Tags:
Film: Twilight Zone: The Movie
Year: 1983
Director: Joe Dante, John Landis, George Miller and Steven Spielberg
Writer: John Landis, George Clayton Johnson, Richard Matheson and Melissa Mathison
Starring: Dan Aykroyd, Albert Brooks and Vic Morrow
Review:
Now this is a classic film that I would catch on the movie channels growing up. What is interesting, I've never seen this all the way through until now. I was talking to someone in chat about it and they were saying one of their favorite parts was the ‘wraparound’. I didn’t remember the opening bit as I always came in during Segment 2 or later. It was interesting to finally get to see this having watched almost all of the original run of The Twilight Zone.
Synopsis: four horror and science fiction segments, directed by four famous directors, each of them being a new version of a classic story from Rod Serling's landmark television series.
We start this off in a car that is driving by Albert Brooks. With him is Dan Aykroyd. They're listening to 'Midnight Special' until the radio eats the tape. They then play a couple of games. This ends with the passenger showing something that is truly scary. This does become a framing story of sorts as we come back to Aykroyd at the end.
It is from here that we jump into the different stories. I'll be honest, I don't remember watching this first segment on the original run of the TV series. I might have, but we are just getting a different variation on it. I did check and this is the only one that was made up for the movie. It borrows from the 1961 episode, 'A Quality of Mercy'. The title here is 'Time Out'. What we get here is Bill Connor (Vic Morrow) meeting up with friends for a drink. He is a racist bigot who rubs other patrons the wrong way. When he goes to leave, he is transported to a few different eras to experience the racism that he is spouting on a grander scale.
Next starts all the ones I remember watching. Next up is 'Kick the Can'. We are at a retirement home. A new man, Mr. Bloom (Scatman Crothers), shows up. He gets to know the other residents and asks what they liked to do as children. Leo Conroy (Bill Quinn) refuses to answer, thinking it won't do any good. He is a bitter about wanting to get out with his son and his family. The rest of the group have a magical night of playing Kick the Can. They also have an important decision to make.
Then is 'It's a Good Life'. We have a former schoolteacher in Helen Foley (Kathleen Quinlan) looking for a fresh start. This brings her to an encounter with Anthony (Jeremy Licht). She backs into him with her car and gives him a ride home. There she meets his odd family. They all seem on edge. We soon realize why that is as this boy might have extraordinary abilities.
Our last story is 'Nightmare at 20,000 Feet'. John Valentine (John Lithgow) is afraid of flying. He can't seem to get comfortable and panics. This draws the attention of a couple flight attendants, Abbe Lane and Donna Dixon. A co-pilot is also made aware of his demeanor. It gets even worse when he thinks he see a creature on the wing, destroying the engines as they continue. No one believes John and him acting crazy isn't helping.
That is where I'll leave my recap and introduction to our leads for each of the stories. Since we have different directors for each, I'm going to break down each story individually and then average my score for the overall. I'll also acknowledge the tragedy here with John Landis, who directed the first segment, and the horrific accident that took the lives of Morrow along with two child actors. It is despicable and he got off light. I'm separating the filmmaker from the art here.
I'll then say that I love the opening segment. It not only sets the stage, but Aykroyd and Brooks are great together. I wasn't sure if the former was a hitchhiker or if these two had known each other before this fateful drive. I get vibes of both possibilities which adds an eerie atmosphere to how it ends.
To get into 'Time Out', this one is a heavy story to start with. I understand the anger that Bill is going through. I've missed out on promotions or getting jobs. I’ve never blamed the other person for their race or sex. It tends to be nepotism, the other person being there longer or just them being a better candidate. Bill acknowledges the guy that got over him has been with the company longer. In his eyes though, he's better because the other guy is Jewish. I’m sure Bill is racist all the time, but this has set him off and it is showing. He then must go to places like Nazi Germany, a KKK lynching and the jungles of Vietnam to see the power of his racism. Morrow is great in this role. His performance is good to make me loath him. We also get Charles Hallahan, Steven Williams, John Larroquette and Al Leong making appearances here. The cinematography and effects are on point. It feels like the places where he gets transported to. This one has a powerful message for sure that I appreciate.
Then to 'Kick the Can'. What is interesting is that growing up, I hated this segment. I know looking back because this is sentimental and not horror. As an adult, this one made me tear up and it has good heart beneath it. It makes sense that Steven Spielberg directed it. Crothers does an amazing job as this old man who is young at heart. Quinn is good as the curmudgeon man opposite him. I see why he is the way that he is from the disappointment he goes through. Martin Garner, Selma Diamond, Helen Shaw, Murray Matheson and Peter Brocco are good as these elderly people that want to be young again. The children's counterparts do so well at keeping their mannerisms and speech patterns. I also like the appearance of Priscilla Pointer as Miss Cox who runs the place. This one is also well-made. The cinematography is on point. They don't need to do effects to make the old people young. It is just a cut and yet still effective. I've come around to this one for sure.
One of my favorites growing up was 'It's a Good Life'. What is interesting here is the changes that Joe Dante made. I believe the original episode; the boy just sends people or animals that upset him to a cornfield. I like that the horror is a ramped up here. There was something that I didn't notice until this time is that there are all these different and seemingly abandoned cars by the house that Anthony lives. Licht was great here as this boy that is scary. It is more about what he can do than anything which is terrifying. Quinlan is great here as she figures things out around her. I do like that it is almost her figuring out her destiny with this chance encounter.
I'd also say that I like Kevin McCarthy as Uncle Walt, Patricia Barry and William Schallert as Anthony's 'parents'. We also have Nancy Cartwright of ‘The Simpsons' fame as Ethel and cameos by Dick Miller and Cherie Currie. The filmmaking is good as well. What I like is that Anthony is obsessed with cartoons. There is almost a comic book feel to the house that he lives in that works for me. How things play out is good. This has good cinematography. The effects are a bit cartoon-like, but that again fits. The soundtrack and design are fit what was needed.
Then to the last story, 'Nightmare at 20,000 Feet'. This one is one of my favorites from the original. What I think works here is that we have an amazing lead in Lithgow. He feels like this person who is holding it together by a thread. I've gotten nervous flying my first couple times, but never to this extent. The panic he shows feels real. It is also in a pressure cooker being on a flight like this. Now there is a bit here that I noticed this time. He sees this creature on the wing. He's already shown he's unreliable, so why believe him? There is an elderly woman sitting behind him who says that this thing was 'green' and 'slimy'. Her husband tells her not to encourage him. What makes this funny is that she is correct in her assessment. It makes me wonder if she also saw the monster but is afraid of what will happen if she sides with him. Her husband shuts her down.
This one is also well-made. The cinematography, to make it feel claustrophobic, ramps up the tension. Seeing what John does as well adds to it. The thing that he sees is creepy. It is very different from the original design. I do think that is how far effects have come. This is just a terrifying concept and it makes you wonder if something like this could be causing plane crashes or other disasters. The soundtrack and design also work in building the atmosphere.
In conclusion, I'm glad that I've finally watched this start to finish. I do have to take originality points away since three of these are adapted from episodes of the show. What I'll give credit to here though is making this feel like we're watching four episodes of this classic TV show. There is horror here with the last two segments, a cautionary tale to kick us off and even one with good heart. There is an amazing selection of actors here. Each is well-made. I'll be honest, this is one of my favorite anthology films as well. I highly recommend it, especially if you like any iteration of the show.
My Rating: 8.5 out of 10