The Langoliers - So flawed (and yet so good)

Sometimes a film has so much going for it... and yet it bombs dramatically. 'The Langoliers' is that rare sort of opposite where nothing really works on paper - and yet the end result is something that is highly original, very tense and definitely worth watching again.

'The Langoliers' is one of Stephen King's (many) book-to-film adaptations and, as any horror fan knows, these can be a 'hit or miss' affair (well, most are 'misses' to be fair).  Now, 'The Langoliers' was never released in the cinema; instead it was a two part TV mini-series (spanning nearly three hours across the two episodes).  It tells the story of a flight where most of the passengers mysteriously disappear, leaving only ten left (luckily one of the passengers happens to be an off-duty pilot, so don't worry about the plane simply dropping out of the sky).  Now, it's up to the ten survivors to figure out what's happened and how they can get out of what follows.

Like I say, it's a 'made-for-TV' movie... and it shows.  If you turned in during the middle your first thought would be how cheap it looks.  Secondly, there's hardly any actors you'll recognise.  Dean Stockwell from 'Quantum Leap' is about the only face you may be able to recall, but that's about it.  Then there's the script... it's not that great.  I don't know whether it's the Z-list cast, or the director who's at fault, but a lot of the delivery is pretty lame.  But what 'The Langoliers' is really famous for is its special effects.  Only they're not that special.  They've actually become famous for being pretty awful.  Let's just say that this film is no 'Jurassic Park' when it comes to computer-generated effects.

So the film has many low points.  And yet I now own it on DVD and have watched it many times, the first being when I accidentally came across it on the TV, only to find myself totally hooked (and I had to wait until the next day to see the concluding part!).

If you like your horror not too grisly and a little on the - deliberately - slow side (and that's 'slow' in a GOOD way!), plus you can forgive its overall cheap feel and TV budget then you should definitely give it a watch.  Its sheer premise carries it and you'll be hooked to find out what's happened.  And, if there is a 'stand-out' performance then it comes from Bronson Pinchot as the delightfully over-the-top nut-case 'Craig Toomy' - I know the movie is nearly three hours long, but he makes it all just fly by!

8/10 The Force is definitely strong with this one