Kingdom Hospital

I really looked forward to it when I heard that King was planning to do this show'(my favourite author), I watched the danish mini series when it aired in Danish television in 1994, back then I was thrilled with the show, it was simply brilliant. I wasn't disappointed with this version, it's basically the same story, but with changed characters, I don't think there's a lack of humour but it's just different. There is only one thing I can complain about and that is Bruce Davison/Dr. Stegman is doing a fine job but he gets nowhere near Ernst-Hugo Järegård/Helmer. In "Riget" the funniest thing was the Swedish Dr. Helmer, who hated danes, treating everyone like they had no brain, Dr. Stegman is quite unpleasant but not as enjoyably nasty as Helmer was. R.I.P.

The First thing you have to know is that "Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital" on ABC is a remake of the Danish mini-series "Riget" and "Riget II" by Lars Von Trier. So it's essentially a process of "translating" something for the mainstream. My main problem with this was that they didn't focused on all the important things; it lost all the humor factor and it's special weirdo characters, and that was what made the original show so unique. And now we don't have any of that, we lost all the interesting characters and the black humor, what we get is the gore and the ghost story only. It really gives an idea about how little King and the Americans understood from the original. Yes, Ernst-Hugo Järegård is irreplaceable, but for God's sake, even the rest of these characters are all too normal, they look too nice, healthy, like models. Even when they supposed to be weird, it's somehow cliched, typical commercially "alternative". It's the paradox goal of this show, you can't turn the alternative to mainstream while remain alternative, because they are the antitheses of each other.

Another negative thing is that it's budget was probably like 10 times higher than the original, that's not negative on it's own, but they used that money on things that would have been much better without them, first of all it looks like a Hollywood movie, even though they tried to create some alternative look with the lighting but it's still too nice, too hyper realistic, that subtracts from the creepy mood a lot. And then we have some CGI characters, a talking sloth-bear, that has the teeth of the Worms from Dreamcatcher... As a conclusion you get what you have expected, a dumbed down, mainstream version of something original, and the worst is that it's badly executed.

My Rating: 3 / 10

Probably one of the best video representations of Stephen King's writing style (although he did not write the original novel), "Kingdom Hospital" definitely worth the watching! Granted, this mini-series is not for everyone. If you're into short, powerful horror films that end with all the loose ends neatly tied up, this one just won't be for you. Just as in his novels, King takes his time to explore characters, situations, the macabre, and so on. Like his novels, this is a rich exploration that takes the time and patience of the viewer.

What I liked the most about this series were the running motifs that tied the numerous subplots together in very subtle ways. Things like secret hand-signs, recurring phrases, and soundtrack songs like "Red Dragon Tattoo" by Fountains of Wayne. I also like the way that black humor was woven into situations in ways that seemed appropriate, and yet not overdone.

I'm sure that "Kingdom Hospital" will never win any artistic awards, but the quality of this piece surpasses much of what one can expect from American television miniseries.

I didn't have the chance to see this mini-series during it's initial, network run because of my work schedule, but praise be to Blockbuster Video, and a nifty thing called a free movie pass. On the whole, "Kingdom Hospital" is Stephen King on a totally different level. This is horror; this is fine storytelling; this is video art. What I admire most about this masterful weave of suspense, and the psychedelic is that the author/producer makes the material his own, never leaning on Von Trier's success, though it must have been tempting at times to do so.

Like "Cop Rock," and "Twin Peaks" before it, "Kingdom Hospital" is the type of series we don't see often--which is to say that it commits the heinous, unforgivable crime of allowing the viewer to think for themselves. Watch it while you can. All too soon we'll be rocketed back into the arms of the predictable, and the mundane.

It took me awhile to get into this series. In fact, after watching the two-hour premiere, I almost didn't come back to watch Ep. 2. But I did, then I watched Ep. 3, and I think that's where I finally started getting hooked. Unfortunately, ABC has now put out official word that they have cancelled the series, though they will show all the remaining episodes (while based on a miniseries, King had begun writing material for a second season, which ABC has now axed). Thankfully, ABC has agreed to release the series on DVD later this year.

I've most enjoyed the episodes where you see a lot of the ghosts. I think Jodelle Micah Ferland (Mary) is just adorable, she just breaks my heart. I'm really impressed by Kett Turton (Paul and the voice of Antubis). This is the first thing I've seen him in and I think he's great. And I just love Diane Ladd as Mrs. Druse. In my opinion, the episodes in which those three figure the most prominently are the best of the series.

Unlike many others who watch this series, I have not seen Riget so I have nothing to compare Kingdom Hospital with. I do plan to see Riget (my local Blockbuster actually carries it, under the title "The Kingdom"), but I think I'll wait until this series is over, since those who have seen Riget first seem the most disappointed with this new rendition.

Definitely bizarre, but it grows on you. Stephen King stated that viewers might not see the rewards of this show right away, but if they would just stick with it they would. It's too bad that more people didn't listen, or it might have survived.