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40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
A brilliant, underappreciated adaptation of King's novel, November 30, 2003
For some reason, The Dead Zone has always been one of my least favorite Stephen King novels, but I have to say this movie adaptation of the novel is first-rate indeed, one of the most underappreciated of all the movies based on the work of the king of horror. The film's success is due in large part to Christopher Walken; with a less capable actor filling the role of Johnny Smith, this movie could have turned out as flat as a pancake. Walken, the consummate actor, is mesmerizing here. It's a complex role to play, as Johnny Smith has not exactly been blessed by the kind hands of fate. When we first meet him, he is a happy English teacher preparing to marry the woman he loves; a stormy night and a runaway milk tanker later, he wakes up to find that five years have passed, his girl has married someone else, and he is all but incapable of even walking. If you think this is a film about eliminating a politician of great and destructive evil, you're not even half-right. While that is of course the focus of the concluding minutes, the movie itself is all about Johnny's struggles to come to terms with his new life, a new life which includes a frightening power to see into the past and future of those whom he physically touches. The first manifestation comes in handy, as he helps save a nurse's little girl from dying in a fire, but traumatic, soul-draining visions of horror take a lot out of a guy as time moves on. Johnny first comes to terms with his power when he agrees to help the police discover the identity of an elusive serial killer walking the streets of Castle Rock (which, for some strange reason, is supposedly located in New Hampshire rather than Maine). This experience only makes him retreat farther into himself, compelling him to move to another town and try to begin a new life within the comfort of his own protective walls. A traumatic vision concerning one of the students he is tutoring leads him to discover a new aspect of his power, and this discovery comes just in time for him to make a difficult decision as to whether or not to sacrifice his own life in order to prevent a truly cataclysmic event from taking place in the future. David Cronenberg directs this bleak but absorbing film, but don't expect the kind of gore Cronenberg is famous for, as this is not a gore-mired film by any means (although the deaths we do witness are pretty satisfyingly presented). The Dead Zone is a psychological study of human nature and a suspenseful thriller, not a horror movie per se. Martin Sheen leaves an unforgettable mark on the film with his portrayal of as slimy and dangerous a politician as you would ever want to meet (and, as a side note, impersonating Elvis Presley's voice apparently goes over big among New England voters for some reason). A lot of care and detail went into the making of The Dead Zone, and it shows. The atmosphere is dark and palpable from start to finish, and Christopher Walken commands the viewer's rapt attention at all times. There are a number of very moving scenes, particularly in relation to Johnny's new relationship with his former fiancée, so don't be surprised if Walken coaxes a tear or two out of the corners of your eyes. Many of the early movies based on King novels did not translate to the big screen very effectively, but The Dead Zone is an often overlooked and very impressive exception.
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15 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
CRONENBERG - KING - WALKEN : A WINNING TRIO, September 14, 2002
In my opinion, Christopher Walken is one of the most interesting american actors of the last 25 years, right besides Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. But unfortunately his filmography can not be compared with theirs. With the exception of Abel Ferrara and Michael Cimino, few leading american directors have used his talent. Too bad.So we must enjoy again and again his terrific performance in THE DEAD ZONE, a movie directed by canadian director David Cronenberg in 1983. If we still remember this picture, it's essentially due to Walken's character, a teacher who awakens from a 5 years coma with a psychic ability. Well, let's be objective, the technical skill of Cronenberg is also to be praised. The scenes showing Walken going into a trance deserve to stay in the movie annals. The picture is also giving us the opportunity to admire Brooke Adams, an actress who had the same kind of career than Walken's : two or three masterpieces like Terrence Malick's DAYS OF HEAVEN and a lot of forgettable films. Nothing special about the DVD. A trailer, good sound and images, that's all. Nothing special indeed. A DVD zone dead.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
You will love this movie. I can feel it., May 18, 2006
A novel as powerful as "The Dead Zone" requires a powerful cast to make it on the screen. And with the clever combination of Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen, Tom Skerrit and several other notables, this movie proves to be perhaps the best film adaptation of a Stephen King work.
It begins with a spellbinding story. When Stephen King has a great idea, he does not squander it. Many writers have tackled the concept of precognition, but few have done is so masterfully. "The Dead Zone" is full of thrills, mayhem and wow moments while King is still getting warmed up.
When Johnny Smith wakes up from a five year coma, he is endowed with the gift of second sight. By touching another person or a simple item, he is treated to the vision of a future event. The sky is the limit with such a concept, and King does not leave any piece of that sky unexplored.
The John Smith character is supremely likeable and sympathetic. Walken is not the first person to come to mind. But he handles the role beautifully, and he immediately becomes the sad and ponderous character King invented in the novel.
Before the midway point of the movie, Johnny is saving people from house fires, reuniting a mother and son, and steering youngsters away from a horrible skating accident that has not happened yet. The movie goer has his money's worth before this flick is half done. Each character is vivid and dynamic, particularly those of Smith and a certain politician named Greg Stinson, played to precise evil by Sheen.
The second half of the movie is no less exciting but profoundly more significant as the story unfolds. Tampering with the future is an endeavor fraught with peril, as any fan of physics can tell you. Johnny is confronted by such a challenge, forced to choose between accepting the fate of the world or embracing his gift and using it to change the future. There is a serial killer to sniff out, and even that is not as vital as his next step, which involves a truly demented man who will one day be president.
The finally act can be summarized by the question: "If you could go back and time, knowing what you know about Adolph [...], would you kill him?"
This is one of those rare movies that compliments the novel that came before it. If you've read the book, rush out and watch the movie. If you haven't read the book, you need to take a week off to fit them both in.
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based on 101 reviews.
