I don't think The Stand is the best of the Stephen King adaptations(in my opinion, The Shawshank Redemption) and I don't think it is the best of the made-for-TV movies/mini-series(Salem's Lot). However, while it does have its faults, although I have a soft spot for It, especially for Tim Curry as Pennywise, The Stand is one of the better mini-series based on Stephen King's work.

The Stand I agree does fall short compared to the book, but I was expecting it to in all honesty. The book is an amazing read but there are several scenes that are quite complex and far from feasible to vision on film. I did think the character of Larry Underwood while played decently could have been better explored and introduced, Nadine is miscast in my view and Harold's introduction and destruction was not very well done compared to what it could have been.

That said, The Stand at least looks good. The photography, locations and costumes are nice to look at, and for a mini-series the effects were good enough. The music adds to the unsettling atmosphere, and the atmosphere was done to good effect here, the dialogue is good on the whole yes with some clunky spots but there are also moments of brilliance and the story is compelling. The direction is solid too.

The acting mostly is good. Rob Lowe was okay if not entirely suited to the character, while I had mixed feelings on Molly Ringwald, sometimes she was effective sometimes she overdid it. The best performances come from Gary Sinise and Miguel Ferrer, they are the best explored characters and both actors do great jobs, likewise with Jamey Sheridan who nails his difficult role. The cameos are also interesting.

In conclusion, The Stand does fall short compared to the wonderful book, but compared to what it could have been, either a disaster or a masterpiece, it is decent. 7/10 Bethany Cox

I'm not a big fan of Stephen King and his work, but it does translate well into cinema on the big and small screen and I don't think it was done any better than in The Stand. Some have said on here that it's their favorite novel. I don't read much in the way of fiction, but I can understand why some would feel that way.

One thing I like is that King apparently takes people as he finds them. As society breaks down after the plague is let loose, you can see all kinds of people lining up with the good and the evil. And their past lives might give no indication as to where they might wind up unless you study them closely.

The polar extremes are Ruby Dee as a 106 year old Godfearing church woman and Jamey Sheridan as the King of Demons. Each collects their disciples from all walks of life among the survivors. And both give masterful performances.

In fact the whole thing is beautifully cast. I think my very favorite is Ray Walston as the college professor who's lived a long life and has very little to fear when he eventually encounters Sheridan. He's the voice of civilization and reason and interestingly enough Walston got his first notices also playing a Satanic creature in Damn Yankees. Rob with little dialog except in dream sequences is wonderful as deaf mute Nick Andros who sacrifices to save the small band of resistors to Sheridan. His sequences with the retarded Bill Faggerbakke are precious indeed.

In the end when The Stand is made against evil, the battle isn't won. There are no final victories. It's made clear if we screw it up again, Sheridan will return and collect his share of minions.

Buy the DVD set or demand that one of the movie channels run The Stand. It's well worth it.

Military loses control of a deadly virus when the guard at the gate escape with his family. However he's soon dead and so is most of the world. What's left of the population is soon drawn either to a good old woman, or an evil scary man. The two forces are gathered in preparation for a battle.

This is a 6 hour mini-series split into 4 movies. There are some good actors in this. The leads are Gary Sinise, Molly Ringwald, Miguel Ferrer, Matt Frewer, Rob Lowe, and others. Corin Nemec playing the geeky Harold Lauder is not the best. But mostly, the acting is pretty good.

The first movie "The Plague" is a bit slow. There is a lot of setting up going on with the various characters. Also there isn't much in terms of action. The TV production just can't show the vast scale of a worldwide pandemic properly. Quite frankly, this mini-series struggles with its production to get the massive scale of destruction properly. The CGI and the action is not up to job. Pyromaniac Trashcan Man deserves more. I hope they do a remake sometime in the future.