ones. Miller's segment is a truly kinetic piece of suspense and terror, though I did find the little girl (Christina Nigra) an extremely obnoxious and unnecessary presence. Lithgow, who takes over for William Shatner (who had the role in the TV episode), gives a bravura performance, arguably paving the way for his role in "2010" as an astronaut deftly afraid of heights.

Jerry Goldsmith's usual efficient score and some good special effects work help to make TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE not only an above-average tribute to a great TV show, but also a good anthology film that combines fantasy, suspense, and mystery. It is a shame that the film is tainted by a pointless tragedy. But if one can ignore that, there are rewards to be had by seeing this.

The first movie to give me nightmares

[Agent10 · 7/10 · 23 July 2002]

When I first watched this film at the age of seven, I must have been freaked out for weeks. Never had a movie had that kind of effect on my psyche, especially "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet." While some will label this as a bad film due to the fact it didn't faithfully reproduce the original stories very well. I say 'Who Cares!' Sometimes, fear and entertainment is all that one needs in regard to a cool movie such as this one. While it is certainly not a film that will rank highly in the greatest films of all time category, at least it proved this concept in story telling is pertinent today, even in today's cynical culture.

Watch Me Pull A Rabbit Out Of A Hat....

[Cobbler · 6 October 1999]

I'm a huge fan of the series, and I remember being obsessed with TZ The Movie when it was released. I was 12, after all!!

Recently watched the film again for the first time in at least 15 years. I was blown away by the final segment, it's truly a classic which really scared the stuffing outta me. That evil little girl who takes Polaroids of everything freaked me out to no end. For me, it's the only segment in which the quality of the writing matches the direction and visuals from beginning to end.

I saw the original episode upon which Joe Dante's (3rd) segment is based when I was spending the night at my friend's house in 4th grade. It, too, really frightened me. I remember thinking to myself how hopeless the situation was-- if you even TRIED to not think bad thoughts about Anthony, you would end up thinking them, and he could still get you!! And didn't he "wish someone away to the cornfield"?? Man, that's some serious freakiness.

I thought the design of that segment in the movie was incredible, I'll never forget the mom holding the fishbowl, or the ferocious rabbit creature, or what happens to Ethel ("Run, Ethel....!") But the ending is truly atrocious and almost ruins what has come before.

What can I say about the other two segments? Better scripts were needed in order to make them work. And in the case of "Kick the Can", sticking more closely to the original episode would have given it more impact. (Not to mention firing Steven Spielberg.)And it's sad seeing Vic Morrow in his final role-- I'll always think of him as the sadistic coach in THE BAD NEWS BEARS, which is one of my all-time favorites.

All in all, a very uneven movie which improves steadily as it goes along. 6/10.

Hey, you wanna see something *really* scary?

[Hey_Sweden · 7/10 · 11 August 2012]

Feature film expansion of legendary TV series is uneven overall, but it does have its moments, and it does thankfully follow the rule of saving the best for last. Four prominent directors are brought together to create, in glorious colour, some classic episodes of the series, with an impressive roster of stars and character players. At least along the way it manages to create some enjoyable jolts. Burgess Meredith, star of 'Time Enough at Last', one of the best known and most beloved of all episodes, is the narrator for this trip into some bizarre places.

Unfortunately the movie will always have an enormous stigma attached to it due to the untimely and horrific death of actor Vic Morrow and two child extras during the shooting of Segment 1. That may very well leave a bad taste in the mouth of many people watching. It's up to the individual viewer as to how much this affects their enjoyment of the film.

The prologue and the first segment are actually originals written by director John Landis. Dan Aykroyd and Albert Brooks are fun as a passenger and driver who come up some with some amusing ways to entertain each other until Aykroyd decides it's time for Brooks to get a good scare. This gets us off to a good start because Landis does understand that with the TV show the payoff was a most important element.

Segment 1 sees Morrow playing an unrepentant bigot who gets a major dose of his own intolerance when he's mistaken for a Jew by Nazis, a black by KKK members, and a Vietnamese man by American troops in 'Nam. This is a very dark episode that doesn't end too satisfactorily, but Morrow is excellent, the look of Paris during WWII is nicely realized, the pacing is effective, and there's a great in joke referring back to Landis's "Animal House".

Segment 2, Steven Spielberg's remake of "Kick the Can", sees wonderfully genial Scatman Crothers injecting some magic into the lives of senior citizens in an old folks' home. Like Segment 1, it's unfortunately not subtle about its message, and is so syrupy sweet that it really doesn't fit in with the other segments here. The actors are very likable, fortunately; Crothers manages to make it worth sitting through.

Segment 3 tells the tale of "It's a Boy's Life", in which a creepy kid (Jeremy Licht) makes the acquaintance of travelling schoolteacher Kathleen Quinlan. This kid can bend reality to suit his whims, lives in a house with bizarre designs, likes his hamburgers with peanut butter topping, and lives for cartoons. And his "family" lives in mortal terror of him. The work of Joe Dante, this serves as a counterpoint to Spielberg's tale the way that it depicts childish fantasies run amok. Great cartoon style monster work by Rob Bottin helps in the enjoyment of this segment; this is where the film starts getting really good. Bill Mumy, the kid in the original episode, plays a diner patron.

Segment 4, directed by George Miller of the "Mad Max" series, is far and away the best, an over the top remake of "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet", in which terrified airplane passenger John Lithgow believes he sees a creature busy destroying the planes' engines as it flies through a storm. Lots of good atmosphere and intensity here, with a top notch unhinged performance by Lithgow and a great creature, designed by Craig Reardon & Michael McCracken and performed by actor Larry Cedar.

With a lot of familiar faces in the small roles (ex. Charles Hallahan, Doug McGrath, Bill Quinn, Selma Diamond, the almighty Dick Miller (once again playing 'Walter Paisley'), Kevin McCarthy, William Schallert, Cherie Currie, Nancy Cartwright, John Dennis Johnston, Eduard Franz, and Donna Dixon), and wonderful music by Jerry Goldsmith, this certainly remains an entertaining film to watch for its duration, if not a great one. Hopefully it will inspire people to check out the TV series and see why it's so admired.

Seven out of 10.

Good homage to the classic anthology TV series

[jhaggardjr · 7/10 · 18 September 2000]

"Twilight Zone: The Movie" is a mostly entertaining anthology film based on Rod Serling's classic TV series of the 1960s. Four bizarre tales are told through the minds of four different filmmakers: John Landis, Steven Spielberg, Joe Dante, and George Miller (Landis and Spielberg also produced). "Twilight Zone: The Movie" starts with a brief prologue starring Dan Aykroyd and Albert Brooks. Then comes segment #1, directed by Landis. This is the part of the movie that made headlines around the world when a freak accident killed actor Vic Morrow and two children while shooting a helicopter scene (which is not seen in the film). This story is about an angry man (played by Morrow) who is not happy with America because of all the different races that are living in the country. Then something strange happens. When the man steps outside of a bar, he finds himself on a street in Nazi Germany; a few minutes later he's confronted by the Klu Klux Klan; then he discovers he's in the middle of the Vietnam War; and so on. As for how this segment goes, it's only so-so. However segment #2, directed by Spielberg, is the weakest story of the bunch. Scatman Crothers stars as an elderly man who comes to live at a retirement home. After making friends with some of the elderly people living there, he talks them into playing a spirited game of kick the can. This is no ordinary game. Let's just say that its a game with a fountain of youth twist to it. I found this segment real boring. Up to this point, "Twilight Zone: The Movie" is disappointing. But then the film picks up with the strong last two segments. Segment #3, directed by Dante, stars Kathleen Quinlan as a woman who meets a little boy after accidentally knocking him off of his bike with her car. She decides to give the boy a ride home. But this is no ordinary home. It's a house where every TV set has a cartoon on, and the boy's family act like a bunch of crazy people (like their cartoons themselves). Quinlan begins to realize that this kid is not normal. This segment works because it's creepy (the look of the house on the inside is fascinating) and funny (every member of the kid's family is a complete nut). Ah, but the best segment comes last. Segment #4, directed by Miller, is a truly scary tale starring John Lithgow (from TV's "3rd Rock From the Sun") as a terrified passenger of an airplane flying through a severe thunderstorm. Things get worse when Lithgow see's something on the wing of the plane. What is it? A man? Or is it a monster? This segment literally had me on the edge of my seat. It's an excellent finale to "Twilight Zone: The Movie". So my advice is skip the first two segments, but watch the last two.

Here's my separate ratings for each segment (out of four stars):

Segment #1: **1/2; Segment #2: *1/2; Segment #3: ***1/2; Segment #4: ****

This adds up for an estimated combined rating of *** stars.

Tragic and Cult

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 25 March 2019]

Prologue: a driver has a big surprise with his passenger (8) Segment 1 ("Time Out"): a bigot man hates Jews, Black and Asian people. One day he will live in the World War II, hunted down by KKK and attacked in Vietnam War and feel the effects of his hatred. Good episode with a surprising conclusion (7).

Segment 2 ("Kick the Can"): In a nursing home, the elder inhabitants learn that their minds can keep them young. Reasonable episode only with a great homage to "The Twilight Zone" (Episode 3.21) "Kick the Can". (6).

Segment 3 ("It´s a Good Life"): a traveler hits a boy in a bicycle with her car and takes the boy home. Soon she learns that the powerful boy brought her home indeed. Good episode with a silly and disappointing conclusion (7).

Segment 4 ("Nightmare at 20,000 feet"): a writer is scary to fly and soon he sees a monstrous creature destroying the airplane engines during a stormy night. Certainly the best episode (8).

Divided in prologue and four segments, "Twilight Zone: The Movie" is a tragic and cult movie. Tragic since Vic Morrow, the unforgettable Sgt. Saunders of "Combat!" series, died in a weird accident when the helicopter crashed on him and two children while making a scene. Directed by four great directors - Joe Dante (segment "It's a Good Life"); John Landis (prologue/segment "Time Out"); George Miller (segment "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet"); and Steven Spielberg (segment "Kick the Can") - and with great names in the cast - Vic Morrow, Dan Aykroyd, Albert Brooks, Kathleen Quinlan, John Lithgow among many others, "Twilight Zone: The Movie" is highly recommended for fans of sci-fi and horror. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "No Limite da Realidade" ("In the Limit of Reality")

Note: On 31 July 2023, I saw this film again.

Let the Midnight Special...

[gcanfield-29727 · 7/10 · 28 February 2020]

Interestingly, the segments which are not remakes of original TZ episodes, are the most memorable. Basically, the prologue and the first segment. The first has Vic Morrow as a racist who gets shown what it's like to be the target of hatred, rather than the hater. The segment is well done, but the blatantly racist dialogue is out of step with the Twilight Zone. If TZ had done a similar story, the treatment would have been much more subtle. The three remakes of original episodes are simply not as good as the originals. The prologue with Dan Aykroid and Albert Brooks is good, as is Burgess Meridith's narration.

Very good

[preppy-3 · 8/10 · 6 February 2006]

An affectionate homage to the old TV series. Three old episodes were updated and a new one was written. It's also narrated by Burgess Meredith who starred in quite a few of the original TV series episodes.

It starts off with a quick little prologue with Albert Brooks and Dan Aykroyd. It's quick, funny and provides a nice little jolt.

The first segment was newly written for the movie. It involves a bitter and racist man (Vic Morrow) getting a taste of his own medicine. This episode is clouded by the three deaths it caused--Morrow was decapitated by a helicopter blade and two Vitenamese children were crushed. John Landis (who directed this) was found not guilty in the deaths. As it stands this isn't very good. It's simplistic and heavy-handed--like a bad Zone episode.

The second one is directed by Steven Spielberg. It involves an old man (Scatman Crothers) gently bringing to life the old people at a retirement home. I'll be the first to admit that this is way too syrupy--but I have a fondness for it. The acting is good, it has a great music score and, I admit, it leaves me a little misty-eyed.

The third is directed by Joe Dante. It's a remake about a little boy who can make all of his wishes come true. It's well-directed with some truly incredible special effects and a good performance by Kathleen Quinlan. But it's seriously damaged by a silly happy ending (the original didn't have that). Billy Mumy (the star of the original) has a bit part and Dante regular Dick Miller shows up as Walter Paisley.

The fourth is the best. It's directed by George Miller and is a remake of the William Shatner episode where he spots a gremlin tearing apart the plane he's flying on. The gremlin in the original looked pretty ridiculous--like a teddy bear. Here John Lithgow plays the passenger and the gremlin is more than a little scary-looking. This segment moves and has a few great jolts. Also Carol Serling (Rod Serling's wife I believe) has a bit part.

All in all an enjoyable film. I liked it when I saw it in a theatre in 1983 and it still holds up today. I give it an 8.

Somewhat underrated overall, but final segment rocks!

[squeezebox · 6/10 · 2 November 2005]

One wonders if TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE would have received more critical praise if the horrible helicopter accident on the set of director John Landis's segment had never occurred. The violent and tragic deaths of actor Vic Morrow, six-year old Renee Chen and seven-year old My-Ca Le (usually referred to as "the two Vietnamese children") understandably overshadowed the movie itself, as well as enveloping Landis's segment with a perpetual black cloud of doom. Only someone who knew nothing about the accident could possibly watch the segment without feeling queasy.

However, if one can be objective and separate what happened on the set and what wound up on screen, TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE is, overall, pretty good. It opens with a bang. A prologue, written and directed by Landis and starring Dan Aykroyd and Albert Brooks, is a funny, subtly eerie slice-of-life dialog-driven scene, that takes a sudden and admirably ZONE-ish twist into the macabre. I think the fact that the movie surprisingly opens with CCR's "Midnight Special" on the soundtrack is also a brilliant touch.

Landis's actual segment is untitled, and is far better than most critics have suggested, featuring a strong performance by Vic Morrow and a creative, if not a tad heavy-handed approach to the subject of racism. The segment is intense and unsettling, well-written and imaginatively directed. It is also the only segment of the four that is not based upon an original episode.

"Kick the Can," co-producer Steven Spielberg's segment, is as sickeningly sweet as its reputed to be. It has its moments during the first few scenes, and Scatman Crothers, as always, is a pleasure to watch. But as soon as the old folks turn into kids, it becomes a gag-inducing cute-fest.

Director Joe Dante's segment, "It's a Good Life," is much better. It captures Dante at a weird time in his career, as he was coming off such adult schlock as PIRANHA and THE HOWLING and moving into more kid friendly territory like GREMLINS and EXPLORERS. The first two-thirds of the segment is great, featuring Dante's much-missed sardonic humor, and terrific performances from such genre vets as Kevin McCarthy and William Schallert. Unfortunately, Spielberg's influence bleeds into the segment, and the final moments are even more sugary than "Kick the Can".

The final segment, "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet," is directed by George Miller (creator of MAD MAX) and is one of the greatest horror-thriller sequences ever committed to celluloid. The creepy story (a terrified air traveler sees something out on the wing of the airliner he's on but cannot get anyone to believe him), mixed with Miller's claustrophobic and kinetic direction makes the segment almost unbearably intense and frightneing, to the point where one feels exhausted when it ends. John Lithgow's performance as the passenger is one of his best.

Overall, TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE must be considered something of a disappointment. An excellent segment, a decent one, a misfire from a master filmmaker and a solid segment overshadowed by the death of its actors while filming, it isn't exactly a recipe for a great movie-going experience. But there are enough good moments on the way to the final segment to make it worth sitting through.

The TV shows were better...

[Doylenf · 5/10 · 17 October 2006]

After the opening prologue with DAN AKYROYD and ALBERT BROOKS, as bored drivers on a lonely country highway who like to play pranks, TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE offers four stories, supposedly in the vein of stories that Rod Serling wrote for the famous TV series. Not until the final segment, NIGHTMARE AT 20,000 FEET does it offer the kind of fright stuff worthy of being in this anthology.

And it's a minor gem of its kind with JOHN LITHGOW giving an amazingly deft performance as a man totally afraid of flying who should have taken tranquilizers before he peered out the window. What he saw on the wing of the plane would have frightened anyone out of their wits--and, of course, no one believes him.

It's this final episode that makes the film itself worth watching. None of the other segments have enough punch to keep the viewer awake, let alone entertained. VIC MORROW's unfortunate accident came about during filming of a Vietnam sequence which does not appear in this version of the film--but he does give a convincing portrait of a bigot who gets his comeuppance. Very ironic.

Summing up: All of these stories were told with more style and suspense on the old TV shows. Strictly second-rate.

Very Fun Movie

[factualnatural · 9/10 · 1 July 2006]

I got tired of all the comments about remaking old episodes and decided to share how good this movie is. The Twilight Zone movie is very fun to watch. As you've probably read it's split up into several different plots/episodes but there's no credits it just rolls right into the next situation with a little narration. It is well directed with names like John Landis and Steve Spielburg you can understand why. The movie starts off with a couple friends (one of whom is Dan Akryod )driving down a cross county road at night guessing tunes off the radio and talking stories. The dialogue between them is pretty classic not to mention Creedence Clearwater Revivals MidNight Special playing in the background just sets the mood great. Everything just seems so normal and the spontaneity makes you feel like you're there. Akryods friend says do you wanna see something scary? he says alright. So he turns off the headlights and its pitch black, you can't see the road at all - Akroyd says hey turn the lights back on this isn't funny. His friend laughs and turns em back on saying its a straight road and they were really safe. Again this really gets you comfortable with Akroyds character as the passive one of the two. Where it gets driven home is a few minutes later when Akroyd asks his friend if he'd like to see something REALLY scary? He convinces him to he has to pull the car over to show him so they do. His friend says alright what is it? Akroyd holds up his finger hinting just a sec, and turns as if to put on a mask or do some magic trick. When he turns around he has a hideous face and you realize it isn't a mask at all ! He grabs his friend and chokes him to death. The camera pans up off the car still running on the side of the road and the classic twilight zone tune plays to the title. And all this happens before the title ! Needless to say anyone who likes interesting and new perspectives should check this movie out. There's not a lot of blood, it isn't a gorry film, it's an intelligent film with at least something for everyone to see at least once. By the way the gremlin segment is absolutely one of my favorite sequences in any movie ever. Again,don't miss this one just because someone told you it has episode remakes in it, please watch it ! -christopher haggerty

Agreeable and enjoyable homage to the Rod Serling TV series

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 20 March 2010]

Five episodes realized as tribute to Rod Serling's Twilight zone, made by four known directors . It's is divided into 4 parts , three of them real remakes from classic television series, though starts in a prologue stars Albert Brooks and Dan Aykroyd . The best directed by John Landis is the first, where a bigot (played by Vic Morrow who died during filming by a helicopter crash accident) who becomes pursued of evil Nazis, Ku Klux Klan and American soldiers in Vietnam. The second segment directed by Steven Spielberg is a silly story about old people living in a retirement house who turn into little boys, thanks a strange visitor (Scatman Crothers). The third directed by Joe Dante concerns about a young woman (Kathleen Quinlan) encounters a kid with rare powers and some people (Kevin McCarthy, William Schallert,among them) closed at a strange house. And fourth episode titled 'Nightmare at 20.000 Feet' deals with a terrified passenger(John Lightow) who watch a creepy monster making rare issues on the wing of the plane.

The picture contains good special effects in traditional style without excessive computer generator as usual nowadays. The master Jerry Goldsmith composes a magic musical score particularly reflected on the second episode titled 'Kick the can' . Colorful and imaginative cinematography especially in the third segment titled 'It's a good life'. Rating : Acceptable and passable, the picture will appeal to fantastic genre buffs.

The classic long-running television series is formed by 156 episodes and its narrator , of course, Rod Serling. Later on, in 2002 are realized 44 new episodes with Forest Whitaker as host.

Marred

[davidmvining · 5/10 · 9 November 2020]

This is one of those movies that has conversations dominated by something outside of it, the deaths of Vic Morrow, Renee Shin Chen, and Myca Dinh Le. You have to talk about it in conjunction with this movie not just because it happened while filming but, less importantly, because it negatively affected two of the segments in the film. If you want to just talk about the film itself without bringing anything else into it, you end up without real explanations for why the first two segments feel oddly incomplete.

So, John Landis directed the prologue and the first segment titled "Out of Time". In that segment, Vic Morrow plays Bill Connor, a bigot who blames people not like himself for all of his setbacks. He then gets transported through time to Nazi Germany, the Jim Crow South, and Vietnam where he steps into the shoes of the persecuted class. In the Vietnam section, he was supposed to save two young Vietnamese children from a helicopter attack, but the attack went wrong and all three died horribly. In order to salvage what they had, Landis cut out a third of the segment. Steven Spielberg, producer and director of the second segment, was disgusted by the whole thing, considered cancelling everything, and then just did the bare minimum to finish the film, including spending a grand 6 days on his own segment. So, why do the first two segments feel oddly incomplete? Because the first one is outright incomplete and the second one didn't get the kind of attention from Spielberg that could have addressed its issues. The other two segments, directed by younger, hungrier directors Joe Dante and George Miller, maintain the kind of craft that was probably supposed to go into the whole project.

So, I think Ebert's approach to this was rational: grade each segment individually. So, I'm gonna do that.

The prologue and "Out of Time" were directed by Landis. "Out of Time" is one of those morality tales, but this one feels off. It's not just the missing third but the disconnect between Bill Connor's sins and his punishment. He's a bigot, but all he does is grouse about it. He's a pathetic little man who can't get ahead in the world and blames it on the Jews, the Blacks, and the Asians. He doesn't actually, you know, do anything before he gets swept up in his little adventure in the Twilight Zone. He doesn't lead a makeshift posse against the Jewish man who got the promotion over him. He just complains about it in a bar within earshot of people who don't appreciate it. This could all be fine if the segment ended with Connor learning his lesson and just accepting that his missed promotion had nothing to do with race, but no, he gets literally carted away in a train car bound for Auschwitz. That seems, you know, really disproportionate for what essentially amounts to badthink thought crime. This one rubs me the wrong way.

The second segment, "Kick the Can", is a bit better, but this is lazy Spielberg. As I wrote before, Spielberg just wanted out of this commitment, so he changed what story he was going to do to this very simple, two set piece about being a child again. This is stock Spielberg. At an old folk's home, Mr. Bloom talks about having the outlook of a child by maintaining play. He's apparently magic and turns all but one of the people in the home into children for a night. Most of them learn to appreciate their time and choose to become old people again (their reasoning seems thin), and one, a Douglas Fairbanks wannabe, chooses to stay young. It's rote and not really helped by the fact that it is both too short and has too many characters. They're visually distinctive but they still end up just meshing together. There's nothing particularly bad about the piece, but there's nothing particularly good about it either. Scatman Crothers has a wonderful smile, though.

The third segment, "It's a Good Life" is where it finally gets good. Joe Dante, fresh off of his successful The Howling but far from an established talent, imbues his segment with real atmosphere and has the time to let things play out well. It's the story of Anthony, a boy who can wish anything into existence, and Helen, a school teacher passing through that gets caught in Anthony's trap, a trap that he's caught several other people in. Anthony has built a nightmare world of cartoon logic that keeps his prisoners perpetual terror, never knowing when he'll decide to punish them like his real sister whom he crippled and muted by taking away her mouth leaving just a fleshy spot behind. The build up around all of this is really good as we use Helen as our point of view character, steadily finding out more and more until Anthony uses his powers to the utmost. It's a very solid and well built story.

Finally, the fourth segment, "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet", directed by George Miller fresh off the original Mad Max, is a fantastic piece of genre filmmaking. John Valentine is a rational man who writes textbooks on microchips and has an incredible fear of flying. The lightning storm they're flying through doesn't help. He has trouble calming down, but once he does he sees a creature on the wing of the plane, tearing at the engine. He can't get anyone to believe him, eventually stealing a gun from an FAA marshal, shooting through the window, and delaying the creature's work long enough for the plane to safely land. What makes the story work here is the strong character work that goes into Valentine, John Lithgow's amazingly manic performance, and the frenetic filmmaking that helps sell the emotions that Valentine is going through to the audience. It's largely handheld in a small space, but the movement calms down when he does and ramps up along with him. It's a thrill ride that works from beginning to end, and it is the best segment in the film.

Overall, the anthology of Twilight Zone remakes and pseudo-remake is a real mixed bag. Part of that is definitely a direct result of the tragedy that claimed three lives on set, and it's just part of the package now. It's impossible to dismiss. Still, the second half does allow to emerging talents some space to play with familiar material, producing quality short films. They stand alone as entertaining updates to old episodes. Perhaps the movie could have been more special with only new material instead of remakes, but that's not the homage that they wanted.

Ratings:

"Out of Time": 1/4

"Kick the Can": 2/4

"It's a Good Life": 3.5/4

"Nightmare at 20,000 Feet": 4/4

"Review", not retell

[vstoskus · 9 February 2020]

Why do most so-called reviewers retell the story? What's the point? I thought the term "review" meant to comment on the story, the production of the movie, the acting, etc., not to retell it. What a waste! Most "reviewers" apparently are incapable of going beyond the sights seen to thoughts entertained because they've had little or no experience in having their own thoughts. With present schooling being the mind-numbing experience that it is, this is not too surprising. So sad.

Well-Intentioned, But Falls Short

[ramsfan · 6/10 · 18 October 2017]

I am usually not a fan of movies that are remakes of old TV shows. Generally speaking, they usually fall flat, bastardize the original concept and don't come close to capturing the magic of the show. I nonetheless looked forward to the release of Twilight Zone The Movie back in 1982, having been captivated like millions of others by reruns of the original series. An ambitious effort was put forth in development. Three of the four segments were remakes of original TZ episodes. The services of Steven Spielberg and John Landis were secured to direct parts of the film. Former TZ actor Kevin McCarthy was given a part in the third segment, and the great Burgess Meredith, himself a veteran of four original episodes of the series, served as narrator. The resulting piece, however, despite some decent moments was less than satisfying- and is unfortunately best known for the tragic on-set helicopter accident that took the lives of actor Vic Morrow and two Vietnamese children who were illegally hired as extras.

Segment 1 features Morrow as a bigot who is given a taste of his own medicine as he's transported to Nazi Germany, A Ku Klux Klan rally and The Vietnam War respectively. Originally, the film allowed the Morrow character a chance at redemption; the tag featured him saving the two Vietnamese kids from a firefight. The real-life accident, however, forced an alternate ending, as Morrow instead is seen being carted to a concentration camp. It is a dreadful, undignified ending to a segment which could have been so much better.

Segment 2 was a remake of the old "Kick the Can" episode about the power of youthful thinking. Cloying and insincere, the result was, as Twilight Zone Companion author Marc Scott Zicree so rightly put, "a sticky sweet homily to seniors, overwrought with sentimentality". The result was a piece so much less satisfying than it's counterpart twenty years earlier.

Segment 3, a remake of the classic "It's a Good Life" episode, re-introduces us to little Anthony Fremont, the boy whose psychic powers allows him to wish away things or people he doesn't like. The segment missed the mark in the eyes of some people, especially those affiliated with the original. Buck Houghton, producer of the first three seasons of the series put it bluntly: "When I first saw the set designs with the curliques and the doors aslant, it was obvious to me that they just didn't understand The Twilight Zone".

And segment 4 featured John Lithgow in the old William Shatner role in "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet". Here, a man sees a monster on the wing of the plane but can't convince others, as the monster seemingly disappears when others attempt to spot him. Terrified, the man takes matters into his own hands before finally being validated. Though the segment is probably the best in the film, the piece is nonetheless flawed, as Lithgow (in a tremendous performance) is driven presumably to his death at the end of the movie by the two monsters (Dan Aykroyd, Albert Brooks) seen in the movie's opening piece- an act that invalidates his triumph over the creature and over those who disbelieved him.

Twilight Zone the Movie, despite honorable intentions, sadly fails to deliver on many of the hopes held by lovers of the original series.

Twilight Zone The Movie

[rochericky · 7/10 · 19 June 2006]

Distributor: Warner Home Video

Plot: In tradition of the popular series "The Twilight Zone", this movie has 4 thrilling tales. The first is about a bigot that gets a taste of his own medicine, The second is about a group of elderly people that wish to be younger again...they might just get their wish. The third is about a child that has telepathic powers to enslave his family. And the last (which is the best), is about a man on a plane that see's a monster on the wing of it.

Audio/Video: Pretty good from Warner Bros.

Extras: None.

Final Thoughts: Nothing beats the television series, but the movie is a pretty average horror movie. Some of the stories are a bit of a bore, but some are really exciting. Check it out if you can find it. I hear it is pretty rare.

A mixed bag

[Woodyanders · 7/10 · 18 March 2011]

The various famous directors who participated in this big budget cinematic tribute to Rod Serling's classic anthology show certainly have their hearts in the right place, but the net results of said affection are nonetheless decidedly hit or miss just the same.

First and most uneven story: Vic Morrow gives an excellent performance as Valentine, a bitter and short-tempered racist bigot who gets a taste of his own yucky hateful medicine when he's thrust into the past and has to deal first hand with the harsh treatment of assorted minorities he has a vehement disdain for. The infamous helicopter incident aside, this one leaves a foul aftertaste because Valentine really doesn't deserve his ultimate dismal fate writer/director John Landis gives him at the dissatisfying conclusion.

Second and most mushy yarn: The rundown elderly residents at an old folks are magically transformed back into children by a special late-night game of kick the can. Director Steven Spielberg wallows way too much in the horrendously cloying and excessive sentimental swamp, but thankfully Scatman Crothers' wonderfully radiant and enjoyable turn as a jolly ol' gent prevents this baby from being an outright disaster.

Third and most imaginative vignette: School teacher Helen Foley (a sturdy and appealing Kathleen Quinlan) encounters Anthony (the splendid Jeremy Licht), a lonely little boy with a powerful psychic gift that enables him to create anything with his mind. Director Joe Dante completely cuts loose with gloriously bizarre, startling, and hugely entertaining results: It's garishly stylized, with amazingly surreal set designs, lots of cool touches (all the TV sets in Anthony's house play only cartoons), and several deliciously grotesque monsters. Moreover, veterans William Schallert, Patricia Barry, and especially Kevin McCarthy are all in top form as Anthony's "family," plus there are nifty cameos by Cherie Currie (sans mouth) and the ever-welcome Dick Miller as Walter Paisley (of course).

Fourth, strongest, and most suspenseful anecdote: Director George Miller seriously cooks with primo unleaded gas with this absolute tour-de-force of sheer teeth-rattling white-knuckle tension, with John Lithgow hitting it right out of the ballpark with his bravura acting as Valentine, a sweaty and panic-stricken neurotic who sees a pesky gremlin (Larry Cedar in a funky monster outfit) on the wing of a passenger plane during a severe thunderstorm, but can't convince anyone else on board about it.

Dan Aykroyd and Albert Brooks are also totally up to snuff as two guys reminiscing about old "Twilight Zone" episodes in a car in the amusing prologue (Ackroyd also pops up again at the very end of the final segment). Moreover, such familiar faces as Charles Hallahan, Doug McGrath, Al Leong, John Larroquette, Steven Williams, Peter Brocco, and John Dennis Johnston are featured throughout. Jerry Goldsmith's rich score and Burgess Meredith's sublimely whimsical narration help out a lot. Overall none too shabby, but it could (and should) have been much better.

The part with John Lithgow is fantastic, the rest isn't worth it

[CinefanR · 7/10 · 13 February 2012]

The last of the four stories is the only great thing about this movie. "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" is pure Twilight fun, as John Lithgow is spreading hysteria, weirdness and dark humor with his neurotic, over the top acting. It's a very funny, strange and gripping piece of film making,in the best Twilight Zone tradition. The direction, acting, script,special effects, everything is top-notch here. If only the other stories were as good as this one…

The intro with Dan Aykroyd and Albert Brooks traveling at night in the country side was pretty funny and appropriate. The rest, however, was very disappointing, to say the least.

The first segment involving a racist getting his lesson the hard way is flat and heavy-handled. The second part, with those people in a retirement home, was so incredibly lame I wanted to fast forward through it. The third story, about a kid who has some sort of supernatural powers, shows some improvement, but what spoils it is the mediocre acting, although special effects and the set design are very good.

"Want to see something really scary?"

[classicsoncall · 8/10 · 10 May 2019]

If I were evaluating this film on it's own I'd likely rate it a '7', but with all the cool references to TV programs of the past and to earlier episodes of Rod Serling's Twilight Zone itself, I'm calling for a bonus point to bring it up to an '8'. Dan Aykroyd and Albert Brooks have some fun recalling TV theme songs of an earlier era in the prologue before Aykroyd's sudden transformation, and he's set up for a return engagement in the final scene as an ambulance driver. That was a neat way to book-end his appearances.

I have to advise the reader that "The Twilight Zone", the original series, is my favorite TV program of all time. There was just that certain something in the writing and execution of the stories that made so many of them memorable, even with more than a half century gone by now. For that reason, the three remakes in this film were particularly noteworthy. "Kick the Can" is one of my Top Ten favorites from the original series, and Scatman Crothers was a perfect choice for the role of the ever optimistic resident attempting to bring cheer to residents of the Sunnyvale Rest Home. His message is a timely one that should resonate with anyone about to step out of middle age - "The day we stop playing is the day we start getting old..."

The segment modeled on "It's a Good Life" ought to stimulate the memory banks of Twilight Zone fans. In the story, school teacher Helen Foley (Kathleen Quinlan) states to the shop owner that she's from Homewood, and traveling to Willoughby. There's also mention of a town named Cliffordville. In the TZ episode "Walking Distance", actor Gig Young portrays a man who travels into the past to his hometown of Homewood. Willoughby is the idyllic town setting for another episode titled "A Stop at Willoughby". And in yet another story, actor Albert Salmi attempts to rearrange things when he visits his old home town in "Of Late I Think of Cliffordville". The theme of each of these stories had to do with a wistful yearning for the past, maybe not so much as a particular place, but a state of mind that went with growing up in a simpler time without the stress of modern day pressures. That seemed to be a favorite Rod Serling theme, one which he revisited over the course of the series.

It would have been neat if William Shatner could have returned to reprise his character from "Nightmare at 20,00 Feet", but I have to say, John Lithgow did an admirable job as the airline passenger caught up in his own delusion. He looked like he was really losing it with the gremlin out there on the wing of the plane. I think Dan Aykroyd showed remarkable restraint on that drive to the hospital.

Now even though the first segment titled "Time Out" was an original and not a remake, a case might be made that it at least touched on a couple of Rod Serling originals. "Deaths-Head Revisited" was the story of a Nazi concentration camp officer forced to relive the horror of his past, while the Vietnamese jungle setting of the segment had some similarity to a TZ World War II story called "A Quality of Mercy", in which a military officer was forced to exchange places with the enemy, in that case, a Japanese soldier. The only thing in the first story I couldn't make a connection with was the Ku Klux Klan lynching, an idea that might have made for a unique Rod Serling story.

Be that as it may, I had some fun with this flick. The only thing I didn't care for was the goofy special effects with the monsters in "It's a Good Life", but then again, they were the constructs of a youngster's imagination, so anything goes I guess. Oh yeah, and in the "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet", the pilot made an announcement at one point that the plane was flying at 35,000 feet. That's where having Shatner on hand might have come in handy.

Atmospheric, entertaining and unique in its own sense.

[Silverzero · 6/10 · 17 March 2003]

"The Twilight Zone: The Movie" is divided into 4 different segments so you can't really judge the film as a whole, but overall it was quite good. The pre-credits sequence involves Dan Akroyd and Albert Brooks in a truck talking about past Twilight Zone episodes. This prologue drags on a bit but the conclusion to the sequence is really cool and gets the film off to a rocking start.

The first segment sees Vic Morrow being catapulted into different timezones and suffering throughout. This was by far the most inventive of the four and probably ranks second out of them. It is executed in the usual Twilight Zone manner to great effect. The second sequence, directed by Steven Spielberg focuses on old people in a home who want to get their youth back. This is by far the worst of them all and is too cute and sentimental by half. It's well acted but lacks the Twilight Zone manner and seems highly inappropriate.

The third segment sees Kathleen Quinlan meeting a young boy with amazing telekinetic powers, who makes sure his family all have happy happy thoughts. This one was good if not amazing, and even has some nice special effects sequences. The grand finale is by far the best. A remake of the original sequence with William Shatner, it sees John Lithgow thinking that a gremlin is terrorising him on the wing of the plane. This segment entertains all the way and the artwork on the gremlin is sheer brilliance. It ends the film on agood note and gives it a better overall effect.

So in conclusion, "The Twilight Zone: The Movie" has its ups and downs in parts but leaves you satisfied, entertained and wanting more. 6.7/10.

This should have been better

[peefyn · 5/10 · 28 February 2017]

Looking past the accident, I can't really understand why this is not a good movie. Four brilliant directors, all given the opportunity to make Twilight Zone episodes with a movie-like budget. A number of great actors involved. How come the result is lackluster and lacking of charm? The old Twilight Zone TV-series obviously owes part of it's charm to the era it was made in, but it's also full of stories, some quite silly, that all take themselves seriously. There's twists at the end of the episodes that you some times can see from miles away, but that at other times makes you admit that it was clever. There's tons of bad episodes, but the package itself is still brilliant.

Then there's this movie. The first story lacks a proper ending (something that's due to the accident), making the rest of it feel pointless. The second story is visually beautiful, but feels both predictable and rushed. I would have thought that this sort of project would bring out the best in Spielberg, but he chooses a story that's only OK, and doesn't manage to portray in a way that transcends the silly story that it is. The third film is one of the more famous TZ-episodes, and the updates done to the story mostly works. I loved this due to the special effects that were used, but the acting and the story left some to be desired. The last one, also a famous one, is probably the best of the four. Had all four of them been this interesting on a story level, the movie would have been a lot better.

I would love for them to have another go at this. Especially Spielberg and Miller has proved many times what they are capable of, and I'm sure TZ (and those sort of stories) still mean a lot to them. Oh well.

You wanna see something real scary?

[archer191273 · 9/10 · 23 September 2022]

Had it not been for the tragic death of Vic Morrow and 2 children in a helicopter accident due to poor safety management and direction by John Landis (who was unjustly acquitted of any accountabilities) this would have been a really great movie. It still is in my eyes a great movie. It scared the hell out of me. The first story with Dan Akroyd and the last with John Lithgow being really freaky stories that I love. I still think John Landis should have been held accountable for the tragedy that occurred during the making of this movie. That's why I took a star but I highly recommend it for your enjoyment.

Famous directors pay a playful tribute to sci-fi of their youth

[SkullScreamerReturns · 6/10 · 16 June 2021]

I've never seen anything Twilight Zone before. The movie was my first experience. I see what they did here. A group of famous filmmakers have done a tribute to the classic series, and even though I haven't watched the series I get the mood they aimed for.

The movie consists of four different stories. First of all, I'm not a huge fan of anthology movies like this. Somehow it feels tiresome for my brain to switch from story to another. This is just an opinion of course, and some people seem to really enjoy this kind of thing.

The first episode is directed by John Landis and it's about a hateful guy who ends in a time twist where nazis and other extreme groups of people chase him in turn. This is the most action-packed segment.

Next we have a story about old people who wish to be young again. On the directing chair is Steven Spielberg and you can expect a warm drama with a little bit of supernatural. This is not spooky at all, but more like E. T. mood. Maybe my least favorite part, but on the other hand there's the great Scatman Crothers acting.

Joe Dante directs maybe my favorite part. It's a more horror/surreal thing with a kid with strange powers, living in a strange house with strange people. There's great use of vibrant colors and amazing stop-motion effects.

The last part is directed by George Miller who puts up the most intense thriller, starring John Lithgow (who's great). It's about a guy who is afraid of being in an airplane, and he starts to see something weird in the window. It's quite suspenseful.

In the beginning and ending there's a vague frame story with Dan Aykroyd. This sets the mood for the whole thing and improves it a bit.

I don't think the stories themselves are nothing special but the famous horror/comedy/fantasy directors and great actors bring quality to the table. If you're a fan of these particular directors then you should see it.

Political correctness destroys original 'Twilight Zone' episodes

[jadedalex · 1/10 · 20 May 2013]

It's amazing how the mindset of screenwriters changed in a little over twenty years. This movie remakes a few of the classic 'Twilight Zone' episodes from the original series. It's incredible how political correctness has taken the edge off of these stories.

The prime example of this is 'It's a Good Life', which I consider to be one of the best of the original 'Twilight Zone's. Based on an inventive short story by Jerome Bixby, it's a chilling story of a world ruled by one omnipotent child, Anthony Fremont (played perfectly in the original episode by talented child actor Billy Mumy).

The story poses a simple, terrifying premise: one child has wished away most of the United States, and most of the people wished away into 'the cornfield'. Anthony Fremont has the power of life and death, and you'd better not think bad things about him lest you wind up in 'the cornfield' (the burial ground for Anthony's victims).

Despite some clever visual effects in this new version, the story is all but undone by the addition of a teacher at the end of the tale, who is going to teach Anthony to use his powers for good, not evil. Apparently, the writer's felt the need to tack on some sort of happy ending to this story. Why this was done I do not know.

But it comes down to this: don't remake 'classics'. Why Gus Van Sant 'remade' 'Psycho' in color (stealing Hitchcock's camera shots) is beyond me. You leave classics alone. It's amazing how well the old 'Twilight Zone' episodes hold up after all these years.

The original story's ending, with Anthony suddenly making the world snow (thus ruining his father's crops) leaves Anthony's dad furious, but still having to say 'it's a good thing you made it snow'. This is terror. If television audiences in the sixties could handle a dark theme like this, why, some twenty years later, do movie audiences need a disingenuous 'happy' ending to the tale?

In another botched attempt at a classic 'Twilight Zone', 'Nightmare at 20,000 Feet' is all but destroyed by John Lithgow. Lithgow is a fine actor, but he is so wrong for the part that was played quite effectively by William Shatner. Shatner LOOKS sane, as he is a man just recovering from a nervous breakdown. Lithgow looks like a loose cannon, so it's not surprising to see him act like a lunatic. The upshot is that the story has been compromised, and once again Serling's original treatment still rings true.

If anything, this movie only makes true fans of the original 'Zone' series fondly remember the old episodes and possibly inspire them to buy 'Twilight Zone' DVDs of the original series.

I will not even discuss the terribly unfortunate filming of the Vic Morrow episode. Morrow literally lost his head (and his life) while making this silly story. It appears in his last roles, Morrow was type-cast as some sort of white supremacist. I happened to catch 'Humanoids From the Deep' (a hilarious horror film) in which Morrow is cast in pretty much the same part.

This is years before the emergence of 'Law and Order', in which many times minorities are made out to be the criminals, but in the last ten minutes, it is usually revealed that all of the evil came from some Caucasian character.

Of course, this is all part of the political correctness that has seeped into our lives since the seventies.

I love the old 'Twilight Zone' series. I hate this movie. Even the 'humorous' scenes with Danny Aykroyd and Albert Brooks fall flat. Best to stick with the black and white TV program.