Les Langoliers

THE LANGOLIERS

As soon as I read the novella "The Langoliers" by Stephen King, I knew it would make an amazing movie. It was by far the scariest piece of writing I have ever read and I was delighted to see that it had already been made into a TV movie. It took me over a year to find a copy, but it was worth it.

People complain about the crappy computer FX and the bad acting, but if you pay attention to the amazing storyline and the logic and thinking that went into this story, you'll find that it is an enjoyable movie that will keep you glued to the screen.

I have to say I enjoyed this film a lot. I hadn't heard of it before but I found the film interesting. This film provides an interesting take on time travel not depicted in other time travel movies.

To be perfectly honest I did not see this as a scare film. It was not remotely frightening to me, but that did not prove to be a negative part to it. The story is brilliantly told, and the sfx weren't that bad. It was clearly an unreal format of effects, but this added to the unique structure.

Overall I enjoyed the Langoliers, a story of mystery and adventure crammed with plot twists.

There is no doubt that in this version of "The Langoliers", despite being a very serious Stephen King novella, the material is quite cheeseball and (at times) very over-dramatic. Yet, at the same time, the brilliance of King's story still manages to shine through thanks to some great acting and the direction of Tom Holland.

For a basic plot summary (no spoilers), a small group of airplane passengers wake up and find the rest of the plane deserted. As they struggle to land the plane and figure out what is going on, they discover that the answer is beyond anything that has ever been seen or experienced before.

First off, it would take a great sight more than a bit of 90s cheesy-ness to detract from King's wonderful tale. This is a wide-ranging story (from drama to sci-fi to characters to fantasy) that has something for everyone. Most of King's writing shines through in this adaptation.

The acting, however, is what really drives this three-hour film. Great actors such as Patricia Wettig, Dean Stockwell, David Morse, Mark Lindsay Chapman, and Bronson Pinochet (among others) all provide new wrinkles to the overall storyline by portraying such a diverse cast. Is the acting over-the-top? You bet. But due to the diversity of the characters and their development, the craziness actually didn't bother me all that much. Perhaps this is because I "knew what was coming" having already read the story, though.

Overall, having prior knowledge of the story, I enjoyed this take on "The Langoliers". While I would still recommend King's written work to get the full extent of the tale, this one will suffice for those who won't pick up a book.

This one easily could have gone the other way and been very cheesy and annoying but the casting and direction made everything work. I like all of the actors in this one. None of them are annoying and the good guys are likable. Bronson Pinchot is the only bad guy and he's pretty good, as usual. I think the acting is pretty good! The special effects towards the end leave a bit to be desired but the story is so crazy it doesn't matter too much. I had not read the King book before watching this, which made the movie better, IMO. I was really wondering what those strange approaching noises were going to be! Other reviewers have stated it is a good adaptation, so it should be enjoyable if you've read the book too. Pretty decent sci-fi flick!

I don't look to this movie (or the Tommyknockers, which gets the same mixed reviews) for the special effects or the best acting in the world. I look to them because they offer insight into our imaginations, something that we tend to lose the older we get. These movies are made to get your imagination pumping, and make you think about other situations rather than our own current situations.

Immerse yourself in the film's story, not in the acting, or the music, or the plot holes that may or may not exist. In the case of this movie, it almost has to be watched in whole to get the effect.

Just my own opinion.