The Stand - Not bad, but probably could have been better

`The Stand' is a four-part TV serial which Stephen King adapted from his own book. Yes, it came from a book, which means everyone who read the book first basically doesn't like the TV version. Personally, I haven't read it, so I can't comment on that, but, when you consider how bad some of the other adaptations of King's work are when they're transferred from page to screen, this is definitely one of the better ones (not that it'll be for everyone).

First of all, the four parts basically total almost six hours in length, so you'll have to be prepared to invest a fair amount of your time into watching this. The story is about a highly contagious (not to mention FATAL) disease called 'Captain Tripps,' which is released from an American laboratory and basically wipes out the entire population in a matter of weeks. Only a few hundred people remain in the country - some are haunted by dreams of an old lady calling herself `Mother Abigail' while she directs them to her farm, others see visions of a mysterious `dark man' calling himself `Randall Flagg' and demanding their loyalty. So, and you probably guessed this, the `nice' people head on over to Mother Abigail and the `bad' ones side with Flagg. And it's not too long before the very real prospect of war starts to rear its head between the two factions.

It's all a very good premise. The post-apocalyptic world is nicely done (considering the made-for-TV budget) and a lot of time and effort has gone into portraying a world with little to no humans or animals left in it.  Plus most of the actors pull off their roles - of which there are many. Having six hours to play with and two `sides' to portray, you meet many different people. Naturally, not all of them will be `fully fleshed out' and three-dimensional. Some don't really have the character arcs that they deserve (especially some of the bad-guys). Gary Sinise does well as the `hero' and both Mother Abigail and Randall Flagg are believable as their respective roles as `good' and `evil.' In fact... the two 'figureheads' of either side are probably the best and most entertaining characters in the whole movie.

However, as with many of King's adaptations, it's also far from perfect. For a start, the (few) special effects which are there are pretty awful - it was in the early nineties and this was made for TV, so you can hardly expect 'Avatar-like' production values. But that's a minor gripe. The major one is that King makes some pretty weird choices in places to move the plot on. Sometimes you're left wondering why something pretty major has happened and yet we - the audience - is offered little in the way of answers. Plus, this film should come with a warning to atheists: this tale is very `God-heavy.' If ever someone does (or doesn't) do something, it's `God's will.' God is mentioned all the time and some may get a bit sick of the overtly Christian messages constantly being forced upon them.

But, if you can overlook the film's shortcomings and are a fan of slow-moving, multi-cast supernatural apocalypse stories, then you may like this. Although... I haven't mentioned the ending yet. I won't spoil it for you if you haven't seen the film, only to say that I have yet to find anyone online who actually LIKES the final `pay-off' of the film (including those who love this film more than me). It is a bit stupid.

King described The Stand as `Lord of the Rings in America' and, if you look closely, you may see some similarities. Only don't go expecting Peter Jackson style special effects and acting quality. If you're prepared to invest six hours into a so-so tale where you may have to suspend your disbelief and not mind being converted to Christianity, then this one isn't so bad.  Plus it does contain one of the best baddies ever written for TV in Randal Flagg (sorry Matthew McCourtney, but you're take on 'the dark man' will never be up to Jamey Sheridan's!).

8/10 The Force is definitely strong with this one