Twilight Zone: The Movie

the phenomenon of movies based on tv series has been with us longer than some might assume. some have even run adjacent to the series itself, highlights of which include 1966's Batman, 1979's The Muppet Movie, and 1968's Head, starring The Monkees. (that much in fact predates television: old-time radio characters often made the transition to the Screen. those were almost guaranteed to turn a profit, if only because they provided faces and mannerisms to go with those ethereal voices.)the cinematic revival of a vintage series is another matter, but again a longer lasting one than you might think. it became something of a trend in the '90s, which many tend to insist and/or assume stemmed from 1991's The Addams Family or maybe 1987's Dragnet. by my calculations it's rooted in 1979's Star Trek: The Motion Picture. and i have to admit i'm only guessing about that!1983's Twilight Zone: The Movie is one of the pleasanter examples. as helmed by four directors who had enjoyed the series growing up, with narration duties by Zone veteran Burgess Meredith, we are treated to an imperfect but heartfelt love letter to the legacy of Rod Serling. (to this day, after all, the series that resulted remains hands-down the greatest dramatic series in television history.)first up is John "The Blues Brothers" Landis. he begins our journey with an amusing, if slightly drawn-out, prologue in which a motorist (Albert Brooks) and a hitchhiker (Dan Aykroyd) end up discussing favorite episodes. (apparently Amazon themselves wanted to get in their share of eerie implausibility: notice that their headline blurb cites only Aykroyd, as if he were a headliner rather than a mere cameo.)after getting us to and passed the title sequence, Landis uses a story entitled "Time Out" to focus on a long-standing pet-peeve of Serling's, in and out of the Zone. Vic Morrow plays a frustrated loser who's bigot tendencies are kicked into high gear when the promotion he's been counting on goes to a Jew. at the height of his subsequent temper-tantrum he finds his perception momentarily transposed the business-end of the Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan. the film carries a "written by" credit that makes it sound like a Landis original, but it in fact borrows it's premise from an episode called "A Quality Of Mercy." specifically, the one starring a barely recognizable Dean Stockwell (so young he still has a fairly high, non-scratchy voice!) as a gung-ho new lieutenant in Japanese territory during World War II.of course, this is also the most infamous angle of the movie. the death of Vic Morrow in a helicopter accident during the shoot left a stigma of sorts on the film, not unlike the one Carole Lombard's death bestowed upon 1942's To Be Or Not To Be. the film wasn't a big hit or even a "sleeper," which is generally attributed to the gruesome manner in which Morrow was taken from us in the process, and the taint has only comparatively recently begun to dissipate.some have further argued that the film is incomplete as a result, figuring that's the reason there's no redemption of Morrow's character. maybe, but it's just as likely that Landis never intended any such thing. i mean, not every villain has to be redeemed, does he?but i digress...it's an irony worthy of Serling himself that Steven Spielberg, easily the most acclaimed of the directors involved, should be the man behind the least satisfying segment of the film. he chooses to remake a so-so episode titled "Kick The Can," about the inhabitants of a retirement home recovering the vigor of youth. it's not necessarily terrible, mind you, and Scatman Crothers has a nice juicy character to work with, but it can't help feeling like a lost opportunity. there were any number of better episodes which would be just as suited to Spielberg's talents. seriously, why'd he pick this over, say, "The Hitchhiker" or "To Serve Man"?next up, Joe "Innerspace" Dante serves up a gonzo, Tim Burtonesque new take on "It's A Good Life." that's one of the most revered as well as creepiest episodes, featuring Bill(y) Mumy as an omnipotent child who rules his hometown with a the proverbial iron hand. (and of course, Mumy is but one of a handful of Zone veterans - William Schallert, Kevin McCarthy, Nancy Cartwright, Patricia Barry - enlisted back into the Zone for this segment.)this version stars Kathleen Quinlan as a newcomer to town who takes pity on a seemingly friendless boy who appears to be bullied even by some of the grownups. in true thriller fashion, little does she suspect that the boy himself is in fact the culprit...and that she's essentially a new toy to him. and as it happens, the other inhabitants of his home are not his own family, but strangers similarly enlisted to fill in after their predecessors displeased little Anthony (Jeremy Licht).the Quinlan character is a new addition, although her name, Helen Foley, is liberally appropriated from an episode called "Nightmare As A Child." specifically, the one where a little girl, calling herself Markie, turns out to be Helen's child self.interestingly, despite it's gleeful derangement, it's not quite so dark as the original. unlike Mumy's borderline sociopath, for instance, Licht's is dismayed to learn he's not making his prisoners happy. also, where the original "little monster" had the entire town under his thumb, his successor is content to own simply his own household. also, the episode ends with Anthony still in control. here Quinlan's character (who must know how to handle kids, as she came to work as a schoolteacher) opts to act as de-facto mentor (and/or mother). it's hard to say what original author Jerome Bixby might've made of this reimagining of his work, but Dante's new angle is certainly intriguing.whereupon the aforementioned irony comes full circle: is it George "Mad Max" Miller, arguably the least famous of the four directors, who brings down the house with his triumphant revival of "Nightmare At 20,000 Feet." it doesn't exactly hurt that he's working with an adaptation by no less than original scribe Richard Matheson. (who, incidentally, also adapted "It's A Good Life" for Joe Dante.)the white-knuckle airline passenger originated by William Shatner is now played by John Lithgow, one of the very few actors who could actually go the distance with Shatner in a showdown raw histrionics. what's more, the monster he sees on the wing is significantly less cuddly this time around.(this enables one of the niftier moments of Lithgow's later sitcom 3rd Rock From The Sun. the ruler of the Solomons' homeworld, played by Shatner, arrives and mentions that there was some sort of monster on the ship's wing, to which Lithgow's character replies, "hey, the same thing once happened to me!")so overall, it's an occasionally somewhat creaky but mostly quite enchanting re-excursion to that realm of the surreal that made Rod Serling a household name. like the two tv series revivals that followed it, just how necessary the film was is open for debate. but even so, no one who knows the series will ever call the film a desecration. it's a film by fans as well as for fans, and that alone lends it a merit of sorts.and in any case, any film which showcases Creedence Clearwater Revival's kick-ass rendition of "The Midnight Special" can't be ALL bad.

I remember Hanging out with my friends as kids riding our bicycles having fun and right when we were tired laying the bikes down talking about movies twilight zone was one and seeing this movie again returned memories I will never forget the one in the old folks home really touched my heart but again I will say all stories were amazing this is by far a true classic i will always cherish this one I'm sure I'm not the only one Must have for collectors..

Added this to my Halloween collection, happy to have it.

The Twilight Zone Movie is a classic horror anthology, featuring two original segments and two which remake iconic episodes of the original series. The first two are the weaker half of the collection, featuring a heavy-handed, "racism-is-bad" vignette that has little internal logic and Steven Spielberg's extraordinarily sappy tale of some elderly people rediscovering their youth, but the second two are stellar material and worth a watch.The first segment is a bit of a chore to get through, honestly. An angry, racist jerk blames all his problems on Jews, African Americans, and Asians, and is then promptly transported to WWII Germany, a Klan-haunted American South, and Vietnam to have his perspective straightened out. While he's correctly identified as American in Germany, in the South he's inexplicably viewed as black. In Vietnam, the plight of Asians is depicted as the Viet Cong versus a band of drug-addled American soldiers who have shot their commanding officer, which seems like the most reductive view the filmmakers could possibly have taken on the matter. That a random white guy ranting in a bar is singled out for punishment while the atrocities the segment depicts were allowed to occur only adds to the logical void at the heart of this first story.The second story, from contributor Steven Spielberg, is more enjoyable, but is mawkishly sentimental. A group of somewhat neglected old people in a retirement community are reminded of their youth by a newcomer, Scatman Cruthers (playing a textbook example of the "magical negro"). He invites them out to play kick the can, where they transform into adorable children who mug for the camera and spout cornball dialogue, before realizing that they (mostly) don't mind being old and just need to put a little effort into their lives to be joyful again. It's not bad, but the sap is thick and unrelenting. A nice nod to the more whimsical episodes of The Twilight Zone, I suppose.The third segment kicks things into high gear. Directed by Joe Dante of Gremlins fame, this is a retelling of the "Wish You Into the Cornfield" episode. If that doesn't mean much to you, I won't say anything else, as this one is more fun if you don't know too much. It does end rather differently than the original episode, however.Finally, George Miller (director of Mad Max), remakes the "There's a Man on the Wing of the Plane!" episode. If you're wondering how they could improve on the original, I have two words for you: John Lithgow. This final segment starts at 11 and only goes up from there, and it's an absolute blast.So this film is 50% Meh and 50% Great. None of the segments are that long, so the weaker stuff goes by quickly and the better stuff leaves you wanting more. Not the best film ever, but entirely worth your time.

I loved this when it was in the theater, and it still holds up.Broken up into several chapters by different directors, not all of it is frightening. My favorite story, "Kick the Can" , is quite heartwarming.The addition of actors like Scatman Crothers , Dan Aykroyd and John Lithgow add to its charm. And yes, this was Vic Morrow's last film.Probably not gory or shocking enough for a 2020s viewer , but a great film anyway.

If you liked twilight zone shows on TV, you will love this!

Loved this movie since a kid, great collection of stories with an assortment of monsters (love that demonic bunny!) and a terrific music score by Jerry Goldsmith. "Do you wanna see something really scary?" Crook's Wraith at MidnightCrook's Wraith at Midnight

I've always had an early memory of being terrified of a huge monster-bunny I saw on telly one night when I was a kid. As I've grown older, I've always wondered if it was just a dream I had once or was it actually a real film or TV programme. When I found out it was part of this film I couldn't wait to watch it again!What an excellent movie as well, full of interesting and creepy stories and just an absolute ton of fun!

Excellent dvd rare to get but super

I have been watching the original B/W twilight zone series and saw the film was available on dvd, been a while since I saw it on tv and luckily my dvd recorder will play US region 1 discs. Excellent film. The price I paid for a used copy which was in perfect condition was so cheap. 5*****

I watched this film many years ago on television and have the video of it. As I no longer have a video recorder I decided to get DVD.I still love the film though its much less scary now!! Must be because films have got scarier.