The Stand (2020) – A Review

 

Several months ago, I went back to read again an old favorite, The Stand, by Stephen King. In the middle of our so-called pandemic, I thought I’d revisit this classic about a serious pandemic! Unlike COVID, the book’s super-flu (nicknamed Captain Trips) is extremely contagious and has a near 99 percent fatality rate. As I said, a serious pandemic.

Anyway, having read the book a few times and seen the original TV miniseries at least twice, I was excited to hear that a new remake was coming. It is available only on CBS All Access (because the world needs five million different streaming services begging for your money). I finally got the chance to finish it this week and decided I’d share my thoughts.

But first, I few general comments on remakes/reboots. I am generally in favor of remakes as long as certain conditions are met. Just my opinion, but here goes. First, don’t remake a movie or show that was crap in the first place. If it wasn’t any good to start with, why waste time making it again? Second, don’t remake something that is still relatively new. Give it some time already. And third, don’t remake the thing if you’re just going to change actors and make the exact same movie or show. I mean, change something!

So getting back to The Stand. I love the book. I love the original miniseries. And since this new production meets all three of my conditions stated above, I was pleased and excited at the prospect of seeing this one. I watched a couple of the trailers and it looked great. But then, I read some of the reviews and I began to worry.

Apparently, a large majority of the early viewers hate this one. Most of their complaints are in regard to the non-linear order of events and the casting. Some of the reviews were so brutal that I almost decided to skip it completely. I’m glad I didn’t. I actually liked it myself.

Yes, the story is told somewhat out of order. It’s a fairly common practice these days, so I was surprised at how many people were upset by it. Maybe it’s just that I am familiar with the story and the characters, but honestly, I didn’t find it that hard to follow. Come on people, just because it’s TV doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t have to think a little bit. Besides, that is one of my prior conditions. They tried something different. Maybe it worked for you or maybe it didn’t, but at least they did more than just update the actors and the sets and make the same movie we’ve already seen!

As far as the casting, I was generally pleased. In this age of political correctness and diversity, I am frequently amazed at some bizarre casting choices (where the actor is completely different than how they are described in the book), but in this case, only a few characters seemed off to me. (And I don’t care about Amber Heard’s personal life or misdeeds.) Most notably, Rita who should have been an older lady, if I remember the book correctly, and Nick, who just seemed strange and mysterious. Again, maybe it’s my memory, but I thought of him as being more sweet, innocent, and naïve. Finally, the actor playing Flagg just didn’t seem scary enough. (Neither did the one in the 1994 version.) Even though the movie wasn’t very good, Matthew McConaughey was great as the character in The Dark Tower.

Honestly, my biggest issue was with the final episode, which Stephen King apparently wrote just for the new production. I applaud the effort, but it was a little weird. And the story was pretty much done at that point and it seemed like a tacked-on bonus chapter or something. No spoilers, but you could quit after the first fifteen minutes of the episode and skip to the very end if you wanted to stick to the book.

So, in conclusion, I liked it and I thought it was an interesting take on the story. If you are a Stephen King fan, I would recommend it and if you’re not, try it anyway. Or better yet, read the book. As a former English teacher, I’m compelled to say, “The book is always better!”