Review of Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983) by Michael H — 12 Jun 2009

I liked watching this movie when I was a kid, kind of scared by moments of it, and decided to revisit it. Looking at it now, it's still okay, but on the whole, just okay.

John Landis's segment: *1/2.

As one person commented on here, extremely heavy handed. Liberal rage against racist bigots seemed to me as pointless and misguided as Borat. At least Borat was funny. Noteworthy, unfortunately, for being Vic Morrow's final performance.

My boy Spielberg's segment: **1/2.

Not scary in the slightest but moving all the same. It's a very slight work for him but one that still stresses a theme that has always excited him, children. It's not breathtaking but quietly heartbreaking, although he has done this thing before and after much better.

Joe Dante's segment: ***.

Fairly creative until it's ending, when it gets more mawkish than Spielberg (!) This segment could have been developed further into an entire movie itself, as the twenty or so odd minutes it runs is nowhere near enough to contain its story.

George Miller's segment: *****.

Hands down the best of the four, and a masterpiece in its own right. John Lithgow has never been better and Miller fires on every cylinder. An intense score accompanies a tightly constructed short film that is much, much better than the others combined.