Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983, Joe Dante, John Landis)

I used to watch "The Twilight Zone" show as a kid. In re-runs of course and due to my lack of existence in the decade in which it began, I was unable experience the series freshly. That didn't hold me back from enjoying the classic episodes (as well as the redundant ones) throughout my childhood years and up until I discovered the movie...

"Twilight Zone: The Movie" is an arrangement of four stories seen in the original series, remade by four different directors. The first segment (as well as the lazily hacky prologue) was directed by John Landis and is about a transparently hard-core racist who steps out of a bar and into multiple sections of history involving war and hatred. The second (Spielberg directed) revolves around a retirement home in which elders find their 'inner child'. Third, from Joe Dante: a child with unlimited wishes terrorizes his family. Fourth and final, by George Miller, is the classic "Terror at 20,000 Feet" story...

I advise anyone interested in this movie to immediately skip to the fourth segment, since it is really the only portion of the film with any kind of tension or horror/sci-fi ambition. John Lithgow nails it as the paranoid airline passenger and the cramped atmosphere, as well as the partially obstructed view of the maniacal creature purposely tearing away at the engine, is very well done. The Landis story is a "don't be a bigot" PSA that really doesn't leave any kind of impact once it finally ends. There is no direction in the story and the "moralistic" bullshit doesn't quite work. Spielberg's boring geezer segment is pretty much a whimsical children's fable without a trace of payoff. Dante's is alright. His includes some neat effects and over-the-top acting which I enjoyed. Still, it comes and goes with little satisfaction.

As far as "Twilight Zone: The Movie" goes, all you really need is the airplane segment and go and check out Vic Morrow's infamous helicopter death online and leave it at that...