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USA's DEAD ZONE!!
SPOILER ALERT !!
“Dead Zone” was a swell Stephen King book. Then it was a swell David Cronenberg movie in which Christopher Walken correctly predicted Martin Sheen would become president. The showrunner on the new TV version of “Dead Zone” is Michael Piller, one of the writer-producers who rescued the “Star Trek” franchise following “The Next Generation’s” miserable first season. Anthony Michael Hall is a decent actor. “Deep Space Nine” vet Nicole DeBoer is pretty!
And guess what? Buzz on the show is not entirely awful!
The one-hour pilot finally gets a cablecast, 10 p.m. Sunday (opposite HBO’s “The Wire”) on USA.
TV Guide says:
The one-hour pilot finally gets a cablecast, 10 p.m. Sunday (opposite HBO’s “The Wire”) on USA.
TV Guide says:
In the series premiere, a car accident leaves high-school teacher Johnny Smith (Anthony Michael Hall) in a coma for six years, after which he awakes with psychic powers. But surprises await him in his personal life. Sarah: Nicole deBoer. Purdy: David Ogden Stiers. Bruce: John L. Lewis. Walt: Chris Bruno.
Variety says:
… a serviceable thrills-and-chills skein … "Dead" deserves an audience … Considering the narrow audience potential of such ghostly material, "Zone" is quite accessible, mixing with an even hand the viewer-friendly love triangle with the more restrictive afterlife concepts. … Hall is completely believable in his evolution into a reluctant medium -- a good sign considering the whole show revolves around him. Standouts among the supporting players are deBoer, who brings to her role the right amount of vulnerability and confusion, and Stiers, the perfect choice for a snotty and wicked father figure.
The Hollywood Reporter says:
The Dead Zone" is, once again, alive and well. The characters from Stephen King's 1979 novel, previously assembled in a 1983 theatrical film, are resurrected for a new series that promises adventure, humor, romance and more than a little weirdness. "Promises" is the operative word here because the pilot episode, while rife with potential, isn't perfectly clear about how everything will unfold. What is clear, is that series stars Anthony Michael Hall and Nicole de Boer are fun to watch and that the powers of Hall's character, Johnny Smith, can give rise to any number of imaginative stories. … Hall creates a strong and charismatic hero, though one hopes he lightens up a bit in future episodes. De Boer, whose Sarah is torn between two loves, shows the right amount of charm and vulnerability. Stiers clearly relishes his role as a manipulative and ambitious demagogue.
USA Today says:
It isn't terrible, as TV hours go, but nothing about it leads you to believe turning the movie into a series was a good idea. … There is something intriguing about Johnny's power, particularly in the way Dead Zone attempts to explore its drawbacks. But it's hard to build a series around a mute observer hero who, as played by Hall, is close to a total blank. And to the extent the show seems primed to use Johnny's power to turn him into a superdetective, it's traveling toward what appears to be a dead end.
Finally, a Coax spy named “Super Genius” weighed in on the pilot over a year ago when it was still a UPN project:
My phone rang just after noon today. Caller ID told me it was from someone named PRIVATE in area code 702. Whatever. I answered. It was a survey firm (herein, "The Survey People") that briefly quizzed me on my age. I’m 31 and the max age they were looking for was under 34. Lucky me. They then told me there was going to be a TV pilot shown on cable channel 74 at 6 PM. I didn’t even know there was a channel 74. It was way past the encoded pay channels that I don’t pay. I flipped to 74 just to make sure it existed and I was surprised to see (at that moment) really bad infomercials. I’d been hoping to catch Memento at the theater that evening and didn’t know what to expect from this mystery pilot, but for some reason I told them I’d do it. The last thing they asked was, “You do like Star Trek, don’t you?” Does the pope wear a big hat? Duh! My phone number is listed under Jean-Luc Picard in the phone book. Take a guess.
6 P.M. rolled around and a short intro let me know that the pilot had nothing to do with Star Trek. However, that didn’t bother me since it turned out this was the pilot for a new series based on the Stephen King novel The Dead Zone. When I saw Anthony Michael Hall’s name flash across the screen, I made verbal approval sounds and grunts. I then regained my composure and hunkered down to pay attention since The Survey People were going to quiz me on this later.
The first scene was set in the past and featured kids ice skating on a lake. I was immediately reminded of the ice skating flashback scenes from the original Christopher Walken version of the film. Instead of paying attention to the dramatic implications of the scene, a child actor portraying a young Johnny Smith gave possibly the worst performance I’d ever seen. I was so distracted by the kids weak performance and delivery, I almost didn’t care what he was saying. Eventually the kid bonks his head on the ice and then wakes up shortly thereafter. He keeps yelling ‘Don’t go after it’ or something as he regains consciousness. A little girl by his side shrugs, either not understanding what he’s saying, or in shock by his bad acting. Her acting wasn’t so hot, either, don’t get me wrong. A generic Adult in Charge in this scene also takes a turn at the cheese river of acting. ‘’This isn’t good,’’ I thought to myself. A kid does wind up falling into the ice, but he is saved by the Adult in Charge character and lives to see tomorrow -- no thanks to little Johnny who hadn’t really done anything to prevent the event from happening. Adult in Charge guy tells Johnny to go get some x-rays. Johnny and the little girl walk off. Fade to black. What the hell just happened? Was that supposed to be character development? So, little Johnny is psychic now? Why don’t I remember this from the movie? I hadn’t seen it since literally back in the 80’s, nor had I ever read King’s version, but I loved the original film. Christopher Walken’s performance, one of his most likeable roles, was unforgettable. So this bastardization of the source material really put me off.
Then it got worse. But don’t get me wrong. It gets better later…
Johnny is suddenly all grown up and a teacher. He’s teaching his students about photosynthesis by holding class in a tree. Note to the director – there was no ladder under that tall tree. How about some credibility? A Boss in Charge of Johnny character tells him to get his ass and his class out of the tree before there’s an insurance issue. Johnny’s girlfriend Sara, a choir teacher at the same school, catches Johnny’s wacky antics through the window after one of her students stops the class from singing ‘’Mr. Sandman’’ to look out the window at wacky Johnny. Yes, that’s a clever song to use, but instead of thinking about how Johnny was going to be high-fiving Mr. Sandman soon, I kept thinking of Halloween II and Back to the Future, both of which use that song. Regaining focus, I noticed that the actress playing Johnny’s girlfriend Sara was Nicole De Boer who played Ezri Dax on Deep Space Nine. Apparently she is supposed to be the same character that was at Little Johnny’s side 5 minutes earlier when he was a crappy child actor. Are you following me? Eventually it is quickly established that Johnny loves Sara and wants to marry her. Also, and this seems to have been thrown in, Johnny can predict numbers to a minor degree. He helps some kids from his class at the carnival regain their money by busting the bank of a carnival game wheel. He manages to make plenty of money by guessing the next number drawn over and over. Hmmm.. but wait a minute, isn’t this gambling? Are these kids supposed to be gambling for money? I thought this was Maine, not Vegas? Oh, well. So, anyway, this ‘’gift’’ has never been exploited and apparently never comes up for more than a few minutes throughout his life.
Eventually Johnny kisses Sara goodbye and tells her he’s going to go rent some movies. I am now half expecting a plug for Blockbuster Video to occur. Instead, Johnny gets in his car and takes off. He starts driving down the road. An eighteen-wheeler with nothing particularly wrong comes around the corner. No indication that there was a mechanical problem. The driver is never seen. Johnny just looks up from the steering wheel like a deer in headlights and BAM! It happens very suddenly. I didn’t expect it. Two points, UPN. It’s after this scene in the pilot that things take a turn for the better.
The basic premise of the original Dead Zone returns once Johnny awakens from a coma that has consumed 6 years of his life. He immediately notices that he enters a trance-like state whenever someone touches him. Hall’s acting is touch and go at first, but he never completely loses credibility. Hell, I’d be overwhelmed if I could see bad things happen before they happen. Johnny can see events from the past and future as they flood into his mind and overtake reality. When in a trance, he appears to physically enter the reality of his vision and become a passive observer. Perspective for Johnny now has a fourth dimension. Everything that happens in the pilot from here on out was very well done. To avoid spoiling the show for anyone, I’ll stop here with my detailed synopsis. Suffice to say, I was blown away by the drama and the special effects that followed. You also have to be patient (for a few minutes, anyway) about some of the things Johnny claims to know about. The director cleverly doesn’t show you what Johnny sees at first and how he can claim to know something after just touching someone. Eventually, however, you do go with Johnny on a journey and experience what he sees. And it’s really cool.
The incidental music, which appears to be the same Michael Kamen work from the original, is still just as eerie. A key fire sequence from the movie is recreated for the pilot, although I would have to say that the Walken version is still superior. Flames leaping up to his bed as he observes water boiling in a fishbowl, Walken pleads, "Your daughter… is screaming. Your house is burning. It's not too late." The pilot version features Hall in a similar situation but it is muted and shortened, perhaps due to cost savings? At least that’s what I hope. Another comparison worth mentioning is how Walken reacts when told that Sara was now married. He turns away and cries, crawling into a near fetal position. The pain in the scene is intense. Hall definitely looks disappointed, but the severe emotional impact is delivered in a different sequence. No fetal position. Sorry.
Some of my disappointments might be due to the fact that I’m seeing the same story done a second time without any real significant difference in the presentation. The real treat from this pilot will be that it will allow extending the story beyond the original plot and expanding the characters. Johnny will obviously live well beyond the pilot (as opposed to the fate that befell Walken’s character in the movie version).
There are still some issues I had with the acting and characters in this pilot, but the dialog and pace completely improve after the initial exposition was over and Johnny awakens from the coma. A very long teaser for the next episode was tacked onto the end. It indicated that Johnny would soon be become an outcast because of his gift. Other minor roles are brought into the story line. Some of it has to do with his mother’s friend, a preacher who has a very minor role as Johnny’s guardian during the pilot. The preacher’s presence is confusing and he doesn’t do very much. Johnny’s mom passes away while he’s dead (but you don’t really miss her since she was in just one scene for 30 seconds). I suspect they are planning the preacher character as a recurring antagonist for upcoming episodes. Either way, I was left not really caring about him based on what he did and didn’t do in the pilot.
Overall, I’d rate this a must see when it does come out. The Survey People called me back and asked a million questions about the characters and what I thought about the story. They took detailed notes of everything I said (which was really nice). I wonder if anything I recommended will be used. I told them to trash everything before Johnny’s coma and try again. It won’t be a complete loss, but I think you can build the Sara-Johnny relationship by replacing the child actors and dumping the bump on the head as a kid idea. What are they thinking, anyway? They should save that scene for another episode and not just throw it away in order to introduce the character.
I’ve heard that Dead Zone will air immediately following the new series Star Trek: Enterprise on UPN. If that’s true, that’s a two-hour block of my life I need to put on order, hold the cheese. Please.
For some reason, I hope they guest star Molly Ringwald in an episode. Hall could guess the color of her underwear and recreate his funky Farmer Ted “king of the dipshits” dance moves.
Okay, fine. I’ll go now.
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Jun 16, 2002 3:16:03 AM CDT
It's doomed to fail but it might be fun watching it crash an
by fred4sure
Does anyone really watch UPN?
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so what did that L.A. Times article have to do with "Dead Zone"? I didn't quite catch the connection. Or is it some metaphysical thing where we're supposed to remember that "The Wire" is on on HBO but RIGHT BEFORE the Dead Zone and somehow the connection of the two things will allow us to understand life to a greater degree? I'm just curious. i mean, if the title of the article had been "Dead Zone and The Wire" then it wouldn't be a big deal...herc...
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Cute as a bug's ear, that one!
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Cronenberg's Dead Zone is Classic. One of the greatest Stephen King movies ever with a performance by Walken that defined that character's turmoil. It's painful to see it totally plagiarized with this shoddy remake. Aren't these people the slightest bit embarassed that they had to completely steal from Cronenberg for their series? It's one thing to reinterpret a book but to Xerox scenes from a film demonstrates a total lack of creativity.
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Jun 16, 2002 7:33:50 AM CDT
CROW: [Eegah] Me look like Anthony Michael Hall! Hmmm, no, more
by osmosis jones
You can't top the novel or Cronenberg film, so why even try? Walken was the man, and Michael Kamen wrote one of his finest scores ever.
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Between this and "Freddy Got Fingered", he`s tearing Hollywood apart!
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But Cronenberg's movie is still easily one of the top five King adaptions ever.
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It's '70s conspiracy thriller mixed with King's usual psychic and old-testament religious tropes. Perfect for long-running series format, unlike most of King's work, which is just too unweildy and nonvisual for anything other than chintzy Mick Garris-directed miniseries. The Stilson storyline could provide the spine for a series-long mythology while the basic psychic thing provides opportunities for freakishness-of-the-week episodes.
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Secret organization reprograms ordinary citizens for dastardly deeds via a TV channel that doesn't exist.
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Isn't it obvious that, if there's one Cronenberg film to make into a TV show, it's Scanners! I mean, Michael Ironside would come back to do some TV work, right? Someone get to work on this immediately.
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Just finished watching. They did a damn good job with it.
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Ain't a baby no more. She looked good back in the Trek days, but she's visibly matured, and I think she looks even better now. Fine actress. Great choice for Dead Zone.
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....though whoever edited this for commercial breaks has the finesse of Leatherface. Pretty good performance from Hall, and managed to be an origin story that didn't seem squezzed in or rushed. Definitely worth keeping an eye on.... // e.
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...but so far it's not bad. They actually put the overused "stop motion" (I forget the technical term) effect to good use. The kind of thing I think it should be used for. Nicole, though, doesn't have that sexy/cute combo she used to have going on... if that makes sense (DS9 fans know what I'm talking about). I guess she's just "attractive" now. Not a bad show so far.
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I liked Nicole de Boer better when she was Bruce McCullough's girlfriend on Kids in the Hall.That's all Im saying.
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I liked Nicole deBoer in this show. I didn't like her on DS9-I just liked Terry Ferrell better as Dax. Liked this show, too. I don't have the movie background, so I have no comparisons to that. I liked the show for what it was - had some interesting special effects and raised more questions than answered them. Always an effective way to bring back an audience :) Between Witchblade coming back and this, I had an enjoyable TV night last night (for once).
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I was shocked that The Dead Zone was as good as it was,Anthony M.Hall did quite a good job on the opener witch I was surprised, I like the fx and I especially like how it staying close to the novel and the oiginal movie but with its own feel it looks like I might have found my new series for the summer that is as long as the writing can keep up !
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I thought this was actually done very well. I've read the book and seen the Cronenberg movie and enjoyed them both, though it's been a while. I didn't even know this was being turned into a series until a few days ago. And then, I didn't know that Hall was starring in it until just before it started. Watching this, I'm saying to my girlfriend, "Who's that actress playing his girlfriend, she looks really familiar?" I even went as far as to say, "She looks like someone who maybe guest starred on one of the Star Trek shows." So sue me. I knew I recognized her. Anyway, Hall was excellent. It's nice to see him back. Even knowing the outcome, the story kept me interested. I'll be back for next week's show and see if it can keep up the momentum. But I really hope that they don't turn him into some kind of phsycic detective. You know, what's this week's mystery going to be?
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I have to agree with the review, that the first 15 minutes or so was bad. The child actors, were either really bad -or related to Michael Piller. Still, the show has promise. As fan who has been reading his work since 1979, and have hated 99.9% of all its film adapations, The Dead Zone was the one exception, if only because it was King's most linear story. It has a beginning, a middle and an end -with Johnny's death and the saving of the world. Since then, he's been mixing his worlds -which all seem to somehow centered on his Dark Tower universe. While I enjoy that, I know when films are made of his books, these little items are taken out for people who think TV Guide and Maxium can quailfy as books. Michael Piller did a semi-good job, and my onlt complaint might be that the first half looked very disjointed -like this one-hour pilot was cut down from a two-hours. I just felt he explained things too quickly. It felt rushed. Anthony Michael Hall is fine as Johnny -but he's no Walken. Nicole is much more interesting than the original actress who starred in the film. And David Ogden Stiers appeared to like playing the oily reverand. The supporting cast -including the doctor, was just bad. Hopefully we'll not see him any time soon. I'll give a second look next week, but it will have to grip me to keep coming back on Sunday nights.
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And I love Nicole hope to see more of her.
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This is just wrongheaded. "The Dead Zone" doesn't work if Johnny survives. Particularly if it turns into TV's one-hundred-and-twelfth reworking of "The Fugitive". I believe that Anthony Michael Hall deserves another shot; he was a gifted young comic actor who became typecast and disappeared while his less-talented cohorts moved on to real careers. Somebody give this guy a comedy, and let him do what he does.
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Jun 17, 2002 7:02:43 PM CDT
Piller needs to have his spleen pulled out through the back of h
by ds9_sucks
Actually I'll just settle for seeing him slinging shitty coffee at a Starbuck's though, as befits someone of his talent. He hasn't done a damn worthwhile thing since Best of Both Worlds Part I, and I have to doubt that anything in this warmed-over exploitation will ever change that assessment. Or as he himself put it when dismissing a far better writer than he'll ever be if he lives to be a hundred, Michael who??
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Not bad, not bad. Read the book first than saw the classic flick with Christopher Walken. One of the few films that nailed it just right! The series premiere was good. Didn't have finesse of the movie but what do ya expect?! I liked the change from Herbert Loms Jewish doctor to the Vietnamese doctor...made the show more contemporary. Anthony Michael Hall is no Christoper Walken but he's pretty good. I just wish they made him more gaunt and sickly looking like the film- doesn't look like a guy whose been in a coma for six years. Can't wait to see Gregg Stillson...maybe they can get Charlie Sheen!!
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Hey, it's the summer and what else is there on? Nothing. I enjoy the show. I will be watching every episode. HARRY GET RID OF THE ANNOYING POP-UP'S.
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"You there . . . in the red dress . . . don't make me . . . have to tell you again . . . with the scooching" (children slowly back away quaking with fear). Christopher Walken is straight-up one of the greatest men ever to have walked the face of the earth. Anthony Michael Hall was in Weird Science and Johnny B Good (unless I'm thinking of someone else entirely). Not to mention the fact that novels with a pretty tight plot and character arc very rarely become quality ongoing serieseses. So forgive me for my cynical lack of faith in this show being anything other than something I well mercilessly dissect after 8 bucket bongs. That's if it ever reaches Australia, which considering how much second rate American TV turns up here early in the morning, wouldn't surprise me. Speaking of which, this has been bugging me for a while. I saw a TV show here a while ago, just once, with that Anne Hathaway chick from the Princess Diaries and Jon Tenney. It was a high school thang, and must have been fairly recent because the Hathaway chick looked older than she did in Princess Diaries (before anyone goes nuts at me, I didn't see it, but she promoted it on a chat show called the Panel over here which I watch pretty religiously). Not all that terrible, although I was ripped of my titties the one and only time I saw it.
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Since this *is* a USA show, it's probably got a 2-3 year lifespan at best. If Michael Piller has half a brain and follows the Stillson story through, this series will share the same ending as the film and the book.
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