L'ombra dello scorpione

I don't like making comparisons, but I can't help it in this instance. The 1994 miniseries had it's flaws, but at least it stuck to the main themes of the book; the human beings as pawns in a game of good and evil, who they are and become. Only one episode left of the 2020 version and I feel nothing for any of the characters, simply because I don't know them.

It is based on a massive book, but the 1994 miniseries managed to create a cohesively evolving story and characters. And that in a 6 hour long series. This version has 9 hours and yet the story is so all over the place that so many things don't make sense anymore. As if the writers were puzzling and piecing, cutting and pasting, until they just gave up, rather than working until it made sense.

This version seems to hope it can get by on chock value, but it completely misses the point when turning New Vegas into a Sodom or Gomorrah, rather than a fascist state, for example.

It's a hot mess, and if you're too lazy to read the book, then watch the 1994 version instead.

I've read a few reviews from Stephen King groupies...and fair enough. The 1994 series had me mesmerized, though I had let it slip from memory. So this was exciting. Really if life came down to these characters, we are mince. It's so hard to identify with the 'righteous' at times, they seem oblivious to the world they're in. And the 'unclean' are really bland, the depravity is what you'd see going on if the world never went through this 'apocalypse' anyway. There is no awe at the Man himself, though he presents as the most watchable character...I don't know if there is enough going on to pique the interest to see it through.

There's a lot wrong here. Miscasting, burning the candle (or story) at both ends, where I assume we'll meet in some sticky middle ground with the characters well briefed even if the viewers are robbed of the momentum that would have built from the novels original structure. It's a journey. A horrific line to walk and SK planned it perfectly. There's a reason Dorothy and Toto didn't have cabs on the Yellow Brick Road. Some of us WANT to see the flying monkeys. FOR INSTANCE: I miss Larry's escape from NY by way of a corpse infested tunnel. I miss the sheriff who saved Nick and allowed him to become jail warden as he grew too ill for the job. And the gentle insight given as Nick took care of and fed his assailants through the bars of their prison cells, and comforted his torturers as they died. I miss Nadines hallmark red hair. It screamed for hundreds of pages. Until it didn't. Hemingford Home was in Nebraska, but-snip snip! Colorado it is. We were in the CDC for many days. Many days. Begging for info on many neighbors. Those names aren't here, and the neighborhood didn't burn away with fever in this version. THAT community of Stu's didn't ever exist in this show. . . .And the MISCASTING X 10 (take your pick). So much atmosphere from the novel excised, the leftover scenes flicker by so swiftly you realize they bit off more than they could chew in the hours allotted. Stuff it as much as you want, and maybe the characters will finally develop by the time the final battle rolls around. But. . . Judging by the time jumps, THESE characters are static compared to their novel counterparts. I can't even tell they've been on a journey. Oh that's right. There's safety in numbers and the series grouped everyone together hyper fast. Going the path solo in the black night was where I felt my palms sweat. Not in a sunlit room with 20 friends. That part DOES COME, but later. I only wish it didn't cost us each characters solo journey to that bright room. Nighttime in a dead world where you're alone and clueless makes for a terrifying journey. But our guys found an "alternate route" it seems (I say this as more and more is added weekly, but it's nothing compared to the lacking atmosphere). The book was a death march. We chose our paths and the stakes climbed with the days, while the nights were filled with horrifying and strange noises. An anxiety attack on a roller coaster with a courtesy espresso before the ride hit its stride. This series, however, is a drowsy stroll. Like waking from a car nap, you orientate yourself and see how far you've come, and then decide if you should care about where you're at or just black out again. Many separate and small altercations aren't nearly as intimidating as a dreadful marathon filled with a variety of unpredictable dangers. All tension evaporates each time the show flashes forward (or backwards). The tension bottoms out because we are provided relief at the worst time. Horror fans being given thoughtful intermissions (for the delicate viewer out there). It feels like that anyway. And it also renders this risky journey moot. When you see our guys at The Free Zone you don't fear for them in the flashbacks. You KNOW they made it safe and sound. Leaving The Past neutered and without teeth. If you skip the book even though you enjoyed the series you are doing yourself a disservice. If you read "The Stand" and "'Salem's Lot", you'll either be addicted, or once again showing your face at church on Sundays. AND FOR NON READERS of the book who feel they have the right to call long time fans whiny and our viewpoints invalid, you should just keep those opinions to yourselves. If a man could watch just ONE film during his life: "Battlefied Earth", or "Alien", but chose "Battlefied Earth". That's the predicament I see in these reviews. OF COURSE these "non-book" folks think the series is great. They have NO idea of what they're missing.

Hideous adaptation of Stephen King's sprawling novel stupidly breaks up the narrative into flashbacks and flash forwards, thus destroying any dramatic tension that might have existed. But I doubt there was any anyway under the lousy direction by a whole bunch of people. Was King involved in this mess?

Narrative aside, most of the cast is awful. Whoopi Goldberg and James Marsden are good. Everyone else stinks. I've never seen so much hammy overacting in one show. And all the blonde girls looks alike.

The timing of this mini-series is probably off. Showing a mini about the end of civilization in the midst of a pandemic might not have been the best idea. It leaves a sour taste.

The show runners here turned King's serious novel into a comic book.

Save yourself time and watch the original or read the book.

Too much flashing around, sideways, forwards, backwards.

Whoopi Goldberg and Alexander Skarsgård are terrible miscasts.

I personally loathe Whoopi Goldberg as an actress. She strikes me as a washed up hippie in every single role. Casting her here as Mother Abagail she lacks the necessary motherly qualities for the role and comes across as... a washed up hippie. She looks the role but it isn't her.

Alexander Skarsgård meanwhile... he just doesn't have the element for Flagg. He comes across as a boring guy that would be best cast as a ride along cop in a police movie. He's not in the right element here.

Most of the other characters are mostly OK, but not stand outs.

Now split this up into 1hr runtimes. It drags out an already long story longer. Without the elements of continuity due to the flashbacks and such it's less immersive.

Read the book watch the original. Don't waste the time here.