Twilight Zone: la quatrième dimension

When philosophizing about it somewhat deeper, this "Johnny-come-lately" 90s entry in the "Twilight Zone" franchise actually fits neatly into the legendary TV-series' overall mystical universe...

Bear with me; - practically 20 years after the death of mastermind creator Rod Serling in 1975, and following two reasonably successful attempts during the 80s to revive the format with a long-feature movie and a series, there suddenly came a "lost classics" film with two previously unedited tales written and invented by Serling himself. As if the imaginative genius sent a parcel from the sixties into the future, to be delivered from beyond the tomb and via ... the Twilight Zone.

Okay, all geeky fan-boy gibberish aside, the "Lost Classics" TV-movie is good entertainment for admirers of the original show, as well as for fans of mysterious Sci-Fi/fantasy in general. Two versatile tales are presented, both beneficing from solid acting performances and an uncanny atmosphere. The first one admittedly feels like rather formulaic, with Amy Irving receiving ominous premonitions of her own unfortunate future via a cinema screen. The segment won't hold many surprises in store in case you are familiar with the original TZ stories from the sixties, but it's fun to watch nevertheless. The second tale is pure gold; - a period piece with mad doctors conducting grisly experiments on remote islands, nasty immortal fishermen, a ghoulish ambiance, slowly mounting tension, a terrific twist ending, and ... the almighty Jack Palance. "Where the Dead Are" echoes the legendary tales of "Frankenstein" and "The Island of Dr. Moreau", but it's intelligent and sinister enough to stand on its own as a terrific and memorable creep story.

OK, it has James Earl Jones hosting it so it gets 10 stars and a note that I'm still disappointed that he was replaced as the goto narrator. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love Morgan Freeman too, but I do miss the days where you were guaranteed Jones or Nimoy as hosts and narrators.

So Jones brings it to the 10 star mark, even though it was only two episodes and the first episode was so forgettable that, honestly, I literally forgot about it... which is a pretty poor showing for a VHS that consists of only two episodes.

But the second is good, it has the irony, it has an H.G. Wells/Mary Shelly feel to it set in the Civil War and a path to hell that is all good intentions. It is good old fashioned Twilight Zone irony right there.

But it still doesn't have that classic Twilight Zone feel to it, so you don't really get what you expected. It's a little too modern for the early 60s, but the story is there... at least in the second, which was a strong finish for a two episode video tape that was only half good.

Both of the once lost stories have been found - this film will give us an idea of what it would have been like from Rod Sterling.

The first one is a 30 minute short. It's not bad but I wish they would have given us a glimpse into the future of the doctor as they did his girlfriend before it ended - we were left with the events that just pass but nothing about his future.

The second is about an hour long and is a little different take of the story of The Island of Dr. Moreau. I liked this one quite a bit. The atmosphere alone is watching for me.

Overall I liked this - I don't think I would watch it again but it was worth watching.

7/10

This show, hosted by the Serling scripted "the Man" star James Earl Jones, consists of two lost episodes of the Twilight Zone--scripts that were either started by Rod Serling (and finished by Richard Matheson, a TZ collaborator of his from the original series) or written by the master himself.

The first episode is pretty much forgettable.

It is the second story, concerning a Civil War surgeon who seeks a way of prolonging the lives of his patients, that should provide some amusement for Serling fans. It was indeed eerie(or should I say "twilight zone" like?) to recognize the famous writer's voice in the dialogue(especially Palance's). The tale is a decent variation on Frankenstein and like the best of Serling's work, has some biting commentary on human nature. Though I wouldn't go so far as to say this is a "classic," and the ending was predictable, it has more depth than alot of similar efforts in genre tv airing today.

I just wish they would have filmed it in harsh black and white--now that would have been a blast from the past!