ramsfan I am generally 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.

peefyn 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.

DancingDestroyer Directed by: John Landis (Prologue & 'Time Out'), Steven Spielberg ('Kick the Can'), Joe Dante ('It's a Good Life') and George Miller ('Nightmare at 20,000 Feet' & Epilogue)Written by: John Landis (Prologue & 'Time Out'), George Clayton Johnson, Richard Matheson and Melissa Mathison ('Kick the Can'), Jerome Bixby and Richard Matheson ('It's a Good Life'), Richard Matheson ('Nightmare at 20,000 Feet') and Robert Garland (based on the series 'Twilight Zone' by Rod Serling)Starring: Vic Morrow as Bill Connor ('Time Out'), Scatman Crothers as Mr. Bloom ('Kick the Can'), Kathleen Quinlan as Helen Foley and Jeremy Licht as Anthony ('It's a Good Life), John Lithgow as John Valentine ('Nightmare at 20,000 Feet') and Dan Aykroyd as Passenger/Ambulance Driver (Prologue & Epilogue respectively)Quite the credits. We call movies that have segments that aren't connected "anthology movies". Anthology horror has been a novel concept since Rod Serling's legendary 'Twilight Zone' that ran in the late 50s and early 60s. In the 80s, the series was rebooted and a movie was made. It is a movie which we call, Twilight Zone: The Movie.This movie is notorious for the infamous helicopter crash that took the lives of Vic Morrow and two Vietnamese children (aged 6 and 7) while they were filming the end of the first segment, Time Out. One of the children and Vic Morrow was decapitated while the other child was crushed. It's a really sad event that has a stain in cinema history.I am going to divide this review into five reviews for each segment and the prologue & epilogue. First of, John Landis' 'Time Out'.TIME OUT'Time Out' is about a racist man who gets a taste of his own medicine. For example, he is sent to Nazi Germany where he is a jew. It's a very clever concept and it translates well into the screen. Vic Morrow is great as Bill Connor, who unfortunately passed away while he was filming this. Because of the unfortunate helicopter crash, this segment has an extremely anti-climactic ending. Aside from that, it is pretty good.KICK THE CANThis segment is easily the worst out of all of them. It's directed by Spielberg, how could it be bad? This time around, Spielberg really disappointed me. This segment is boring, it drags a lot and it fails to capture the bittersweet message of the original episode that this segment was based on. This segment is also the odd one out where it's light-hearted tone doesn't match with the dark and suspenseful tone of the other segments. The actors do a good job, though they are not enough to carry this segment.IT'S A GOOD LIFEJoe Dante's segment is a remake that actually improves on the original episode. Jeremy Licht and Kathleen Quinlan do a good job together and the special effects look great. The story is interesting and there are some pretty scary scenes here and there. The ending doesn't make any sense, though. It's a great segment nonetheless.NIGHTMARE AT 20,000 FEETThis is easily the best segment out of all of them. George Miller's direction's manic energy and suspense really go well with each other. John Lithgow is great, he's even better than William Shatner who played the lead role in the original episode. The monster is a lot scarier than the original where it looked like someone who was wearing a bear suit. There is nothing negative to say about this segment. It is terrific.PROLOGUE/EPILOGUEThese two parts really make the whole experience worth it. Dan Aykroyd's in both of them, along with Albert Brooks and John Lithgow. The prologue gets you in the mood while the epilogue gives you a vague ending that is both frustrating and satisfactory at the same time. Dan Aykroyd is terrific in both of these segments. It is really disappointing that these small portions of the movie are a lot better than the lackluster 2nd segment.Overall, Twilight Zone: The Movie is a great anthology horror movie, that's only if you skip over the 2nd segment. That segment really bogs the movie down, but the rest is great.

TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews Bill(Morrow as a bigot, R.I.P.) is certain he's lost out to the Jews, the African-Americans and the Asians, and gets a nasty surprise. An old folks home is visited by the mysterious Mr. Bloom(Crothers with his inimitable charm), who influences the inhabitants. School teacher Helen(Quinlan, patient) comes across a very peculiar kid(played to perfection by Licht... all of the performances here are solid, even the child actors). And finally, John(Lithgow, paranoid) is, well, not a good flier - but he'll swear on his life, there was something on that wing...This is essentially giving a bigger budget and talent to some stories known from the show, and while I haven't watched the original episodes for ages, but on the issue of reusing them, I always say that a good tale is worth retelling. At one point, this was going to be a single scenario, not four separate ones. I'm glad they abandoned that - with this, we have 93 minutes(not counting end credits) which is, no less than four plots(and a prologue), all of them short enough that character development, pacing and staging is all economical.Landis' is surprisingly "meh". Maybe he left his talent in London. In a werewolf. From America. Spielberg's is not really scary, nor is it meant to be, instead it's emotionally compelling fantasy, and, well, there's a reason his name is highly regarded - it's great. Dante really kicks things into high gear with quirk giving way to twisted terror, also putting amazing practical effects to good use. And Miller closes this out on a claustrophobic, nerve-shredding note.There is some violent and/or disturbing content and a little strong language in this. I recommend this to any fan of horror. 7/10