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| An enticing poster for Twilight Zone The Movie |
Twilight Zone The Movie is a spin-off homage to the classic 50s and 60s science fiction-horror-fantasy TV-series of the same name, created by Rod Serling (The Loner (1965-66), writer). The film is made as an anthology, compiled of four original Twilight Zone episodes, which have been recreated and updated for the occasion, each one directed by a prominent director.
The film's creation and release was totally overshadowed by a nightmarish, tragic accident on the set of John Landis' (An American Werewolf in London (1981)) segment:
A helicopter crashed down and killed two child actors and the segment's protagonist actor Vic Morrow (The Glass House (1972)), cameras rolling and freak pyrotechnic explosions going off everywhere. In the long legal aftermath, wherein 5 members of the crew, including Landis himself, were acquitted as responsible for the deaths, it also became apparent that the kids had been illegally hired and irresponsibly put in the hazardous scene. The case stands out as one of the worst cases of accidental deaths in film history and still hangs as an ugly shade above John Landis.
The movie opens with a prologue segment about two men on a long night drive with no entertainment but what they can make up by themselves. They are played by Albert Brooks and Dan Aykroyd.
The first segment, Time Out by Landis, deals with a racist, who gets catapulted into various, historical places where racism has been prevalent, and where he fares poorly.
The second segment, Kick the Can, is directed by Steven Spielberg (Jaws (1975)) and is about a retirement home that gets a new resident (Scatman Crothers), who teaches them how to play again. This segment is by no means fantasy, horror or science fiction and falls somewhat out of place in the film, although it does have a nice morale to it, and some nice, elderly actors. It is characteristic of Spielberg to direct this particular story, and a red line about playfulness as the driving component in life can be drawn from it, back to his two previous, great films, Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) and ahead to films like Hook (1991) and Catch Me If You Can (2002).
The third segment, It's a Good Life, is directed by Joe Dante (Small Soldiers (1998)) and revolves around a lady who accidentally backs into a boy on a bike, and subsequently drives him home and has dinner with his insane family. This segment deals with sanity vs. insanity, and I found it quite unnerving.
The last segment, Nightmare at 20,000 Feet, is directed by Australian filmmaker George Miller (Mad Max (1979)) and concerns a man on a plane, who's afraid of flying and begins seeing a creature outside on the wing of the plane. He is played by John Lithgow, who puts a greatl, anxious performance to an otherwise somewhat stale story.
While all of these stories were likely amazing to watch on TV, they need to be elevated greatly to fully function on the big screen, and Twilight Zone The Movie doesn't fully succeed in doing this.
Still, I enjoyed the film a lot, and like the anthology format and the 80s way of blending science fiction with fantasy and horror elements in a universe, where anything can happen. That is the essence of why Twilight Zone is such a scary place to go.
The details:
Of the four directors, I clearly see Miller as the weakest link. In the overall frame of the film, however, it is Spielberg's segment that falls most awkwardly out of place.
The film has excellent production value and effects and a fine, rolling score by Jerry Goldsmith (The Mummy (1999)).
In this by some proclaimed new golden age of TV, couldn't someone competent enough to do it arrange to revive The Twilight Zone? I certainly would be ready for it.
Related reviews:
Steven Spielberg: 1941 (1979) - Spielberg's bizarre 'comedy spectacular' sinks like a rock
John Landis: An American Werewolf in London (1981) - Landis' great, funny, scary wolf
Click to enlarge these delicious ghouls of Twilight Zone The Movie
Budget: 10 mil. $
Box office: 29.4 mil. $
= Box office success
What do you think of Twilight Zone The Movie?
Wouldn't you like to see a new round of the show as well?
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