Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)

Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)

Directed by: John Landis, Steven Spielberg, Joe Dante

Starring: Vic Morrow, Scatman Cruthers, John Lithgow

The Twilight Zone is possibly the best science fiction show in television history. This movie is a remake of three episodes from the show with more modern (well, 80’s, anyway) special effects, as well as a new story in an approximation of Rod Serling’s style.

First is the new story, where a racist in a bar finds himself transported to Nazi Germany where he is himself persecuted. Next, a bunch of people in an old folks’ home play Kick the Can at nights to literally regain their youth. Third involves a schoolteacher who finds herself in a house where a child with magic powers is holding his family hostage, and finally, a man claims to see something on the wing of an airplane that’s tearing shit up.

Yeah, it’s pretty good. Some of the new(er) special effects are pretty neat, especially in the “It’s a Good Life” remake, but the effects are not at all what makes the Twilight Zone great. Honestly, I can’t imagine a situation where I’d rather watch this film than any of the original episodes, and the first one with the guy going to Nazi-world isn’t nearly as good as some actual Twilight Zone episodes about that same concept (“He’s Alive” where Dennis Hopper meets Hitler comes directly to mind).