The Doomsday Flight

A thriller that brings no thrills, just boredom and mediocre acting, not even the pretty stewardesses made this better

This one started out strong, but the longer it went, the lamer it got. O'Brien was clearly the best thing about it, nicely (and uncharacteristically) low-key--aping Burgess Meredith (at least until he got drunk). But unfortunately Serling's ham-handed approach to things soon began to take its toll. And there were all the coincidences: the delivery truck fire and O'Brien's (timely) exit. And would such a guy really have overlooked the Denver solution? Still, at least the lucite clock was cool.

Serling's weakest script, and none of the actors - much as I like them - have the theatricality needed to spin Serling's dialogue the way it needs to be spun. Ed Asner's good, but he's clearly channeling Burgess Meredith in "Time Enough at Last." The ultimate solution is pretty clever, though.