Usually, when we hear about a TV miniseries, we probably think "Oh God! Another product placement adaptation of a classic novel! Why does Hollywood do this to us?! I'll watch that as soon as there's a snowstorm in Rio de Janeiro!" And since Stephen King's novels are so great, any adaptation of them is suspect, but surely a TV adaptation would have to be the sort of thing that would make "Ishtar" look like a cross between "Gone with the Wind" and "Citizen Kane".
Well, "The Stand" is nothing like that. I don't think that in all possibility they could have done a better job with this movie. It slowly but surely builds up the plot, then lets everything happen, and by the end, you're completely blown away.
In case you're unfamiliar with the story, it goes like this. Everything in the world is going normally, when one day, a plague starts killing everyone off. People are dying by the thousands, and the government only sees fit to declare martial law. And in the midst of it, a few people are totally immune to the disease. As the movie progresses, these people start converging on a place out in the desert. But all the while, there is an evil man plotting things. And knowing that these people have converged on a place, he may just have his own plans for them.
The truth is, I can't do "The Stand" justice by describing it. It's the sort of movie that you can't possibly understand unless you actually see it. And believe you me, you will get blown away like never before. But I can say that the martial law scenes give one a feeling of what may be coming given the current state of the world.
And the cast. Any time that a movie has a giant cast, it's once again suspect; sometimes, movies have giant casts for no other purpose except to show off a bunch of stars. This one not only has the perfect cast, but it's clearly not for show. Gary Sinise is the nominal star, but there are several others. Molly Ringwald, Jamey Sheridan, Laura San Giacomo, Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis, Miguel Ferrer, Matt Frewer, Ray Walston and Rob Lowe, to name a few. Appearing in smaller roles are Ed Harris, Kathy Bates, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and even Mike Lookinland (Bobby on "The Brady Bunch").
Look, every minute that you sit there and read my review is another minute when you're not watching the movie. SO GET OUT THERE AND RENT IT!!!!! It might just save your life one day.
Well, "The Stand" is nothing like that. I don't think that in all possibility they could have done a better job with this movie. It slowly but surely builds up the plot, then lets everything happen, and by the end, you're completely blown away.
In case you're unfamiliar with the story, it goes like this. Everything in the world is going normally, when one day, a plague starts killing everyone off. People are dying by the thousands, and the government only sees fit to declare martial law. And in the midst of it, a few people are totally immune to the disease. As the movie progresses, these people start converging on a place out in the desert. But all the while, there is an evil man plotting things. And knowing that these people have converged on a place, he may just have his own plans for them.
The truth is, I can't do "The Stand" justice by describing it. It's the sort of movie that you can't possibly understand unless you actually see it. And believe you me, you will get blown away like never before. But I can say that the martial law scenes give one a feeling of what may be coming given the current state of the world.
And the cast. Any time that a movie has a giant cast, it's once again suspect; sometimes, movies have giant casts for no other purpose except to show off a bunch of stars. This one not only has the perfect cast, but it's clearly not for show. Gary Sinise is the nominal star, but there are several others. Molly Ringwald, Jamey Sheridan, Laura San Giacomo, Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis, Miguel Ferrer, Matt Frewer, Ray Walston and Rob Lowe, to name a few. Appearing in smaller roles are Ed Harris, Kathy Bates, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and even Mike Lookinland (Bobby on "The Brady Bunch").
Look, every minute that you sit there and read my review is another minute when you're not watching the movie. SO GET OUT THERE AND RENT IT!!!!! It might just save your life one day.