100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 161: Twilight Zone: The Movie

Director: John Landis, Steven Spielberg, Joe Dante, George Miller
Genre: Horror/ Thriller/ Comedy/ Fantasy
Runtime: 101 minutes
Year: 1983
Starring: Dan Aykroyd, Albert Brooks, Vic Morrow, Doug McGrath, Charles Hallahan, Rainer Peets, Kai Wulff, Sue Dugan, Debby Porter, Steven Williams, Annette Claudier, Joseph Hieu, Al Leong, Stephen Bishop, Thomas Byrd, Scatman Crothers, Bill Quinn, Martin Garner, Selma Diamond, Helen Shaw, Murray Matheson, Peter Brocco, Priscilla Pointer, Scott Nemes, Tanya Fenmore, Evan Richards, Laura Mooney, Christopher Eisenmann, Richard Swingler, Alan Haufrect, Cheryl Sochler, Elsa Raven, Kathleen Quinlan, Jeremy Licht, Kevin McCarthy, Patricia Barry, William Schallert, Nancy Cartwright, Dick Miller, Cherie Currie, Bill Mumy, Jeffrey Bannister, John Lithgow, Abbe Lane, Donna Dixon, John Dennis Johnston, Larry Cedar, Charles Knapp, Byron McFarland, Christina Nigra, Lana Schwabb

Description: Four horror/sci-fi segments directed by four famous directors, each of them being a new version of a classic story from Rod Serling's landmark television series The Twilight Zone (1959).

Review: “Twilight Zone: The Movie” is based on the television series “The Twilight Zone”. It starts of with a prologue and then tells us four different stories, directed by four different directors. Two men are driving a card in the night and start reminiscing about old TV shows, like “The Twilight Zone”. It’s the set up for the film.

Segment # 1:
Bill Connor missed out on a promotion and spills his guts while having a drink in a bar with some friends. His words don’t come easy and bothers some other customers, because he is pretty racist. When Bill leaves the bar, he himself is the victim of racism and hatred. John Landis directs this part and it has a dark atmosphere. It’s somber and intense, but doesn’t really develop.

Segment # 2:
Mister Bloom arrives at the Sunnyvale Rest Home, as a new citizen. Bloom befriends many of the people living there and convinces them that you are as old as you feel. Steven Spielberg directed this second segment. The idea is good and it does have some good moments, but the story gets a bit too sentimental.

Segment # 3:
Teacher Helen Foley accidentaly hits the young Anthony with her car. She brings him home and meets his family. Anthony’s family acts strange, but so does Anthony. And this all happens because they are afraid of Anthony. Joe Dante directs and adds more humor to his story. It has a light horror undertone. Dante was definitely influences by cartoons and it is sometimes funny, especially because of the overacting of the actors. But the ending is again a bit too sweet.

Segment # 4:
John Valentine is afraid of flying, but he has to go by plane. He has to do everything to keep his fear under controle. But when he thinks he is calm, he sees a strange creature on one of the wings of the plane. He sees its trying to break one of the engines and off course no one believes John. The director for this story is George Miller and this is the only story that I liked completely. It gives you a claustrophobic feel and it has some scary moments. John Lithgow plays his role as Valentine very well. It’s the best story in this film.

I expected a bit more quality from those four amazing directors. It’s and entertaining flick, but only the last story really nailed it.

Rating: 2,5/ 5