Is it fair to judge a movie by it's cover?
You lost me at the pole holding up the wires in mid air.
worst remake ever watch the one from 1994 it is the best version by far they changed way too many things with this remake it is really bad
Haven't read the book and this serie doesn't inspire me to.
Not fond of the acting of Frannie and the whole thing seems incoherent at times.
What did I just watch, this was a mess, little to no character building, no depth, the time line is messy.
I tried, Lord knows, I tried. But this.... this is total rubbish. The acting is horrid, and when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, you can’t shake the disgust of just how bad the direction and editing is for the show.
I’m unsure if they tried to do too much, or they did too little. But it’s just downright a slap in the face to Stephen King, his fans and this cult-favorite in general.
Ugh... felt rushed and hurried and the good parts only serve to remind you how truly long it's been since we read the book
I was a fan of the first incarnation of this TV Seriesback in 1994 with Rob Lowe as Nick Andros, so when I started watching this one I was a bit confused with the jumping back and forth. Once I got past that and am now 3 episodes in I am starting to enjoy it more.
Because I was a fan of the book and the other series I already know what's going to happen but still enjoyable to see it in this new updated format.
liked the original much better....Randall Flagg was much more menacing...potrayl of captain trips was also more descriptive on the old one as well
Waiting for the whole thing to be out before I draw a final opinion. Tried watching it as it aired but gave up given the time jumps make it impossible to figure out what is going on. Might be easier without a week wait between each disjointed episode.
Despite the overwhelmingly negative reviews I've seen, I decided to give the show a try. I found it engaging and an interesting take on the source material. I found the acting to be interesting and the characters engaging. Watch the first episode and who knows, like me, you might find yourself enjoying it.
Nope. Just nope.
First, too soon. We're still in a middle of a pandemic.
Acting sucks, editing sucks.
As a Stephen King fanatic, this is just offensive. The mini-series with Gary Sinise was awesome, but this is just surfing the pandemic/heard hype.
First episode was fantastic. Looking like it will be a great treatment of Stephen King's story,
Couldn't connect with the characters because they didn't get the focus they needed. Last two episodes are weird.
The start is a little rocky. With too much time jumping. Without focusing on the friendships or anyone forming any sort of chemistry.
In that way, it didn’t do the book justice. The villains were given so much time. That I cared more about them in this version.
Flagg was cool and stole the show. Even if he was an evil Chris Angel in this version. He is what won me over in the end though.
Not knowing where the last episode was going. After the anticlimactic Las Vegas scene. From the book and original mini-series. Felt fresh and not like the mankind won, the end. That the original mini-series ending had.
With that said I hope they don’t drag it out to being a series. Like CBS did with Under the Dome. Just make a Dark Tower series with Skarsgard back as Flagg.
I saw the original series, not sure how to take this series!
This is not the same show called The Stand on Amazon.
CBS presents a new 9-part adaptation of Stephen King’s The Stand. When a deadly plague wipes out the majority of the world’s population, a select group of survivors, guided by visons, travel to Colorado and begin to rebuild; meanwhile, a mysterious man recruits another group of people to setup a rival community in Las Vegas. Featuring James Marsden, Alexander Skarsgård, Amber Heard, Greg Kinnear, Odessa Young, and Whoopi Goldberg, the series has a pretty impressive cast that delivers some strong performances. And the writers do a good job at developing the characters and at structuring the story arc over the 9-episodes (save for the rather weak epilogue). However, there are some problems with the depictions of the plague and the sex and violence, which don’t always feel congruent with the overall tone. Yet while it has some problems, The Stand is a compelling tale of survival and the power of good to overcome evil.
I'll come back and comment/edit as I watch the whole mini-series, but first impressions are Epic Fail Again. To start off, why are you casting Harold from the 1994 miniseries instead of how he was described in the book? You needed a modern teenage version of Stuart Pankin (Hollywood Knights) instead of another version of Corin Nemec from the 1994 miniseries. Secondly, you are all over the place in the timeline. Starting out in the Free Zone, instead of how the book does in California, just turns off people who have knowledge of the original content. Furthermore, if you haven't read the 1000+ page book, you are completely lost with a non-sequential timeline. It appears that casting was focused on the previous characters who played in the miniseries all around. Odessa Young looks to be a refurbished Molly Ringwald, red hair and all. The choice of Whoopie as Mother Abigail is horrible casting. Ruby Dee was the personification of the role; slight, ancient and weathered. Whoopie is the exact opposite; obese, out-of-breath and pampered. James Marston...another horrible choice. Too young, too good looking. Stuart was a version of Sam Elliot, mustache or not. No Texas accent, too much passive aggressive and not enough common sense cowboy. I'm 13 minutes in on a 9-hour ride and I already see this being another King Film Rendition going up in flames.
RUN AWAY!
I've read the book several times, I own the original series, and still I can't get into this. No preconceptions, but the whole time jumping thing makes this thing pretty unwatchable, and really confusing without having an understanding of where we are in time and within the greater story. Couldn't get past about 20 mins into episode 3 - I know the story really well, can only imagine how people new to the story manage to understand it. Star power =cannot= eclipse really bad directing and editing.
The only interesting thing about this miniseries is the post apocalyptic setting. Most of the characters are not interesting and those that are do not get a satisfying ending (no matter if that's the point or not). It's just difficult to care about characters you don't like and have no sympathy for. The plot is not interesting either so the series is simply not worth watching. I am not a fan of Stephen King or Christianity as a plot device so maybe the series had no chance with me to begin with.
Stephen King can sure string together a great yarn. In my opinion he has two tracks: mystery and creepy. This one (the one I usually avoid) is creepy. I watched the first two episodes before I went to bed and had decidedly unpleasant dream. (The rest of the series I watched during daylight hours.). This is an unvarnished struggle between good and evil so, beware, the evil is decidedly unpleasant to watch. Both Whoopi Goldberg (good) and Alexander Skarsgard (evil) bring great performances but it is the ensemble cast that are stuck in the middle that work through all the nuances points of views that makes Stephen King an exceptional (not the least, popular) writer. This is a tale not for the meek of heart and I promise you that you will be disturbed but maybe enlightened. I give this series an 8 (good but creepy) out of 10. [Supernatural Drama cum Horror]
This reiteration of The Stand was horrible. I recently read the novel for the first time and was excited to watch a visual adaptation of the story. I contemplated watching the 90s version of the miniseries, but I eventually decided on this, more modern version. The majority of the characters fell flat, especially Randall Flagg, and I didn’t like how they chose to skip around with the plot. One of my favorite parts of the book was seeing all of the characters’ journeys to their respective destinations (Colorado or Vegas). That was completely lost in this miniseries, in my opinion, and made the whole thing seem a bit discombobulated. The Stand is such a classic story and also very timely at the moment, so I wish they would have done a better job with this series.
the series overall is a great adaptation, and this media format really serves the original story well. after all, it's hard to tell the stories of so many characters in a single book, no matter how much of a saga it is. i think everyone was well rounded, the acting was amazing and the effects were solid. the last episode is a bit silly, but i also don't think stephen king necessarily wrote it for audiences so much as just himself, seeing as how he's rewritten the original story before.
also, i would like alex skarsgård to be given some sort of award or medal for the number of times he's played huge antagonists with grace, talent, and constant shots of his butt. i'm pretty sure the man is out here singlehandedly trying to balance out decades of gratuitous female nudity all with his own lily white ass. what a trooper.
It was alright but lacking in detail. The book was amazing and this felt like hours of footage was left on the edit room floor.
Having read the book a number of times, I liked this alot. The book is a long read and well worth it. This depiction does justice to the stories of the main characters and was thoroughly enjoyable.
The only problem is with a single character casting. Couldn't ABC have asserted some sort of contractual right and kept an unhinged raving shrew from being cast as a key character that we are supposed to like and feel compassion for? You can't rely on big media companies to do the right things. Ever.
Based on the book by stephen king.
It is one of his best adaptations and it has ranked among my 5 adaptations of the Stephen King books. Not to mention the top-notch cast that this series has, it's worth giving it an opportunity that you won't regret. From the first minute it won't let you stop your job until the last minute. It should be noted that he has the best billiard in King's universe, Randall Flagg, a cruel and despicable being who enjoys corrupting people and everything around him.
Maybe one episode to long, some cool stuff from both the old tv show and the book. But mostly missies the mark
I've never read the King novel, so I can't speak to this version's faithfulness to the source material.
I did however like the longer form of telling this story. I did see the original version 26 yrs ago - however, I can't say I remember a whole lot about it. But I'm fairly certain I can say I enjoyed this version more. Maybe it's simply because I was able to binge-watch this one which was not really an option 26 years ago.
How I rate:
1-3 :heart: = seriously! don't waste your time
4-6 :heart: = you may or may not enjoy this
7-8 :heart: = I expect you will like this too
9-10 :heart: = movies and TV shows I really love!
Essentially the last half to 1/3 of the novel, with some out of sequence moments to fill in the backstory of the characters that King made us fall in love with in the first half to 2/3s. Here the characters given short shrift and we're asked to care without as much context. Performances are hit and miss, with Marsden, Teague and Skarsgard turning in solid work. Standout is Henke as Tom Cullen. His casting was the one stroke of brilliance in this otherwise mediocre endeavor. While The Stand has enjoyable moments, and the penultimate episode's effects are much better than the original miniseries and work well with representing the source material in that sequence, the show feels so rushed to get to this episode that everything else just seems half-hearted. The almost entirely new post script/coda/whetever (written by King, no less) is fine (I guess) but ultimately adds little. I really tried to take The Stand on its own merits, not comparing it to the book, however, the decision to really only tell half the story and leaving so much of the character development on the cutting room floor just guts the heart out of what Stephen King does best.... create real, breathing characters in unreal circumstances. He makes us care about the journey. The producers of this mini-series made me care about the dog and Tom Cullen and that's about it. Castle Rock did a better job embodying King's storytelling and I recommend watching it over this. This is best when you're out of anything else to binge.... including British baking competitions, where you at least give more of a damn what happens.
My attention was drawn to this show first, because of Alexander Skarsgård; second, because it's based on a Stephen King book; and third, because I like stories about biblical, apocalyptic, good vs evil. I did not see the 1994 movie version, nor have I read the book. I can't say I did not enjoy this show, but it wasn't the core-shocking, fact-researching story line I had hoped for. The actors were on target and did well with the characters. The story flowed evenly and until about the last 2, then to me, it seemed to "rush" to finish. Filming was completed on this movie prior to our pandemic, but with our current political climate, on top of the pandemic fiasco that's happening, this movie doesn't seem too far off. You almost have to "pick a side" nowadays. I would recommend this as a time-filler between seasons of regular, dedicated-to, never-miss, weekly TV shows - - - if you like stories about biblical, apocalyptic, good vs evil - - - or just watching Alexander Skarsgård! LOL
Seriously, we really tried. Stuck with it to the very end, but no. It was mildly entertaining but the final impression was just bland and why did we watch this.
Avoid the show. Horrible remake. Complete utter waste of time. Poor acting, editing, script, writing, timeline, and senseless mistakes by characters just to move the story along. Don’t waste your time.
An adaptation that feels insufficient, which begins with a change in the linear narrative that does not help the story advance, and when it connects with the original narrative of the book, it points to more successful moments, but less in accordance with expectations. Many modifications on the book do not offer a different perspective, and only the incarnation of Flagg by Alexander Skarsgård manages to surpass the miniseries of Mick Garris.
The last chapter, as a new ending written by Stephen King, somehow reconciles with the characters of Frannie and Stu, who in the book seemed abandoned in the face of the development of the story. But it also points to a more apocalyptic vision. It is not possible to conclude the battle between good and evil, it will always be present, even if our society manages to have a new beginning.
Started off piss-poor, very boring, really put me off after first episode. 2nd wasn’t much better but then picked up a little as it went on through the season.
In the end it wasn’t terrible, it was okay, but such a huge waste of the material and for being a remake (kinda) it was pointless, the original mini-series wasn’t great itself but it was still better than this.
Flagg at least was played decently, in fact no real problem with the actors, just should’ve been soooo much better, the book is great, guess just aint anybody worthy of trying to replace imagination - which is hardly surprising in 2021.
This could have been great, but sadly wasn't. A story as huge as The Stand needs proper treatment, and this wasn't it. Many baffling choices were made during the making of this.
The flashbacks and non-linear storytelling in the beginning really doesn't work, and we never get to feel the impact of the apocalypse. There is nothing at stake in the flashbacks, because we know the characters are still alive in the future. Speaking of characters - we never get to know them, we spend so little time with each of them, because the show is always jumping around, trying to touch on all of The Stand's greatest hits. This is a huge contrast to the book, where we get to know all the characters intimately. And poor Nick Andros, one of the finest characters in the book, here reduced to a discount pirate of the Caribbean we know nothing about. Mother Abagail, supposedly frail and 108 years old - but she looks like she's 60, and we never understand why everyone thinks she's so special, except the whole drawing them to her in the dreams. Speaking of dreams - Randall Flagg is a joke here, and New Vegas even worse so. Drugs and sex everywhere is now the ultimate sin? Gay and/or BDSM sex is the worst horror imaginable? Come on, it's the year 2021!!! In the book, drugs are banned in New Vegas, and Flagg punishes those who break the rules severely. In this version it's hard to see why people would follow him. Temptation? Sex, drugs and gladiator fights to the death? Slavery? (!!!) Is that what people would gravitate towards after having survived a devastating apocalypse? Some people would, I guess. But nevertheless, Flagg is never established as a huge threat, he's just a very flat and empty thing, and apparently he loses his powers as soon as people start doubting him. It's all very weird.
As someone on reddit said it: somehow, they managed to put less content in this 9 hour series than the 6 hour miniseries from 94. In my opinion, and I've seen many people online express similar thoughts, The Stand should be redone as a show with 3 seasons. The first would deal with the superflu and really let us feel the apocalypse. The second would focus on the rebuilding of society and establish Flagg and New Vegas as a really big threat to what's left of the world. The final season would be the big battle of good vs evil, preferably with a more interesting conclusion than Trashcan Man Ex Machina. That's also everything I'll say about this show's absolute butchering of Trashcan Man.
Speaking of the finale. I love Stephen King's books, hit or miss as they may be, he's undeniably a great writer and storyteller, but his new "coda" was ... meh? It was well-written for the most part, and it was basically the epilogue of the book, but Frannie gets to see Flagg in a dream (?), she denies his tempting offer, and then gets to meet Mother Abagail again. At least "Mother A" is now living in a small farm house with a cornfield outside, like she should have always been - I guess that's what the afterlife looks like. Not much else happens, but we get to hear the word "stand" said several times. Frannie even literally stands up...! Oh, and there's a magical negro girl, which I think is supposed to be God? So much for avoiding the "magical negro" trope/stereotype... In any case it was nice to see Fran and Stu go on a road trip, but there really wasn't much else to cheer for in this ending. Some moments were mildly emotionally impactful, like when they left Boulder, and had to say goodbye to one of the few great characters in this show, Tom Cullen. I think this showed pulled off a great Tom, thanks to the actor, who made Tom a very human and believable character. The other great character is Harold - ThE ReAl pRoTaGOnIsT oF tHe StOrY - expertly played by Owen Teague. He really gave us a fantastic performance, and many jokes have already been made about the back pain he must be suffering from carrying this entire show by himself.
I'll stop here for now, but much more can be said about this show. There were definitely some great moments, but overall the negatives and the weird choices and the missing puzzle pieces makes this a very 'meh' experience for me. Maybe someday I'll rewatch it binge-style over a few days to see if that improves upon the experience.
Brad William Henke was the best addition to this series.
First episode was awesome, but it sets wrong expectations as it just goes downhill from there really fast. Starts at a 8 and goes to about 3-4. (haven't seen the last episode yet but I lost almost all interest.
So, 8 episodes to see the bad guy killed by a magic thunder ball... The worse story ever, full of Puritanism (no gay in Abygail village for example...)
I've never been much impressed with movie & tv productions of novels by Stephen King, up to now. This tv series is outstanding. One of those screen gems that we know Hollywood is capable of producing, the kind that takes one along for a ride, so engrossing you feel like you are living it rather than watching it.
We've seen it (and read it) so it just seems like going through the motions. I'm enjoying it, but I know this story quite well and I also know all of Stephen King's tropes quite well so it doesn't feel like something significant. It's as good as the first season of The Dome and not as good as the first season of Mr. Mercedes.
I've seen it all now and it's serviceable, like the earlier mini-series. It's just not that good. Best advice, read the book. Second best advice, Mr. Mercedes is pretty good if you need King but don't have the time to read the books. This is fine, but there's no reason to watch it when there's a surfeit of better television out there right now.
Whoop is back... Well surrounded by a bad ass cast...cant wait the final... Feeling something smarter and wiser coming for the end... We'll see
I'm not even going to comment on the flash backs... Am I really that old? I don't have cable, haven't for several years, is this show airing on CBS regular TV? If so, when did some of this content become acceptable, nudity, bangin in the elevator, air really bad language, don't get me wrong, I like most of those things, but If I had a younger child that could flip over to this, I wouldn't like it.
I was really excited when this was announced and looked forward to seeing the show. But after watching the first few episodes several times, I found it hard to stay focused on the show and my feelings are that it isn't a show I am excited about anymore. All the elements are there for a good show, by all accounts I should love this. But I don't. Not even in a "I'll keep watching and see how it goes" way. It's rare that I give up on a show after just a few episodes, but I am with this one.
I'm not saying you shouldn't watch it though. The show seems to have mixed reviews, so you should watch it yourself and make up your own mind about it. But for me, I'm going to pass on the rest of the season.
Note: I am removing the eps I have watched from my "watched" list, so I don't have to get reminders to watch the rest of the show, and I don't have to mark the show as hidden/ignored. I have seen the eps, but that is why you don't see the "%watched" on my review.
I really want to love this series. The Book & '94 Mini-series I've read/watched dozens of times each. The problem is the weird time skips and odd storyline progression is just really not enjoyable. It's not bad, the actors are great, the script, the camera work, all amazing, just the dang time skipping...
Cool.... Still a remake, but do remember that i liked the mini-series "The Stand"..
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108941
Hope it will be a good remake..
Does anyone know when / where I might be able to watch this in the UK?
Shout by Henrique SchroderVIP 5BlockedParent2020-12-19T22:03:35Z
I swear I tried but I can't!
Weak characters and performances, almost caricatures!