The Dead Zone

The Dead Zone is a psychological horror film based on the brilliant novel by Stephen King, masterfully directed by David Cronenberg, with a beautiful but haunting score by the late Michael Kamen. Johnny Smith is an ordinary English teacher working in an ordinary American high school, living an ordinary life. Until one fateful night, he's injured in a terrible car crash, and goes into a coma for five years. When he awakes, he has the ability to go into The Dead Zone... an ancient precognitive ability to read the future. At first he doesn't know what to do with himself, but with help from the good doctor Sam Weizak, played brilliantly by Herbert Lom, he decides to use his powers for the good of mankind.

I feel this was a good Stephen King adaptation, maybe not as good as The Shining, but still a good film. I think the strength lies in showing the pain that Christopher Walken goes through with his gift / curse, although I feel a problem the film has it that it does not show enough of the antogonist, Greg Stillson (Martin Sheen). I think that this film was rushed, and is too short at 100 minutes. I think perhaps the film might have done better had it been perhaps a six-part mini series on tv. That way I feel they would have been able to take more time. Although I still think this is a faithful adaptation. And I find it interesting when I read on the internet when fans of the novel and the film compare Greg Stillson to real life Senator Palin, who like her fictional counterpart is portrayed in the media as being rather gung-ho.

There's good direction that really connects with you emotionally, and the screenplay by the late Jeffrey Boam really makes all the events from the novel come to life. I've read the novel that this film was based on, I'm a fan of Stephen King, and I believe that a lot of King's fans would enjoy this film. I'd recommend it.