The Langoliers

THE GIST: A group of passengers wake up during their flight only to discover that every other passenger and crew member, including the pilots, have simply disappeared. Not only that, but radio silence and no movements detected on the ground would imply everyone has disappeared there as well. What do they do now?

The Langoliers is based on one of the four stories that make up Stephen King's book Four Past Midnight. I remember reading the book years ago and still vividly recall this particular tale of a group of people thrown together in the most unlikely set of circumstances.

The screenplay closely follows the book's plot, even though it feels a bit weak and trite.

The cast, which includes David Morse, Bronson Pinchot, Dean Stockwell, Frankie Faison, Patricia Wettig, and Mark Lindsay Chapman, does its best, but occasionally comes across as too theatrical and exaggerated.

THE BOTTOM LINE: This was originally a miniseries, so the runtime is a bit long, but the plot is interesting enough to keep you going along. If you've read the book then it's a nice treat to watch it playing live onscreen.

Grade: 6