“Hey, you
wanna see something really scary?”
There are not too many TV shows that
are considered timeless. The ones that
last are not products of their time, but transcend time, or in this case
transcend time, mind, things, and ideas, a place called…the Twilight Zone. Movies can be like that too, and because
movies have beginnings, middles, and ends you are given less time to tell a
story than on a TV show. In the late
fifties to early sixties The Twilight Zone told amazing stories, with simple
and powerful messages about the human condition that still speak to us today.
In 1982 men
who grew up watching the show had a chance to come together to tell and re-tell
some of their favorite stories from the original show. Steven Spielberg, John Landis, Joe Dante, and
George Miller each directed an episode of the Twilight Zone that was made into their
own movie. The opening directed by
Landis is one of the best openings of any movie ever. Albert Brooks and Dan Aykroyd driving on a deserted
highway at night, and when the Creedence goes out, they have to talk to each other
which leads to what any geek of any show would recognize as the “you remember
the one about the…” twilight zone episode talk.
This puts you into the mindset of the kinds of stories you are about to
see. The conclusion of this seven plus
minute scene is classic.
The first
segment (as they are called in the credits) was also directed by Landis is
about a bigot who is tossed around in time and is seen by others as a Jew in Nazi-occupied
France, a black man in the South at a Klan lynching, and a Vietnamese in war-torn
Vietnam. This one is very reminiscent of
the old episodes where the person feels what it’s like to walk in another’s
shoes. The tragedy of this portion of
the film is the real-life death of actor Vic Morrow and two kids during a
special effect scene involving a helicopter.
In my opinion he wasn’t the same director after this horrible accident. He did direct the Michael Jackson Thriller
video, The Three Amigos, and Coming to America, but not much more of note
after. It’s even more of a shame when
you see his early work of Animal House, Blues Brothers, Trading Places, and An
American Werewolf in London.
The second
segment directed by Spielberg was and is for me the weakest of the bunch, based
on an episode called “Kick the Can”. The cinematography is great, and I love
the ending, most Twilight Zone’s have great endings, but it still feels like
Spielberg-lite.
The third
segment was my favorite as a kid about a boy who has the power to make anything
he wishes happen. Directed by Joe Dante
(The Howling, Gremlins) this is a slightly toon-ized creepy tale mixed with
humor and frightening images. Also
watching a young Nancy Cartwright as Ethel, you can’t help but giggle at the
early Bart Simpson waiting to come out. Watching it now it feels like an origin
story of a superhero who is abusing his power when he meets someone who could potentially
be his teacher.
The last segment
which is my new favorite, directed by George Miller who is responsible for all
the Mad Max films as well as the new “Mad Max: Fury Road” in production right
now. It is based on the ‘zone’ episode with
William Shatner as a man who sees a gremlin on the wing of a plane. In this version the man is played by the
always brilliant John Lithgow. He is a
terrified passenger who sees the creature and whips the whole plane into a frenzy
when no one believes what he sees. The
music is especially noticeable in this segment, Jerry Goldsmith makes you feel
the terror, and the weird angles are just as jarring.
Overall
Twilight Zone: The Movie feels like it did when I was a kid, some of it I liked
and some not so much. I also feel the
same way about the show that inspired the movie. But you better believe I always watch the ‘Zone’
marathons every time they come on.
--Robert L.
Castillo
No comments:
Post a Comment