The Stand

Brodhi

I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue.
<Donor>
1,283
3,428
i would also like to add, that elements from other SK books were included in earlier books of the series. the "It" turtle from book 3. the references to the Stand in Book 4 as well as Flagg himself. so you like books 1-4? then you were ok with King going meta even back then.

I am completely fine with integrating elements across all of SK books, I mean, that was the entire concept of the dark tower, and all the books integrated into the same universe. I loved that aspect of tying everything together. I would have even been fine with his writing himself into the story, as long as it ended decently. I could have looked past that. So by themselves, I didn't hate books 5-7. But the sum total of everything after 4, culminating in the stupidest final 500 pages ever written just destroyed it all for me. I still read 1-4 regularly. (The audiobooks are also great if you haven't heard them. Frank Muller was excellent, he read 2-4, along with books like Talisman and Black House. Shame he died.
 
  • 1Like
Reactions: 1 user

Chukzombi

Millie's Staff Member
71,632
212,855
I am completely fine with integrating elements across all of SK books, I mean, that was the entire concept of the dark tower, and all the books integrated into the same universe. I loved that aspect of tying everything together. I would have even been fine with his writing himself into the story, as long as it ended decently. I could have looked past that. So by themselves, I didn't hate books 5-7. But the sum total of everything after 4, culminating in the stupidest final 500 pages ever written just destroyed it all for me. I still read 1-4 regularly. (The audiobooks are also great if you haven't heard them. Frank Muller was excellent, he read 2-4, along with books like Talisman and Black House. Shame he died.
The Talisman if made today would be completely Stranger Thinged. i dont know if thats a good or bad thing. but now im just happy when they dont adapt SK books i loved anymore. Eyes of The Dragon should be safe for a long time.
 

reavor

I'm With HER ♀
<Bronze Donator>
4,756
16,472
I guess one shouldn't be too surprised about King writing himself into his own book. whenever he's involved with a movie/TV adaptation of his works he joins in as an extra in it. ha also adds a lot of cringey scenes into TV adaptations, like the old Shining version.
 

Chukzombi

Millie's Staff Member
71,632
212,855
I guess one shouldn't be too surprised about King writing himself into his own book. whenever he's involved with a movie/TV adaptation of his works he joins in as an extra in it. ha also adds a lot of cringey scenes into TV adaptations, like the old Shining version.
the story behind that TV version is that King got super pissed off at what Kubrik did to his adaption, because you know King's book endings were so awesome. he also didnt like that Jack Nicholson was cast as Jack Torrance, because he said that Nicholson already played a crazy person in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest and people would know that he would go crazy in this movie. i mean he sort of had a point there, Nicholson is known for acting over the top in his roles, thats kind of his thing. but to be fair, if he wasnt in that film the movie would have been a hot mess. so King made a deal with ABC that he would write the screenplay and produce the TV version of The Shining. done his way with the gay roque mallets nobody ever heard of and the boiler blowing up the place and Torrance just being a misunderstood dad. King put himself in there as Gage Creed, named after the little boy run over by the oil truck in Pet Sematary. hahah so funny. it was an absolute failure. in 1997, the original Shining was already a classic film that everyone loved, except King.
 

reavor

I'm With HER ♀
<Bronze Donator>
4,756
16,472
finally watched the final episode to complete this mess. they skip the whole thing with Tom reviving Stu and getting back to boulder. instead they add some BS about Fran and Stu going to Nebraska on their way back to Maine, staying at some old house when Fran falls into a well and meets Flagg and Abigail in some kind of dream. ugh.

Edit: Oh and also: God appears and if of course a black girl.
 
Last edited:
  • 2Worf
  • 1Rustled
Reactions: 2 users

SorrowsEnd

Trakanon Raider
1,449
747
I was curious if they could redeem any of this with perhaps a neat episode of Stu and Tom making their way back to Boulder.

Nope.

What the fuck did I just watch?
 

Arbitrary

Tranny Chaser
27,001
71,345
I was curious if they could redeem any of this with perhaps a neat episode of Stu and Tom making their way back to Boulder.

Nope.

What the fuck did I just watch?

Given that only the first couple episodes are told grossly out of chronological order I have even more questions about why.
 

Arbitrary

Tranny Chaser
27,001
71,345
This last episode is so fucking bad that I retroactively regret watching the previous eight. Instead of getting to spend some time with Tom and Stu as they struggle to get back to Boulder (with a special appearance by the ghost of Nick Andros) we instead watch the dumbest white girl left alive on the planet do just about everything possible to get herself killed only to be magically healed by a nameless magical black girl we have not seen previously and that disappears right after.

In the book the concern whether or not babies would be immune was pretty major. The first baby born in Boulder dies. When Fran's baby gets sick it looks like there may be no hope. Those are some damned heavy themes that could have been in this show. I think Stu has a fever dream where the baby is dead when Tom is taking care of him. That's a good spot to stick a little more Flagg in. Instead we just gloss over everything (with more of the mediocre narration that has plagued the whole show) before the opening credits.
 
  • 1Solidarity
  • 1Like
Reactions: 1 users

reavor

I'm With HER ♀
<Bronze Donator>
4,756
16,472
This last episode is so fucking bad that I retroactively regret watching the previous eight. Instead of getting to spend some time with Tom and Stu as they struggle to get back to Boulder (with a special appearance by the ghost of Nick Andros) we instead watch the dumbest white girl left alive on the planet do just about everything possible to get herself killed only to be magically healed by a nameless magical black girl we have not seen previously and that disappears right after.

In the book the concern whether or not babies would be immune was pretty major. The first baby born in Boulder dies. When Fran's baby gets sick it looks like there may be no hope. Those are some damned heavy themes that could have been in this show. I think Stu has a fever dream where the baby is dead when Tom is taking care of him. That's a good spot to stick a little more Flagg in. Instead we just gloss over everything (with more of the mediocre narration that has plagued the whole show) before the opening credits.

it could have been almost touching to watch Tom overcome his disability trying to administer antibiotics and food to Stu as they struggle back. also how idiotic was it that instead of sending scouts out west to see what happened, Fran is like "nope! can't spare anyone! even though we just got another 500 plus people joining us".
 
  • 1Like
Reactions: 1 user

Arbitrary

Tranny Chaser
27,001
71,345
it could have been almost touching to watch Tom overcome his disability trying to administer antibiotics and food to Stu as they struggle back. also how idiotic was it that instead of sending scouts out west to see what happened, Fran is like "nope! can't spare anyone! even though we just got another 500 plus people joining us".

"Stu, can you go get water? Nothing works here."

"I wonder if that pump works."

fran dumb.png


She then approaches the well from the most dangerous angle. Either side with the heavy board would have been better but she picks literally the worst angle on this fucking movie prop of a well. Maybe put a heavy board across it on top of what's there? Nope! Gun is on the porch, walkie-talkie is in the house, time to fuck around with this obviously dangerous well as my newborn sits unattended out of reach after this fucking trek back across the decaying corpse of civilization under the assumption it'll be just fine.

"Black musician is a thief of both music and drugs and carries around a literal duffelbag of stolen blow and pills" along with "strong woman is only alive because multiple men dragged her ass from the brink of death multiple times" are some pretty fucking funny themes to see end up in a piece of woke media.

edit - whoever decided to have a CGI smiley face button needs to be sent down to the Disney pits animating each hair on Shrek's taint.
 
  • 1Like
Reactions: 1 user

Cybsled

Avatar of War Slayer
16,395
12,029
There is a scene in the books where King describes how even though people were immune to the virus, there were still deaths because of the collapse of society. There was I think one scene where he mentions a kid that falls down a well, breaks their leg, and eventually dies.

They basically made Fran in the show have the same level of sense as a kid in the books lol
 
  • 1Worf
Reactions: 1 user

Chukzombi

Millie's Staff Member
71,632
212,855
There is a scene in the books where King describes how even though people were immune to the virus, there were still deaths because of the collapse of society. There was I think one scene where he mentions a kid that falls down a well, breaks their leg, and eventually dies.

They basically made Fran in the show have the same level of sense as a kid in the books lol
wasnt there a kid on a bike who breaks his skull in a fall?
"Stu, can you go get water? Nothing works here."

"I wonder if that pump works."

View attachment 334441

She then approaches the well from the most dangerous angle. Either side with the heavy board would have been better but she picks literally the worst angle on this fucking movie prop of a well. Maybe put a heavy board across it on top of what's there? Nope! Gun is on the porch, walkie-talkie is in the house, time to fuck around with this obviously dangerous well as my newborn sits unattended out of reach after this fucking trek back across the decaying corpse of civilization under the assumption it'll be just fine.

"Black musician is a thief of both music and drugs and carries around a literal duffelbag of stolen blow and pills" along with "strong woman is only alive because multiple men dragged her ass from the brink of death multiple times" are some pretty fucking funny themes to see end up in a piece of woke media.

edit - whoever decided to have a CGI smiley face button needs to be sent down to the Disney pits animating each hair on Shrek's taint.
what the shit is that? why did they feel they had to deviate into avant garde art house film making instead following the novel which has everything spelled out for them?
 

Aldarion

Egg Nazi
8,886
24,237
This was terrible start to finish, one of the worst adaptations of a Stephen King book ever. Which is saying a lot.

The Dark Tower was worse. Barely. I'm not sure I can think of any others that sucked worse.

Fuck this was so bad, I want to watch the original mini series to forget this, but just don't even want to watch a better version of it at this point. Fucking terrible.
 
  • 2Like
Reactions: 1 users

Arbitrary

Tranny Chaser
27,001
71,345
I've been flipping through the original series and it's still cheap and it's still hokey but it is just so much better.


No money, bad effects and melodramatic this Nadine is still stronger and confronts Flagg better than the shit we got in the new series. She properly speaks to his fears and looks to be in complete control of herself when she jumps versus the terrible CGI bellyflop + extra gore head on a silver platter for no reason.
 
  • 1Solidarity
Reactions: 1 user

Cynical

Canuckistani Terrorist
2,130
5,112
Why the fuck would they change Larry Underwood to be black, out of all the characters? That was why he was such a big hit when virus hit , everyone thought he sounded Black singing, literal line from book "that ole brown sound" The entire character, where he came from, how he grew the fuck up by the end, was about this spoiled white boy that never took responsibility all his life for anything, and used people all the time. Just dumb, could have made most of the cast black, and it wouldn't have mattered at all, but changing him just turns the character into a hollow shell. Was one of the best character arcs in the book, I despised Larry for most of book, but by end it changes around.

Other than that this time skipping shit is really annoying. Anyone not familiar with the book/story must be confused as fuck.