Rating: 
Summary: Dead Zone finally delivers dead-on King adaptation
Review: The Dead Zone is the finest movie adaptation of a Stephen King novel because it captures perfectly the essence of true terror: the haunts of the past mixed with the unpredictability of the future. Christopher Walken captures this concoction and presents a dead-on performance as a man who awakens from a lengthy coma to discover he has the gift(or curse)of not only being able to predict the future but to change it. The Dead Zone works so well because most of it takes place in a small town atmosphere, which gives the characters the opportunity to fully develop. It also helps to have a first-rate supporting cast with the likes of accomplished actors such as Anthony Zerbe, Tom Skeritt, and Martin Sheen among many others. And since the tone of the film is largely grim, most of the scenes are shot appropriately in winter(with minimalist surroundings and less emphasis on special effects). But all told, it's just great to see a King adaptation that doesn't center around one gory fright after another, but instead presents the frightening unpredictability of the human soul in stark (almost Orwellian) terms.
Rating:
Summary: An unwanted gift, a classic film.
Review: The Dead Zone, I believe, is one of the most passed over Stephen King movies. I don't know why it hasn't become a classic. Now, especially, it is being put behind as the new "Dead Zone" series has come out. I really want more people to see this movie. I don't want The Dead Zone to be remembered for the tv version.The Dead Zone's power comes from a performance by Christopher Walken that squeezes the empathy out of a viewer. We watch as he comes out of a coma only to find his fiance taken by another man and he is bestowed with strange powers that he must take responsibility for. Johnny Smith, who was a once personable school teacher, has become an outcast. A freak. He has lost everything he loved. All he has left is to use his powers for good, but even then he is reluctant to do so. He sacrifices himself, in love, and ultimately in his life; doing what he has to do for the sake of humanity. This movie was masterfully directed by David Cronenberg and with his mix of gore and barren landscapes he leaves a chilling reminder in our hearts of what we sometimes must do for the benifit of others. Coincidence is quite strange being how Walken tells his class about the headless horseman of Sleepy Hollow then went on to play the headless horseman (with head) in Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow. And also how Martin Sheen went on to play the president on The West Wing. If you see this movie for one reason, watch it for Walken's classic outburst of "The ice, is gonna BREAK!"
Rating: 
Summary: No Free Zone
Review: The Dead Zone is based on a novel by horror master Stephen King. Then, of course, along comes the weekly version. The quality of USA cable network's television series, while it cannot be denied, doesn't quite match the impact of the book or the film. Johnny Smith (Christopher Walken) is a young teacher who, five years after a car accident, awakens from a coma. He soon discovers, he has the power to see into the future by coming into physical contact with those around him. After several psychic episodes, Johnny feels that the "experiences" are killing him. He is also forced to face the moral dilemma of whether to alter the future with his new power. Eclectic director David Cronenberg gives us one of the most mainstream efforts of his career. Walken, who is always giving his roles something extra, doesn't disappoint here. Johnny is a strong character, while at the same, highly sympathetic as he struggles with his abilities. The director is able to evoke great emotional impact from Walken who wears every emotion It's good to see the actor play good guy for once. Actor Tom Skerritt is very solid in a supporting role as a officer of the law. While Martin Sheen, in his second King adaptation, is total "ham and cheese" -(in a good way though) as a smarmy political type--in training for The West Wing the whole time. Cronenberg balances the inner turmoil of Johnny and the thrills of the story very well Taking nothing away from the weekly interpetation of Johnny, by Anthony Michael Hall, Walken is tops and is the reason to watch the film. As good as the film is, the lack of any substantial supplemements on the DVD is a shame. An audio commentary from Cronenberg and or Walken/King would have been very cool. Special Edition anyone. The film's theatrical trailer is a there is. At least viewers can finally see the film in widescreen with a 5.1 audio mix. Recommended
Rating:
Summary: Best Stephen King adaption?
Review: When it was released in 1983, many people thought 'The Dead Zone' was a sell-out for director David Cronenberg. Up until that point Cronenberg had stayed faithful to his auteur vision, writing and directing all his own films in Canada, each one with a strong concentration on original and spectacular special effects (usually based around the body). 'The Dead Zone' proved to be unusual for Cronenberg in that he didn't write the script, it was made in the U.S. with mostly American money and it doesn't feature his trademark gorey effects. In fact this film is the inverse of the usual Cronenbergian theme of the body rebelling against the mind. As Christopher Walken's visions become more and more intense, his body ages faster and he moves closer and closer to death. Instead of spine-chilling special effects, most of the terror here is realized through the stength of the actors' performances. Compared to previous Cronenberg movies the acting here is more interior, more emotional and a deep sense of melancholia prevades throughout. This may have been a conscious choice on behalf of the director whose previous movie 'Videodrome' wasn't such a success at the box office. He wanted to stay within the horror genre he knew but wished to reach a wider audience. What better way to do that than to adapt a story by the self-styled 'Big Mac of literature', Stephen King. Many regard 'The Dead Zone' as the finest cinematic adaption of a Stephen King story. Oh and by the way, did anyone notice that at the beginning of the movie when Walken is teaching his English class he asks them to read 'The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow'? He would eventually play the headless horseman in Tim Burton's version of the tale.
Rating:
Summary: Christopher Walken Lights Up This Amazing Movie!
Review: One of my wierd little pet peeves is people who instantly associate Stephen King's name with gory schlock. And I just know that these people have probably never read any of his books. King is way more than just a horror writer (and when he writes horror, it is far from schlock), but can also write touching dramas, and his Dead Zone novel is a testament to this. Cronenberg's movie also stands (alongside Carrie) as perhaps the best King adaption ever. This is due in big part to the ingenious casting of Christopher Walken as the sympathetic hero. We watch what he goes through, losing his girl and his mother and now having this new psychic talent, and we sympathize for him. You'd be surprised to discover how sweet the movie is, and we get to see Johnny Smith help a lot of people out. The movie also has a slam-bang ending which manages to tie everything together in about two minutes without seeming rushed. Overall, you gotta love Walken and Cronenberg equals brilliance, and when they're hard at work to adapt something from master Stephen King, you get: MASTERPIECE.
Rating:
Summary: Intriguing Character-Driven Film
Review: Johnny Smith (Christopher Walken), a young teacher, has been in a coma for the last five years as a result of a car accident. When he suddenly awakens, he finds that the world around him has completely changed. The love of his life, Sarah Bracknell (Brooke Adams) has married another and he has received the dubious gift of second sight. Johnny finds that when he touches another person, he can see their future. Distraught and unable to bear the ramifications of his gift, Johnny retreats into himself and lives alone in a small town in the country. He tutors children in his home to make ends meet and tries to avoid physical contact when at all possible. However, as opportunities to use his gift come up, Johnny finds that he cannot resist. First there is the rapist/murderer, then there is the young boys' hockey team falling through thin ice, and finally there is an obsessed politician (Martin Sheen). In the end, Johnny must make the choice between doing what is right or continuing to endure his bleak, loveless life... Director David Cronenberg did a wonderful job adapting this Stephen King novel. It is not a horror story like many of King's books are, but a wonderful story about a man's inner landscape. Christopher Walken was fabulous as the self-tortured lead character and I felt that I knew exactly what he was going through, even though he never said anything. He was also ably supported by other actors, including a conflicted Brooke Adams as his love interest and Martin Sheen as a characteture of a smarmy politician who takes kissing babies to a whole new level. Shot almost entirely in a bleak, gray, cold winter, the settings were perfect for this film and really let you focus on the characters. A wonderful movie to curl up at night with.
Rating:
Summary: A must-have for any collection
Review: "The Dead Zone" is that rare creature, a Stephen King adaptation that gets everything right. It's not "scary" per se, but then again, most of King's best work focuses on the human aspects of a story rather than the supernatural.
Walken gives a strong, controlled performance as Johnny Smith, an everyman who wakes up from a 5-year coma blessed with the gift of second sight, a gift he sees as more of a curse. While he struggles with the question of how to handle this gift, he pines away for the love of his life, a woman who married another man in his absence. But when he catches a glimpse of the frightening ambitions of a local senatorial candidate, he can't just sit around anymore; he knows what he must do...
This movie rides a strong wave of emotion throughout Johnny's journey. In fact, it's fair to say that the movie winds up being downright depressing. But it's also impossible to turn away from. Once you're hooked on Johnny's dilemmas, you will follow him anywhere (which is probably why someone thought it would make a good TV show). He takes a fascinating, disturbing trip full of questions regarding personal responsibility, the pros and cons of being a one-man freak show, and, most poignantly, a love that just wasn't meant to be.
You will enjoy this movie. Just keep the hankies handy.
Rating: 
Summary: Much Better Then that Awful Book!
Review: This movie is pretty good. Much better then the awful book!
Rating:
Summary: Some interesting casting decisions for this King novel
Review: The 1983 theatrical version of "The Dead Zone" directed by David Cronenberg is probably the most disappointing film adaptation of a Stephen King novel that I have seen, mainly because I had such heightened expectations. The novel was one of my favorite King novels and the only one that I have taught in class a couple of times (for quite different reasons) and when I first saw this film I knew exactly what went wrong. This will surprise a lot of you, but I thought casting Christopher Walken as Johnny Smith was a big mistake. I seem to remember somebody calling Walken the King of Weird (or maybe it was Prince) and when you take a weird guy like Walken and give him a weird power, such as psychic ability, it is just too weird. One of the reasons the character has the name that he has is because it was important to the story that the person that this happens to is basically an ordinary guy. Casting Walken, who is a remarkable actor, simply throws this idea away. Beyond the lead we are talking about a pretty good supporting cast, with Martin Sheen doing dark side political candidate Greg Stillson, and "Ice Castle" stars Tom Skerritt and Colleen Dewhurst reunited as Sheriff Bannerman and Henrietta Dodd. But I think a lot of the other casting is a bit off too, with Herbert Lom as Sam Weizak and Anthony Zerbe as Roger Stuart, so I get the feeling Cronenberg was trying to do something on purpose here. Certainly you can argue it provides a sense of uneasy because so many people are trying to play against type. Believe me, I know this is the minority opinion on this film, but this film just falls short for me. Jeffrey Boam's script comes up with some cinematic ways of presenting Johnny's visions that works well (and which has been exploited to great visual effects in the USA television series version of "The Dead Zone"). The film does not emphasize the logic of the string of situations that convince Johnny that he can change the future and do something about Stilson the way the novel does, but again that might just be my heightened sensitivity to what I consider the strength of King's novel. The best part of the film is the entire Castle Rock episode, with Johnny helping the skeptical but desperate Bannerman to end the killings in his town. Of course, this episode is helped by this being the one with Skerritt and Dewhurst. The weakest part is the bit with saving young Chris Stuart, because it jettisons the great bit in the book in favor of going back and replacing it with a variation on Johnny's childhood accident. That alteration seemed hardly worth the effort. However, read the book, watch the movie, and check out the television series so you can make up your own mind. Certainly you should find a couple of these versions of the story to your liking.
Rating:
Summary: The Wolf is loose!
Review: A truely scary film. Christopher Walkin plays the main character 'Johny' with panache. This film was a good adaption of The Stephen King book and manages to keep the audience spell bound through out. Martin Sheen plays the potential future president chillingly and overall worthy of a 5 star rating.
| 
