Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #32444 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-04-05
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Number of discs: 2
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 345 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
After a government-spawned "superflu" wipes out more than 90 per cent of the earth's population, the devastated survivors must decide whether to support or resist the advances of a mysterious stranger from way down South (heh-heh) who wishes to claim this new world order for himself. Although the six-hour length of The Stand makes it nigh-impossible to digest in one sitting, this well-paced adaptation of Stephen King's apocalyptic magnum opus ranks among the best adaptations of the author's work, with strong performances from Gary Sinise, Miguel Ferrer, and especially Jamey Sheridan as a good-old-boy version of Old Scratch. The opening scene, set to the strains of Blue Oyster Cult's "Don't Fear the Reaper," is one of the most chilling things ever shot for television. Director Mick Garris is no stranger to King's world, having also helmed Sleepwalkers, the recent television remake of The Shining, and the upcoming Desperation. --Andrew Wright

Synopsis
Stephen King's own adaptation of his best-selling allegorical novel is the ultimate saga of good vs. evil. When a deadly man-made virus destroys 99 per cent of the Earth's population, those left alive are haunted by visions and dreams luring them into two camps--good or evil--and eventually to a final conflict.

Synopsis
A deadly virus is unleashed by a military lab, wiping out almost the entire population of Earth. A few terrified individuals set out on a desperate race to find other survivors...

Customer Reviews

Tishoo! Tishoo! All Fall Down!
Unlike most of the other reviewers, I seem to have approached this movie backwards. I saw the movie, quite liked it and then went and bought the book. Wow, now that was a fat book! The Movie after reading the book seemed weak and a little trite - as another reviewer has noted it seems to be chronologically challenged and skips forward a bit but the thing that struck me the most was the casting. Gary Sinise now will ever be the image of Stu Redmond in my mind, but for some reason Molly Ringwald didn't fix in my imagination as Fran. And so it went through the cast, some outstanding, others just cut outs. The movie, or rather the mini-series, is clearly a Sinise lead production, however the core of the good guys and the bad guys worked well together especially Tom and Nick Andros, and performances from the likes of Ossie Davis as Judge Ferris and Miguel Ferrer as Lloyd Henried are worthy of note. Matt Frewer's Trashcan man is right from the pages of the novel, although certain characters from the book are missing such as "The Kid".

The story is the all too familiar government experiment gone wrong (does anyone remember the Terry Nation BBC TV Series "The Survivors"?) but there is a spiritual good vs evil angle in Stephen King's tale. Does good always win? Hard to say really, make your own mind up after counting the number that fall along the way. I should emphasise that this is a mini-series spliced into two parts with a run time of six hours or so, but fortunately you have a pause button for those all important snack/comfort breaks. As a mini-series made for TV it is a 4:3 aspect production with not exactly fantastic sound.

I will admit to being hooked in the first few minutes by the marvellous opening sequence backed by the most excellent Blue Oyster Cult track "Don't fear the Reaper". It is exciting, tense and urgent with a background of futility - brilliant production work. Look also for a small speaking part played by Stephen King himself (Teddy Weizak) and a cameo by the Evil Dead's Sam Raimi.

All in all, not a bad version of the story, and don't forget to say hi to the Ratman.

Not as good as the book, but pretty good,
First off, I have to say that most stephen King stories are never as good on the big (or silver) screen as they are in print. The Stand is no exception to this. The stand is a tale of christianity, which charts the (almost) end of the world and the fight for survival against the "dark man." The book is complex and there are many characters, each with their own full life stories and quirky ways. Consequently, many are missed out in the mini series.I am not sure that any actor could fully bring King's characters alive. The closest I have seen is Jack Nicholson in the Shining and Cathy Bates in Misery.

However, the actors in the Stand do a pretty decent job. Let's face it, it's not easy to show cities with no one in them, but you do believe that this is the case when watching this.

Mother Abigal is solid, as is Stu, Glen Bateman and Larry. Less good is Fran and Harold.

This may no be a masterpiece, but it still manages to do a pretty good job of getting the story across and there are some genuinely scary parts.

Finally it's here
This is truly the best Stephen King novel made into an awesome film! The cast is great and story greater! I first saw this years ago on tv and finally found the video but due to me constantly watching this spectacular film it has kind of started to ware out! So for any Stephen King lover you will not be disappointed and finally the dvd is released this year! Watch out for a cameo by the great author himself