Best movie ever!

An action-packed slog

A Major Disappointment

One of those movie experiences that is so good it makes you realize you've been grading everything else on a curve.

Twilight Zone: The Movie is both scary and enchanting. Man oh man, did it frighten me. I would not want to eat peanut butter sandwiches while watching that scary bunny. Poor Grandpa Pete. Whatever happened to his mind.Funny eyeballs and monsters that eat airplanes. Old people that play kick the can and become young again. Dan Akyroyd becoming the scary man. It was truly terrifying.

The movie was a sorted affair dealing with four directors, script rewrites, tragedy and high expectations that nearly canceled the entire production. Starting off in the right direction with a bookend of a man picking up a hitch hiker until everything goes terribly wrong. Staying true to the heart of the original series the morality cautions are ever present with the dangers of picking up strangers, racism, staying young at heart, abuse of power and disbelief. The first take would be an instant new classic in the vain of his image if a helicopter hadn't crashed on the set and killed three actors (two children). Legally able to proceed on Landis was force to shorten his segment so the man never leans his passion but receiving punishment for crimes again humanity. Forcing Spielberg to make his second segment more light hearted with a charming remake of Kick the can which has its cute moments yet doesn't work in a horror movie setting.Joe Donte for it back on track with it's a good life, but it's plagued with humor, fake noticeable props and comes out to cartoonist to get the willies. Last and least was the most shocking, scary and best directed segment by George Miller updating terror at 50,000 feet which seems lasted by three duds preceding it. Such a shame as it had potential to spawn off countless sequels instead of direct to TV short living series.While not bad in the least it could've been a grand masterpiece.

Having never seen an episode of the original television series and diving into this feature without any idea of who directed what segment, Twilight Zone: The Movie turned out to be a delightful surprise for me. Maintaining a firm grip on the viewers' senses and keeping them guessing throughout its 101 minutes runtime, it is one of those rare anthology films that works for the most part, if not all.Twilight Zone: The Movie covers four segments. The first one concerns a loud-mouthed bigot who finds himself transported back in time. The second story is set in a retirement home where a new guest makes the old residents rediscover their youth. The third tale is about a young woman who becomes entrapped in a boy's alternate reality while the last segment follows an airline passenger who may or may not be imagining things.The movie opens with an interesting prologue that sets the tone & expectations for the rest of the picture and is helmed by Joe Landis who also directs the first segment, "Time Out". Both stories are brilliantly narrated but the prologue stays on for an extended period and could've used a few trims. The first segment, however, is a fantastic blend of comedy & mystery and features the only original story of the four.The next part, "Kick the Can", is directed by Steven Spielberg and brims with a familiar childlike simplicity & deep sense of warmth. It is a heartwarming episode that beautifully illustrates the joys of childhood, emanates a strong feeling of nostalgia, and demonstrates that feeling young has nothing to do with age but your heart & attitude. It may feel out of place with the rest & is quite sentimental but there's an innocent quality to it and it's affectionately crafted.The third segment, "It's a Good Life", is directed by Joe Dante, and even though it commences on a promising note plus covers its underlying themes in a subtle manner, the exaggerated acting as well as the ridiculous effects take away the intended bleakness from it and what's left behind is a campy episode which, at least for me, was the least impressive of the four. However, its depiction of the loneliness that comes with being an omnipotent still leaves a positive impression.The final segment, "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet", brings the film full circle in a clever manner and is expertly directed by George Miller. Tense, claustrophobic & flying at lightning speed, it benefits a lot from John Lithgow's terrific performance, Miller's kinetic direction and some good old horror delights. Easily my favourite of the four, this one finishes itself on a high note and doesn't really leave much to complain about. The final moment before the credits also serves as a fitting conclusion to the whole journey we were led on, and the end result has more highs than lows.On an overall scale, Twilight Zone: The Movie is overloaded with numerous references to its source material but manages to be just as compelling for newcomers as it may be for the series' seasoned fans. All four directors have done a pretty neat job with the scripts they chose to transform on the film canvas and their distinctive filmmaking style gives each segment a distinct flavour of its own. Although not as influential as the landmark TV series, Twilight Zone: The Movie still serves as an excellent tribute to Rod Serling's show and a welcome addition to its genre(s). Strange, mystifying & enveloped with an eerie vibe from start to finish, this bizarre yet thrilling cinematic ride comes recommended.

Three of the four stories are from the old TV series "The Twilight Zone" - recreated for this film. The fourth, or should I say the first story, is an original short story for this movie entitled "Time Out". But the movie is actually worth watching for the last two short stories."Time Out" is a basically a horrors of war type of story. It's pretty interesting. "Kick the Can" is not to bad of short story. It's not all that scary but still fairly good. "It's a Good Life" is a good horror story. This one is worth watching the movie for. The last story is called "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" and they did save the best for last. This is the segment that freaked me out when I was a kid - yes it's good!! Yes Twilight Zone: The Movie makes a great late night movie and would make a great double feature with "Creepshow", "Trilogy of Terror" or even "Tales from the Darkside: The Movie".9/10