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The Dead Zone - Series 1
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Even better than the original book by Stephen King!!
Review date: 2007-06-10 Rating: 10 out of 10
Ignore what all these other idiots are saying.. The Dead Zone is the most genius programme EVER! Unfortunately I only got to see the first two series before I lost the Sci-Fi channel where it was aired.
Stephen King adaptations, and indeed Stephen King novels are always individual, thrilling, and damn amazing. The Dead Zone is well thought out, and left me not bein able to take my eyes off the screen. It's a great adaptation of the book, and normally I HATE it when they make TV series from books cause they always end up a pile of bob. But this show is ace!
One of the best sci-fi series you could purchase, there's a lot of poo stupid pathetic American sci-fi series out there, but this is one of the good 'uns!
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Reviews
Enter the Dead Zone..............
Review date: 2007-03-15 Rating: 6 out of 10
This is the tv series based on the best-selling novel by Stephen King.The series picks up the basic plot of the book, and then goes on in it's own direction.
The basic premise is that Johnny Smith has an accident as a child, and bangs his head, which starts to give him strange 'feelings' and 'hunches'.Then we fast-forward to his life as an adult, where he is a teacher, and madly in love with his childhood sweetheart Sarah. Then, one night, he is driving home in the rain and is involved in a horrific car accident which puts him into a coma for several years.When he wakes up he learns that his girlfriend has married, he has a son that doesn't know that Johnny is his father and his 'hunches' have become full-blown visions that are triggered by touching people or objects.He can see snippets of the past, present and future. In a nice twist on the book Sarah has married the local sheriff (Bannerman), and the plot of the series then revolves around Johnny having visions and trying to put things right, solve mysteries etc....
And there you have it!But what do i think about it? Well, there is a lot of good things to write about in the series. Some of the camera work is superb - the visions are excellent, and genuinely impressive. The 'take' on the original novel is quite good too, and i liked the differences the creators took - they stayed true to the novel, but had some new ideas of their own.Anthony Michael Hall is good as Johnny too.
However there are some issues i have.One this is not a full blown series.There are on 12 episodes which i thought was a bit mean. Secondly, the episodes don't all grip you in the way they should. The first couple, setting up the premise are the best, and the finally episode where we meet Johnny's nemesis Greg Stillson are superb, amongst the best tv sci fi/drama.But in between there are some quite lazy episodes that just don't grip you in the way they should.The ideas are good, but you can see the ending a mile off.That isn't to say that they are all bad, but for every good one there seems to be a poor episode after it. Another niggle is Johhny - he is supposed to have a limp, but this seems to be switched on and off, sometimes within the same episode!In the film starring Christopher Walker, Johnny comes across as a much more physically weak.
My final criticism is that it feels like a modern Quantum Leap.Moral stories with wrongs that need to be righted, and sometimes it can be a bit treacly - too much sentimentality, where it doesn't need it.It doesn't always treat the audience with the respect it deserves i.e. the point is pushed home time and time again!
I have only given this three stars because of the above faults and also because i think the film starring Christopher Walken does a really great job of adapting the book. I would really recommend you watch this and read the original novel before embarking on this tv series.
I have also marked it down because of its' shortness.It is NOT a full blown USA series.
Finally, it is up against some really stiff competition. If you compare this to the X-Files, Buffy, Angel, Lost, and the new Battlestar Galactica it doesn't match up to those great series, in my opinion.
BUT that doesn't mean to say it is bad - it isn't.It just needs to raise it's game and be brave.The potential stories and material available to the writers is immense and if they tap into it, this could be an amazing series.
I am now going to start Season Two, and i hope that it gets better....
Buy this if you loved the book and the film, but don't expect too much.....
Superb series, lousy DVD realease (again) !!!
Review date: 2006-03-27 Rating: 6 out of 10
This is a superb show produced by the late Michael Piller, there is no argument about that. In the States this was treated with a flawed DVD release by Lions Gate Entertainment, resulting in many faulty sets which are, to this day, at least partially incompatible with many players. So my hopes were up when I heard about Paramount releasing it in the UK, but they managed to really screw this one up after all. There is no (NO!) extra material on this set while the code 1 pendant offers a whole lot of, and the picture quality is recognisably inferior to the US version. The cover of the DVD box is also ridiculous compared to the overseas release. So you basically got two choices: Risk the whole thing with the Lions Gate US version (if you own a codefree player, of course!) and maybe get a halfway working copy, or buy a bare bones but at least working version from Paramount in the UK. Man, life is so great!
The Dead Zone - TV Series starring Anthony Michael Hall
Review date: 2005-09-07 Rating: 10 out of 10
This is an excellent series, Anthony Michael Hall is a fantastic actor and this is the best Candian import we have.
My only question is... when are they going to make a Region 2(Europe) DVD available?
DeadZone series
Review date: 2005-05-11 Rating: 10 out of 10
Dead Zone is based on the Stephen King book, which became a series, about a normal, regular type high school teacher who is engaged to his childhood sweetheart -- until he's involved in a terrible car accident, and he winds up in a coma for 6 years.
When he wakes up, he slowly discovers he has this amazine power -- visions -- in which he can see the past, future, or hidden present just by touching someone, or something they have touched
THE DEAD ZONE IS ABSOLUTELY THE BEST, MOST INTELLIGENT, WELL-WRITTEN, WELL-ACTED, AND WELL-DIRECTED TV SHOW THAT HAS BEEN ON FOR AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER
you'll either hate it or like me you would love it
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
David Ogden Stiers
Nicole De Boer
Chris Bruno
John L. Adams
Anthony Michael Hall
Creators:
Anthony Michael Hall (Primary Contributor)
David Ogden Stiers (Primary Contributor)
Director(s):
Recording label: Paramount Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: Paramount Home Entertainment
EAN: 5014437871237
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 4
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2006-01-30
Audience rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 547 minutes
Language: English (Original Language)