TV mini-series adapted from Stephen King's epic apocalyptic novel about a plague that wipes out most of the world's population. A group of walking clichés survive, some joining the forces of good (led by Ruby Dee) and some joining the forces of evil (led by Jamey Sheridan, sporting a hilarious mullet). "The Stand" was never my favorite King novel, although I did enjoy it when I read it probably twenty years ago or so. This mini-series was almost doomed to failure from the start for trying to accomplish a story with such grand scope on a TV budget. It's directed by Mick Garris, who has directed many Stephen King adaptations (most of which are garbage). I'm not a fan of Garris but I will say this is definitely him putting forth his A effort. He's limited by his budget and lack of talent so he does remarkably well considering. Most of the Love Boat-style cast are adequate, with some standing out for good performances (Gary Sinise, Rob Lowe, Miguel Ferrer) and others standing out for how hammy they are (Ruby Dee, Jamey Sheridan, Matt Frewer). Others are just plain awful (Laura San Giacomo, Parker Lewis). On the whole, it's very watchable for its length but never reaches its potential, TV excuse notwithstanding. At times it is extremely campy and even corny. There's some entertainment in that, of course, but it hurts the film more than it helps because the story really needs you to take it seriously for it to work.
