Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)

An anthology of four films, three based on episodes of the classic TV show and one an original. All four films are bookended by a prologue and epilogue: 1) a bigot (Vic Morrow) suddenly finds himself transported to different eras of time where he is a Jew persecuted by Nazis, a black man chased by the Ku Klux Klan and a Vietnamese hunted by American soldiers. Directed by John Landis (ANIMAL HOUSE), this is the weakest of the four. Predictable and preachy and heavy handed. It's almost impossible to watch without thinking of the horrific and senseless on set tragedy that killed Vic Morrow and two Vietnamese children. No movie is worth a life and certainly not this one! 2) an old man (Scatman Crothers) moves into an "old folks" home and encourages the residents to stay young at heart. Directed by Steven Spielberg, this is yet another condescending to senior citizens for comic effect. Does any elderly lady long for the days she could play hopscotch? How many senior gents dream of playing kick the can again? Sentimental twaddle. 3) a young woman (Kathleen Quinlan) encounters a young boy with terrifying powers. Directed by Joe Dante (GREMLINS), this is several notches above the first two segments. A nice performance by Quinlan and some imaginative visuals. 4) As an airliner hits some turbulence in a storm, a passenger (John Lithgow) freaks out when he claims to see a man on the wing of the plane. Directed by George Miller (THE ROAD WARRIOR). Now, we're cookin'. This is a terrific rollercoaster ride anchored by an excellent performance by Lithgow. Miller keeps the tension building while Jerry Goldsmith's score wreaks havoc. Worth viewing for the last two segments. With Dan Aykroyd, Albert Brooks, Kevin McCarthy, Abbe Lane, Patricia Barry, Eduard Franz, Billy Mumy, Priscilla Pointer and William Schallert.