Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great anthology!, October 29, 2007
Our film begins with a prologue directed by John Landis ("An American Werewolf in London", "Kentucky Fried Movie" and "Animal House") pair of friends (Dan Ackroyd and Albert Brooks) who play TV trivia in the car as they drive and also a special scaring contest for each other then our stories begin. In the first story directed also directed by John Landis, a racist business man (Vic Morrow) who gets travled back in time to the 1940's, 1950's and 1960's where he becomes the three races he hates the most and becomes the one being hunted. The second story directed by Steven Spielburg is a gentle tale of a special magical old man (Scatman Crothers) that helps a group of senior citizens at a retirement home to make them young again, the third story is directed by Joe Dante ("Gremlins", "The Howling", "Pirahna") about a traveling school teacher (Kathleen Quinlan) that accidently hits but doesn't injure a young boy as he gives him a ride home where he invites him to stay for a while with his strange family and discovers that the boy has magical powers that can alter reality and make wishes come true. And the final story directed by George Miller ("Mad Max") is a terrying story of a nervous airflight passenger (John Lithgow) that sees a strange creature on the wing of the plane trying to destroy the airplane.
A splendid anthology of horror and fantasy stories from four directors and inspired by the classic TV series by Rod Sterling. The stories except the first one are based on classic episodes from the TV series while the first tale is a very original story, this movie got me hooked into watching the classic TV series and is a great anthology movie in it's own right. In fact, this was Vic Morrow's last movie cause he died during filming and the film is narrated by Burgess Merideth, this is a must have for fans of the series and anthology movies like "Creepshow", "Grindhouse", "Heavy Metal", "Cat's Eye", "Dead of Night" etc. This one of my personal favorites since i was a kid.
The DVD contains great picture and sound quality and the only extra is the theatrical trailer.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
I Love Creedence (ClearWater Revival), February 19, 2004
By A Customer
After 20 plus years, TWILIGHT ZONE:THE MOVIE has attained somewhat of a cult following and has maintained a level that it is not too outdated, but did not do the original tv series justice. The movie will be remembered mostly because actor Vic Morrow (tv's COMBAT) was killed during filming along with two children. The first segment KKK is an original entry, directed by John Landis and starring Vic Morrow. It is not too inventive and very predictable. Morrow has made a career of playing baddies from BLACKBOARD JUNGLE to THE BAD NEWS BEARS so he was perfectly cast as the bigot who gets caught in a time warp to experience the suffering of the two groups he hates the most (blacks and jews). There is a segment where he is supposedly in Vietnam which doesn't go anywhere (because the scenes that were to be part of this sequence is where he got killed) but the producers stuck it in anyway. The next segment KICK THE CAN is directed by Spielberg who was continuing his period of working with children carried over from his film E.T. (and would culminate to his work on HOOK). This is a typical Spielberg directed sequence with a standout performance of Scatman Crothers as the instigator who entices the residences of an old folks home to think young again. The third segment ITS A GOOD LIFE is probably the most bizarre taking the original story to a more light-hearted approach. A boy who has the power to make anything he wishes come true while holding his family and townspeople at bay (in terror) was much more scarier and serious in the original tv episode. Director Joe Dante's take on it is more of a cartoon with a surprisingly upbeat and happy ending compared to the original's very downbeat ending. Bill Mumy (tv's LOST IN SPACE fame)who played the boy in the original tv episode makes a cameo appearance in the beginning of the sequence, but the cast (Kevin McCarthy,William Schallert,Lonna Schwab,Nancy Cartwright{voice of tv's Bart Simpson}) who plays the boy's terrorized family is the best part of the sequence along with lead Kathleen Quinlan. Finally, the last (and probably the best) segment, NIGHTMARE AT 20,000 FEET is pretty close to the original tv episode compared to the other two segments. John Lithgow's performance as the frightened passenger who sees a gremlin on the wing of a plane which disappears when he tries to get others to look out the window is equal to that of William Shatner's performance from the original tv episode. The prologue with Dan Aykroyd and Albert Brooks is amusing if not prdictable and the movie as stated still holds up despite its faults. Note: Look for a young John Larroquette in a brief appearance in the first segmnet (KKK).
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33 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Four tales, great actors and great acting, August 5, 2001
This movie features four classic stories from the Twilight Zone recreated for the big screen. There are several cameos in each story and a big leading star in each tale. The first story is of a man tired of the racial diversity in the US, where he then finds himself leading the life of a Jewish man in Nazi Germany, a black man caught in the KKK tribe and another. The second is a good story of a retirement home that finds youth in its heart after becoming children again and finding that it is not worth staying young. The third is a twist on the original tale of a boy who's wishes come true as an unknowing women looking for adventure was lured in by the child. The final story is of the Gremlin on the wing of a plane as John Lithgow plays the sole man who sees the monster ripping up the plane. With this performance you can put John Lithgow in an empty room with a window and it would still be just as terrifying from the way he conveys what is out there.
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