Twilight Zone: The Movie
You're travelling through another dimension. A dimension, not only of sight and sound, but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. Next stop, the Twilight Zone!
1959. Friday nights. We time-traveled. Witnessed surprising twists. Entertained aliens. Experienced fear. And first journeyed to The Twilight Zone of Rod Serling's memorable TV series. And guided by four imaginative moviemakers, we traveled there again in 1983. Directors John Landis, Steven Spielberg, Joe Dante and George Miller fashion stories based on or inspired by classic episodes. Landis weaves the tale of a bigot who gets a walloping dose of his own hatred. Spielberg takes over with a fable of senior citizens offered a magical rejuvenation. Dante serves up a terror trip with a child who uses his cartoon-inspired powers to enslave his family. Then fright goes aloft with Miller's finale about a neurotic passenger who sees a monster on the jetliner's wing. Or does he?
Member Reviews
Somewhat Blah - TheDandyist
The Twilight Zone movie was an attempt to recreate the magic of the original Rod Serling masterpiece series. However, I find it rare indeed to actually succeed in recreating an already perfect original. This film was made before the use of computer technology which shows its age, particularly in the remake of "Its a Good Life" where puppets are used which have no realism whatsoever. Also, the recreation of "Nightmare at 20,000 feet" was a good attempt at recreating a classic story, but just doesn't hold up to the imagination of the original.
I may be somewhat biased because I am a true fan of the original Twilight Zone, but this movie is part of the collection since it does attempt to give us a new take on the Twilight Zone stories and includes a new story not from the series as well. I believe this film also inspired the 1980s recreation of the series on TV. If you are a TZ fan, you will probably want to include it as part of your collection. If not, you probably will be disappointed in the stories as well as the outdated technology used in the film.Curiosity but still a Train Wreck - DWM54
Oh dear. I'm a big Twilight Zone fan, but what worked as high drama in the early sixties, and pleasant nostalgia for modern viewers, didn't translate well in this effort. After an over-long and corny introduction, the movie continues with four short stories connected by the narrator. The first story, featuring an unlikable bigot, and directed by John Landis, was ham-handedly obvious. Spielberg's contribution was charming, but still very predictable. The saving grace for the movie was the astonishing number of familiar faces in the cast. It was great fun to see a young Nancy Cartwright (Bart Simpson) and youngish John Lithgow.Great Movie, creeply w/moral undertones - greylead
Nice collection of "updated" classic Twilight Zone episodes, directed by different directors, cut together with a tie-in at the end. Like most Twilight Zones, they have a mix of sci-fi fantasy with moral underpinnings (ie: careful what you wish for).
Fun to see a movie again that relied on mechanics and visual illusion since CGI wasn't around yet. Purposefully campy, can be watched with kids too (though be ready to answer lots of questions)!
Member Reviews
Read All...
Somewhat Blah - TheDandyist
The Twilight Zone movie was an attempt to recreate the magic of the original Rod Serling masterpiece series. However, I find it rare indeed to actually succeed in recreating an already perfect original. This film was made before the use of computer technology ...Curiosity but still a Train Wreck - DWM54
Oh dear. I'm a big Twilight Zone fan, but what worked as high drama in the early sixties, and pleasant nostalgia for modern viewers, didn't translate well in this effort. After an over-long and corny introduction, the movie continues with four short stories ...Great Movie, creeply w/moral undertones - greylead
Nice collection of "updated" classic Twilight Zone episodes, directed by different directors, cut together with a tie-in at the end. Like most Twilight Zones, they have a mix of sci-fi fantasy with moral underpinnings (ie: careful what you wish for).
Fun ...