Review(s): DVD The Twilight Zone - Seasons 2 & 3 (1986 - 1988)
modern versions of the Twilight Zone
I love the twilight Zone episodes. Prior to purchasing seasons1-3 of the 1985-1988 series of the Twilight Zone, I vaguely remember these episodes. After watching each one, there were some of the episodes that I liked and some that I didn't. I must admit that the remake of Night of the Meek was not as moving as the orginal version. If you are an big fan of the Twilight Zone series- purchase this collection.
A great "remake" of a classic series !!
I was just a kid, when i first discovered "The Twilight Zone", and luckily i managed to tape most of them to my vcr. But now, lo and behold; here they are in all it's glory! Well, actually, perhaps not all is that glorified after 20 years, but both the first and second season of "The Twilight Zone" are really extremely well done; with a lot of good actors and well-written stories - they even threw in some gems disguised as audio-commentaries by some of the old production-staff; a real delight it is! Only the third season of this fabulous science fiction/mystery show is a little lame; this because the big shots at CBS fired everybody worth their salt after the second season, and moved the whole production to Canada - and this shows a lot in the quality of the scripts in the latter season. But i would say this is a must buy for any fan of both the old black & white shows of TZ and the new ones!
Please note that Season 1 comes in its own box set,(also available from Amazon.com) and that this is actually a review of season 2 & 3 box-set.
But why don't buy both sets ? i know i did! Enjoy!
In defense of the third season, I must write a review!
The 1980s Twilight Zone never seems to get any respect. It was a truly avant-garde experience. The writing was often times razor sharp and its use of computer effects was pretty revolutionary for the time.
It's too bad this show never really found a safe home. CBS pretty much destroyed this hour long show by like the fourth episode of the second season. It became a half hour show and I get the feeling the creative team of the second season never fully recovered. The writing and editing seems off. Like they had to make a planned 40 minute segment into a 25 minute segment or stretch a 10 minute segment into a 25 minute segment.
The show was canceled and then brought back from the dead for a syndicated third season. I was expecting the last season to live up to its bad reputation, but I was pleasantly surprised to find it to be almost (Yes, almost!) on par with the first season of this excellent series. I get the feeling they had a lot of time to polish up the scripts a bit. Believe it or not you will find some classic episodes here. My favorite story being "Something in the Walls" which is without a doubt the scariest of any of the Twilight Zones episodes ... classic or modern era! It is one of the most terrifying things ever put to film. Surprised they haven't made a movie about that one. Down below I review every segment.
My rating system is
Excellent ... Classic segment
Acceptable ... Worth seeing if despite a few flaws segment
Poor ... Bad segment
"The Once And Future King" Acceptable
"A Saucer Of Loneliness" Acceptable
"What Are Friends For?" Acceptable (It spooked me out when I was a kid)
"The Storyteller" Excellent
"Nightsong" Acceptable
"Aqua Vita" Excellent (Too bad the second season didn't have more stories like this)
"The After Hours" Acceptable (In some ways both better and inferior to the orginal)
"Lost and Found" Poor
"The World Next Door" Poor
"The Toys Of Caliban" Acceptable (Kind of like a cheap "It's a Good Life)
"The Convict's Piano" Acceptable
"The Road Less Travelled" Excellent (One of the most critically acclaimed segments)
"The Card" Poor (The logic in this is really, really bad)
"The Junction" Poor
"Joy Ride" Poor
"Shelter Skelter" Acceptable
"Private Channel" Poor
"Time And Teresa Golowitz" Acceptable (This one is a tad bit over-rated if you ask me)
"Voices In The Earth" Excellent
"Song Of The Younger World" Acceptable
"The Girl I Married" Acceptable
"The Curious Case Of Edgar Witherspoon" Excellent
"Extra Innings" Poor
"The Crossing" Acceptable
"The Hunters" Acceptable (Interesting premise)
"Dream Me A Life" Acceptable
"Memories" Excellent
"The Hellgrammite Method" Excellent
"Our Selena Is Dying" Acceptable
"The Call" Excellent (Breathes new life into a familiar type of TZ adventure)
"The Trance" Excellent
"Acts Of Terror" Acceptable
"20/20 Vision" Poor (Why do TZ episodes like this keep on getting written?)
"There Was An Old Woman" Acceptable
"The Trunk" Acceptable
"Appointment On Route 17" Acceptable
"The Cold Equations" Excellent
"Stranger In Possum Meadow" Poor
"Street Of Shadows" Acceptable
"Something In The Walls" Excellent (Awesome! The best episode of this box set)
"A Game Of Pool" Excellent (Every bit as good as the orginal)
"The Wall" Acceptable
"Room 2426" Acceptable
"The Mind Of Simon Foster" Excellent
"Cat And Mouse" Excellent
"Rendezvous In A Dark Place" Excellent
"Many, Many Monkeys" Excellent
"Love Is Blind" Excellent
"Father And Son Game" Excellent (Very thought provoking)
"Special Service" Acceptable (must have been the inspiration for the Truman show)
"Crazy As A Soup Sandwich" Acceptable
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