Stephen King's The Stand (DVD)

Wow! I personally think this is one of the best Stephen King films I have seen. keeps you griped the whole way through. Its amazing how the story can go from starting from a virus which kills, to the battle between good & evil. All star cast! So good, may buy again for my mum!

I saw a pale horse and upon it a pale rider.
The name of the horse was Pestilence.
The name of the rider was Death ... Revelation 6:8

Stephen King's epic novel was finally brought to the small screen in the mid-nineties. The long-awaited adaptation features an array of carefully crafted characters, survivors of a plague that wipes out most of the world's population. Essentially there are two groups who have survived the man-made virus known as the super flu: one who will follow Mother Abigail Freemantle [a messenger of God], and those who are tempted by Randall Flagg [suggested in the story as being the devil]. Each character experiences vivid dreams that feature either Mother Abigail or Flagg and is told to meet others of their kind in order to prepare for the ultimate fight between good and evil. The super-flu itself represents the end of mankind as told within the pages of the bible, Flagg being likened to one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Death, who rides a pale [sickly] horse and spreads plague and pestilence among those mortals who walk the earth. Those who are immune to the disease signal a chance for a new beginning.

As the streets become choked with bodies and the survivors light funeral pyres for the dead, it becomes evident that only one of the two groups can triumph. It is time for those who can still see good in mankind to take a stand.

The TV mini-series [6 hours in total] tracks the progress of each character in detail, although not in nearly as much depth as King achieves in his book. Like Dickens before him, King's characters are colourful and diverse:

Those who follow the aging Mother Abigail [Ruby Dee] to the Free Zone include a deaf mute [Rob Lowe], a retarded man-child [Bill Fagerbakke] a female student [Molly Ringwald], a quiet homely guy [Gary Sinise], a musician [Adam Storke], a retired judge [Ossie Davis] and a professor of sociology [Ray Walston] ... oh, and Kojak the dog, who outlived his master.

Those who follow the Darkman [Jamey Sheridan] to Las Vegas include a criminal [Miguel Ferrer], a schizophrenic pyromaniac [Matt Frewer], an unstable teenage girl [Shawnee Smith] and two troubled characters who are seduced by Flagg and defect [Laura San Giacomo; Corin Nemec].

The result being: educated, creative and good-natured characters Vs the dregs of humanity.

Mick Garris is the man to bring 'The Stand' from book to screen, having directed other King works such as 'The Shining' TV, 'Quicksilver Highway', 'Riding the Bullet', 'Desperation' and 'Sleepwalkers'.

'The Stand' also features Ed Harris and cameos by Stephen King, Mick Garris [director], Sam Raimi, John Landis [dir. American Werewolf in London] and Tom Holland [dir. Thinner & The Langoliers]. The double-sided DVD boasts many extras including director's commentary and interviews with the cast and crew.

Matthew J Lee-Williams, Review.