The unabridged version of the stand is 1,152 pages. How do you film that? How do you capture everything? This 1994 miniseries - originally airing from May 8 - 12 of that year - made a valiant effort.It's nearly impossible to get in every character from the book, but that doesn't mean that these guys didn't try. With a screenplay by King, Mick Garris stepped into the director's chair, armed with a huge cast that does a great job of capturing their roles.The hard part of The Stand is that there's more than one hero and multiple casts to follow. I guess Stu Redman (Gary Sinise) would be the main hero, but you could also argue that the deaf and mute Nick Andros (Rob Lowe, who is deaf in his right ear) is the hero. Or maybe singer Larry Underwood is. When you're reading the book, you can determine who the protagonist you like best is, you can also see them as you want in your mind. With a film, it's not so simple.As Captain Trips, a weaponized flu virus, sweeps across America, the end of the world takes shape and Mother Abagail Freemantle (Ruby Dee) gathers the forces of good against Randall Flagg and his followers. Flagg, otherwise known as the Walkin' Dude, the Dark Man, the Ageless Stranger, the Man in Black and the Hardcase (as well as Walter Padick, Nyarlathotep, Rudin Filaro and a ton of other names), is the villain of more than one King story. He shows up in The Dark Tower, Hearts in Atlantis and The Eyes of the Dragon. His character goes all the way back to a poem that King wrote in 1969.Amongst his forces are the bonkers crazy Nadine Cross (Laura San Giacomo), criminal rat eater Lloyd Henreid (Miguel Ferrer), the explosive loving Trashcan Man (Max Headroom himself, Matt Frewer, who has appeared in more King adaptions than anyone else), the Rat Man and so many more. But the good guys also have Judge Ferris (Ossie Davis), the worst dressed heroine ever in Frannie (Molly Ringwald), her wannabe boyfriend and potential traitor Harold (Parker Lewis Can't Lose star Corin Nemec), simple-minded Tom Cullen (Bill Fagerbakke, Dauber from TV's Coach), wise Glen Bateman (TV legend Ray Walston, who was also Mr. Hand in Fast Times at Ridgemont High) and many, many more.This is a film packed with stars, even in small roles, like Ed Harris as General Starkey, Kathy Bates as Rae Flowers, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as a man proclaiming the end of the world and King, Sam Raimi, Tom Holland and John Landis show up in cameos. Even Joe Bob Briggs is in this!The four parts, The Plague, The Dreams, The Betrayal and The Stand, tell as much of the story as possible. I was kind of let down by the casting of Flagg, but it's hard to find anyone to live up to the ultimate evil that he's presented as in the book.The fact that the film was finished is a testament to the production team. With 460 script pages that were shot across 100 days in 6 states, that meant that the final project is nearly 8 hours long. They had to figure out how to dress 95 shooting locations on their budget, including a cornfield and a decimated Las Vegas.I hope however they remake this, they make sure to get better outfits for Frannie. I realize that this mini-series is 24 years old, but her fashion taste has not aged like a fine wine. Every single time she appears, her sartorial splendor - or lack thereof - takes me out of the movie!

The Stand is an epic tale between the forces of good and evil battling for control on the verge of civilization's collapse.While a made for television production, The Stand managed to weave a great caste into a six hour format allowing time for us to get to know the characters and watch as they develop for better or worse.As the survivors of a horrifying deadly plague gather in two camps one lead by an Antichrist like figure Randall Flagg and the saintly mother Abigal both vying for the occupation of the world for generations to come.The story isn't all black & white as their are traitors and deserters among the ranks. Two stand out Harold Lauder who's felt like a big fat loser all his life and Nadine Cross an earth child with a mysterious mystical link to Flagg.These two characters bring out a lot of morality questions like how far does free will reach over selective destiny? Are they sacrificial lambs for the slaughter or was the choice to decline offers already in place?But that's what good story telling can accomplish by making you think and feel.The music hit the mark each time and the editor better have gotten overtime for the natural flow of scene changes from beginning to end.The Stand was Stephen King's Lord of the rings that's never been topped.

It's a made for TV movie, not some Hollywood blockbuster with a massive budge that is plastered wall to wall with movie star A-Listers. That being said, there are a surprising number of top notch thespians.Gary Sinise and Molly Ringwald lock things down with solid performances that represent "The Light" side. In a nutshell there is a massive die-off in the form of a deadly plague that basically remakes the entire Earth. The planet as we know it goes from 7.5 billion population to somewhere around 10,000 planet-wide! To further complicate world matters there appears to be a supernatural biblical force behind the entire event. There are now two sides to this event: the side of God and the side of the Devil turning this disaster into what appears to be an apocalyptic event.The evil is concentrating around Las Vegas 'Sin City" so aptly named. A biker looking rebel with a legendary mullet by the name of Randall Flag is leading the darkness.The good are behind a devout old woman of 106 name Abigail Freeman who is gathering the light to her via dream messages.This series can drag on in some parts, but it's a fantastic showdown that can't be missed! Be sure to watch this one!

I have read the novel numerous times and had never seen the TV miniseries .Noticed it was on The Horror Channel , read the reviews and thought fantastic .Wonders if The Horror Channel had edited it and cut things up because it did not make any sense . Unless you had read the novel then abrupt cuts from one scene to another would have left you perplexed.Great first 5 minutes or so and then rapidly down hill .Has none of the subtly or detail of the novel . Badly acted and nonsensical drivel . Did I see another version to the great reviews given here ?Has been led to believe a new series of movies based on the novel are being planned .They can not be worse than this stinker . Gave up half way through .