a review of

10 passengers wake up to find that everyone else onboard their flight has mysteriously vanished, including the pilots. It's a setup that's going to be familiar to anyone who has seen Left Behind, but The Langoliers predates that film and the book it's based on. It's an eerie concept that's strengthened by Stephen King's fascinating take on time-travel. It kind of plays out like an extended episode of The Twilight Zone. The way the characters find themselves in an empty world is reminiscent of several of the show's more memorable episodes. The ominous sound that's growing ever closer and the girl with mysterious powers (she has the shine) though are most certainly the work of King. The mystery keeps one engaged for the majority of three hour running-time, but things begin to run out of steam in the final act. It turns out that the biggest flaw in the movie isn't the fact that half the people onscreen can't act. It's that the things threatening their lives the most do more to incite laughter than fear. The Langoliers is plagued by some of the worst CGI I have seen. So when the unknown threat finally catches up with our protagonists, all it can do is disappoint. After we witness some of the ugliest scenes of destruction and the silliest looking monsters of all time, the viewer is ready for the landing gear to come out. This plane takes it's time touching down though. It's final moments are quite padded in uninteresting conversations. While it has no trouble getting off the ground, this Stephen King adaptation struggles with the landing. There's some turbulence here and there that will ruin the flight for those who have never flown with King before. As for the more experienced flyers out there who are used to having the author in the cockpit, I recommend you strap in, grab some peanuts from the stewardess, and prepare for takeoff. You'll reach your destination safely.