Starring - Whoopi Goldberg (Theodore Rex, Bordello of Blood), Alexander Skarsgard (True Blood, Straw Dogs), and James Marsden (Disturbing Behavior, Sex Drive)
Release Date -2020
Genre - Horror/Sci-Fi
Tagline - "Choose your side. Take your stand"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)
Rating (out of 5):
When I was younger I watch a lot of television shows and movies with my grandmother while my dad was out of town. During one of those nights I watched The Stand mini-series with her. I remember watching it with her but I didn't remember a damn thing about the show aside from it featuring Molly Ringwald. A few years back the series was released on blu and I was lucky enough to get a copy in to review. It was great to revisit it and I found myself completely obsessed with the story. Fast forward a year or so and I catch wind that the Stephen King story was getting another adaptation. I was ready to check it out when it premiered on Paramount + but my time didn't allow it. Soon after I forgot all about it until I started receiving press releases for the physical release of the series. A few days later a blu showed up for review and I couldn't wait to dig into it. This was my most anticipated release of the year.
The show takes place after the accidental release of a plague where most of the world's population is wiped out. The survivors, who are immune to the disease, start receiving lucid dreams from the saintly Mother Abagail (Goldberg) or the devilish Randall Flagg (Skarsgard) instructing them to on where they should go. Mother Abagail's followers assemble in a small community in Colorado while Flagg's people arrive in New Vegas to party and live out their fantasies.
After revisiting the first adaptation of The Stand I can safely say that it was one of my favorite adaptations of King. I was excited but nervous about the new adaptation but I really liked it. Hell, there was aspects of this one that I actually enjoyed more than the original. With that being said, some aspects, along with the casting, was not as fun but not enough to take away from the overall show. The acting in this one is absolutely fantastic. We have James Marsden tackling the imported role of Stu Redman. He does a phenomenal job in the role and really made it his own. He doesn't outdo Gary Sinise but makes the role his own and unique. I also enjoyed Owen Teague as Harold. He was extremely creepy when the show called for it and did a fantastic job at creating an emotional bond with the viewer. Though it is hatred he still played the part and did an unforgettable job. Skarsgard as Randall Flagg was great as well but he just didn't look the part like Jamey Sheridan did in the original run. His performance was still great but that look meant a lot in the original mini-series. The casting that I didn't care for was Ezra Miller as Trashcan Man and Amber Heard as Nadine Cross. Both of these performances were underwhelming and their personalities were no where near as fun as the original show. Matt Frewer as the original Trashcan Man was so much fun and his scenes had a sense of humor that Miller's rendition could not touch. The story for this one pretty much follows the same story as the original. I had never read the story it was based on but I feel as if both adaptations follow the story fairly closely considering they both are overwhelmingly similar. I love everything about this story to be completely honest. I'm not a religious person but I love a story with good versus evil and when you mix that with a global pandemic, supernatural forces, and survival drama then you are in for some compelling television. It does suck knowing exactly what is going to happen next but the road there is still enjoyable. I think I would have loved it a little more if I didn't know exactly what was going on but knowing was still as fun. Finally, the film uses a great mix of practical and visual effects. The film has some pretty gnarly deaths scenes with some amazing practical effects that truly surprised me. I guess going to a streaming platform instead of cable allows a production like this one to up the gore factor. The film also implements some great visual effects as well. They do stand out from the practical but they don't look as bad as others that I've seen. Overall, The Stand is a must see for genre fans, as well as, any fan of Stephen King's work. I fucking love it and can't wait until I can find another reason to revisit it. I highly recommend it.
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