Amazing Stories (TV Series) The Mission (1985) User Reviews

They need a miracle...

[sonnyschlaegel · 8/10 · 19 January 2007]

Jonathan is one of the gunners of a USAF bomber in WW II. (He is also a good cartoonist.) He shoots down an enemy fighter (probably a Me-109) that attacks the bomber, but some parts of the exploding fighter hit the bomber. The landing gear is damaged so much that they can't lower it any longer, and the opening mechanism of the gun turret that Jonathan is in is damaged so much that it can't be opened any longer. Jonathan is going to die because they will have to land without the landing gear and his turret is at the bottom side of the bomber. They have also lost one of the engines and some petrol so they don't have much time to stay in the air to find the right idea to save Jonathan. He tries to stay calm and he keeps drawing cartoons while trying to find the right idea... Only a miracle could save him...

I liked this episode. Although I think some passages are dragging a bit and although at some points I thought 'Why don't they try this or that way to save him?', the episode is well done in my opinion. I especially liked Jonathan's cartoons and the ending. I think it's really amazing.

Spielberg at his finest

[jezfernandez · 8/10 · 21 June 2019]

I saw this for the first (and last) time back in the late 1980s, when you could rent Amazing Stories in sets of 3 episodes. I was probably about 14 years-old at the time and absolutely loved this episode. 30 years, I was surprised at how well it's aged. My 13 and 10 year-old daughters really enjoyed it too.

The cast is fantastic, the tension palpable and Spielberg deftly moves his camera through the tight confines of the plane.

Is the pay-off a little schmaltzy? Well I guess that depends on how how you feel about Spielberg. Personally, I love the charm and innocence of this episode, as well as the boyish hope that Spielberg uniquely delivers.

The only change I'd make is the title. 'The Mission' is a little bland - 'Lucky 24' would have been much more fitting.

Watch this, you will not be disappointed.

[coalmaiden · 9/10 · 21 April 2020]

I watched this show as a kid, and it stuck. This show was different than twilight zone, macgyver, knight rider, and ALF. this episode made me fear mortality. Amazing cast, amazing performances, Amazing Stories.

The Mission means mission accomplished

[picketf · 10/10 · 20 February 2009]

This is a great classic. I would consider this one of Steven Spielberg's best short ever. The pace is typically slow for a 80's production compared to nowadays. If you watch this for the first time you should keep this in mind. If you are familiar to the movie Poltergeist you can expect much the same screen writing pace. What stands out is the excellent performance of all actors (including some nice morse coding skills from Sutherland). A very young Casey Siemaszko lays down an astonishing performance too. His expressiveness brilliantly captures the despair and emotion of the strong scenario and everything after the line "I'm not gonna die father..." simply's outstanding and also mixes very well with the score.

I think this episode is by far one of the best of the whole "Amazing Stories" series and captures the American spirit beautifully; from the different attempts to rescue a comrade, to acrobatic landing maneuvering of an airplane, to the miracle itself. The contained message's that everything is made possible if you believe in it. It goes to portray the ever important aspect of American culture that individualism mixed with strong beliefs are the very embodiment of the American dream. The heavy usage of symbolism is leaving its distinct marks allover - from Airforce to IIWW freedom, from superstition in numbers to the supernatural ending with the burned drawing at the closing scene - a real masterpiece.

The most beautiful Spielberg work I've ever seen...

[DreTam2000 · 10/10 · 16 February 2007]

Do you believe in miracles?

This is my first time ever writing a review for anything here on IMDb. Though I adore the site, I've just never been much of a reviewer. However, I still couldn't resist when I realized that there was a separate page for the pilot episode of Steven Spielberg's 80s series, Amazing Stories. Since this series (and particularly this episode) is so unknown and overlooked, I just had to stop and pay my respects to one of the most magical movie experiences ever.

Written and directed by Spielberg himself, "The Mission" is an hour-long debut episode of the series. It's the tragic story of a team of World War II soldiers in a fighter plane and the turret gunner who, after a nasty collision with an enemy fighter jet, gets trapped underneath the belly of the plane. The landing gear is damaged and since the plane is also low on fuel and engine power, a horrific fate awaits the belly-gunner just as soon as the plane lands. Kevin Costner stars as the captain of the crew, while Kiefer Sutherland also plays one of soldiers. Rather than give you a more thorough synopsis of the episode (I don't want to give any hints or spoil anything), I'll just be informing you that its themes deal with belief, determination, never giving up, and the power of imagination. There are a few others, but I don't want to give anything away. To this day, this pilot episode of "Amazing Stories" remains the most magical, emotional experience I've ever endured in my short 22 years of movie viewing (and I've seen PLENTY).

Stevie has made it apparent throughout his legendary career that he believes in miracles. Films like E.T., The Color Purple, and plenty of other Spielberg classics have always been among my favorites. But "The Mission" is without-a-doubt the epitome of Spielberg's style and artistry. That's why it's my favorite, and the most enthralling of all his works. Watch this one with an open mind and you'll enjoy it too. But first, you have to believe!!

Spielberg must have watched 'Twelve O'Clock High' !!

[brobuckley · 10/10 · 5 April 2019]

Steven Spielberg and I are about the same age so it seems likely he watched 'Twelve O'Clock High' as a kid like I did. TOCH was a short-lived TV show based on the book and the movie that starred Gregory Peck as General Frank Savage. In the TV series Season 1, Episode 6 there is a very similar story of the Ball Turret gunner being trapped in his turret after FLAK damage with the real possibility of being crushed upon landing due to landing gear damage as well. Savage saves the day, down to two engines with no possibility of a second attempt, he hand cranks the gear down (but maybe not locked!) before going back to the cockpit for the landing. All's well that ends well as the gear hold, the plane taxi's in and the young Sgt stuck in the ball marries his pregnant English girlfriend. The writer of this 'Amazing Story' had a good outline for the script and teleplay of 'The Mission' from a one hour television showing from October 30, 1964 titled 'Pressure Point'.

The Mission

[Prismark10 · 8/10 · 27 March 2020]

Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories series was launched with high hopes and truth be told, it crash landed quickly.

The stories were far from amazing and this is the best of the series.

The Mission was the launch episode on British television. By the time we saw this some of the actors such as Kevin Costner, Casey Siemaszko and Kiefer Sutherland had become known faces.

Directed by Spielberg himself, it was double the usual length.

The story is of an American bomber crew on their 24th mission. This time their belly gunner who is also a talented cartoonist is trapped in his seat. The plane is running low on fuel, its landing gear is not working and it could get very messy for him.

Shot at Universal Studios. This drama distills all the filmmaking tricks Spielberg has used in his movies. 1941, Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, ET, Always. You will find it all here.

I guess some people will take issue with the ending. However, the series is called Amazing Stories and it wanted to have a Twilight Zone vibe done the Spielberg way.

It's an Amazing Story

[Hitchcoc · 6/10 · 21 May 2014]

This is mostly a real cliffhanger. There is a certain mystique when a story takes place on board a plane, particularly when some sort of malfunction occurs. This episode is really about a man of great talent who has the power to turn his drawings into reality: draw it and it will come true. The real suspense is like that of any story taking place high above the ground. The tail gunner is stuck in the bowels of the plane and the landing gear is inoperative. If the plane does a belly landing, he will be crushed. Every avenue is explored but to no avail. Though it never quite makes it and the conclusion is a bit too much, we try to guess all along the way. Good cast. Just kind of a silly premise.

"Oh, gawd...come on..."

[Blueghost · 14 October 2017]

Sayeth my friend's mother when I sat down with his family to watch this episode. I smirked a little, thought the ending was okay in a Spielbergian kind of way, but I have to admit it did seem somewhat disconnected from the larger story.

I think one of the issues is that there was a dramatic buildup to the ending, but there was no buildup to the "solution". No investment of a man and his dreams, or how Disney and other Hollywood types made fantasies come true. Because otherwise you get this kind of oddball finale that though in the spirit of the TV series, seems to be at odds with the overall story. I think a better script would have thrown a few hints here and there, and thus we could have had the payoff at the end without the kind of goofyness (no pun intended) that, again, though in the spirit of the series and Spielberg, is a bit of an odd duck.

But, as the contemporary expression goes, it is what it is, and you either accept it or not. I remember the buildup to this series, and it was a pleasant ride. Reading some of the other reviews I think people were expecting a bit much. After Jaws, Raiders, and Close Encounters, and I think Temple of Doom, people had pretty lofty expectations. But you know what people? Film makers can only do so much. When you're on the set "constructing" a film one scene at a time, and you're actually shooting the entire thing out of sequence, it's not like painting or sculpting. You don't have the luxury of standing back like other artists to see what you're making. Oh sure, you get to see the rushes, but even then you're only seeing bits and pieces.

And I think that's about as cruel and fair a criticism as I can offer about this episode of Spielberg's truly amazing series (pun intended).

Having said that, I think I can rightfully say that this isn't my favorite episode, but it still has that trademark Spielberg charm to it.

Rad and cool

[Joseph-gabo · 6/10 · 13 November 2018]

I remembered a good job and a great day for me. It was this day. I am pleased to announce that this day a man who made ET made this show. It was cool. Fake. Cartoonish. But cool. Like ice cream cool. Meaning cold. Like ice. Like how ice and ice cream is cold. That type of metaphor anology cold type weather. You know like awesome without being cool. But rad without being so chill.

"Some guys got all the luck!"

[classicsoncall · 6/10 · 15 October 2021]

Aside from the goofy and contrived ending, the thing that bothered me was how the script writers couldn't keep things straight regarding the mission. Turret gunner Jonathan (Casey Siemaszko) made a big deal about being the Captain's (Kevin Costner) good luck charm on twenty two prior bombing flights, so this would obviously be the twenty third. However several references to the flight later state that it's the twenty fourth; in fact, one of Jonathan's sketches is rendered as the 24th!

Well, aside from that, the story gets pretty harrowing as the bomber runs low on fuel, and the turret gunner is stuck in the belly of the plane with no hope of being extricated. Making matters worse, the plane's landing gear is inoperable and can't be lowered for a safe landing. The crew members agonize over his predicament, with flier Static (Kiefer Sutherland) preparing to shoot Jonathan to spare him the ordeal of being crushed and dragged to his death, perhaps in a fiery crash. Personally, I thought a landing on a large body of water might have worked, but that wasn't a consideration because of where they were.

I guess this is where the 'amazing' of 'Amazing Stories' comes into play, because the resolution comes as a result of Jonathan's hobby and future career prospect as an illustrator. He draws a set of landing gear which is mimicked by the plane as it makes it's approach to the runway. The plane safely lands to the astonishment of all, and once Jonathan is safely removed from the plexi bubble he was trapped in, the plane crashes to the ground. I can see why the outcome of this story was such a let down to a host of reviewers here, as it took an extraordinarily tense situation, and solved it with make believe. The dichotomy was just a little too much to accept.

Stunningly directed piece of tease

[raymond-andre · 1/10 · 26 July 2009]

I did not know if I should vote one star or nine out of ten. A stunning directorial tour-de-force on Spielberg's part. Spielberg made this seemingly on a dare, the way Hitchcock made Lifeboat. The whole episode is set inside a WWII bomber mission except for a few cut aways to the home field where a pregnant wife awaits anxiously for her husband's safe return.

Spielberg pulls out every piece of schmaltzy manipulation to bring the audience where he wants them and then drops a bomb of a twist ending in the final two minutes. In the two decades following the original broadcast, my friends and I were to use a two word catch phrase to describe a particularly debased kind of self-indulgent film making. I will not repeat it here in order to avoid spoilers but when you see the episode you will know what words we used.

At every commercial break my buddies and I were twisting our imaginations into knots trying to figure out how the cliff hanger was going to end. We were on the edge of our seats until the final scenes. It was the worst betrayal I ever experienced with a film maker (until Lucas' second Star Wars trilogy, that is.) This should be studied in film schools as one of Spielberg's seminal works, not because it is great, mind you, but simply because of its position in his filmography and because of the text-book way he uses his cinematic devices to heighten the tension.

A must see curiosity piece and one of the few episodes of this dreadful series that is beyond memorable.

Considering The Length & Cast, It's Very Disappointing

[ccthemovieman-1 · 3/10 · 30 August 2007]

For a one-hour special episode that featured some big stars, this was very disappointing. In two words: too slow. Very little happens in this double-length show. It's mostly guys yelling and suspense what will happen to the gunner in this World War II American fighter plane. He is stuck inside and the landing gears are blown to bits. The only thing they can do is land the heavy plane but our boy will gets smashed in his little Plexiglas bubble at the base of the plane. How can the boys save this kid?

The suspense is drawn out for the entire hour and it's too long. This would have made a fine regular half-hour show. Much of this material wasn't needed.

It had the usual different kind of ending, which is the nature of this TV show. It looks like a straight drama-adventure until the finish. The only thing of interest, I found, was seeing a very young Keifer Sutherland, who almost looks like a high school kid. Kevin Costner was still fairly young but looks like the guy we know from "Field Of Dreams" which was made perhaps four years after this TV show. Sutherland, however, looks a lot younger than we know from his movies and "24" TV career.

Half of these "Amazing Stories" I would watch a second time, but not this one.

A good wartime thriller spoilt by a stupid ending

[Leofwine_draca · 3/10 · 22 September 2016]

THE MISSION is one of the better known episodes of the AMAZING STORIES TV show, which is down to the fact that it was directed by no less than Steven Spielberg. I saw it as part of the anthology film AMAZING STORIES: THE MOVIE, where it was paired with the one featuring Christopher Lloyd as a wacky teacher. THE MISSION is a WW2 adventure set entirely within a bomber plane as an American crew find themselves caught up in a life or death situation with seemingly no solution.

I have to say that this episode looks quite good on a low budget. There are a lot of effects, a lot of smoke and explosives, and a decent cast to boot. Both Kevin Costner and Kiefer Sutherland are present here before they hit the big time in their careers. I liked the plot, which is simple and allows the viewer plenty of thinking time to try and work out a solution - a bit like a detective story. What a pity, then, that Spielberg absolutely ruins things by including one of his mawkish, sentimental endings which turns the whole thing on its head and comes off as completely laughable. It was so ridiculous that I was frankly repulsed by the whole thing.

I'm with ccthemovieman on this one....

[planktonrules · 3/10 · 22 June 2015]

Unlike the usual half hour episode, this one ran in a one hour time slot. Considering how unusual it is, you'd expect it to be great. Well, it ain't!! Ccthemovieman's review was right on target when it said "Considering the length and cast, it's disappointing". So, with Kevin Costner and Keiffer Sutherland and a nice WWII B-17 bomber set, the show STILL isn't very good. However, this can be said about MANY of the "Amazing Stories" shows.

A bomber crew is on their final mission. However, the belly gunner is in trouble after he shoots down an attacking Me-101 German fighter--the debris becomes lodged in the plan and traps the guy. He cannot bail out and the wheels are damaged--and a belly landing will certainly kill him. Their way out of this predicament is just dumb--so dumb that it completely ruin a good looking and well acted episode. Sad, really.