We just passed the 30th anniversary of this airing on ABC. 10-year-old me was DEFINITELY not allowed to see it then.
So, what is 1994's The Stand? Well, it was one of King's more epic tales and locked in some form of developmental hell for around a Decade before this came out. Many great names- like George A. Romero and Dario Argento! - were approached/attached and many Studios had a say in the matter.
This finally came out as a 4-Part Mini-Series that aired from May 8th to May 12th.
Many names of note are here from Kathy Bates to Ed Harris to Rob Lowe and Gary Sinise. Many more 'That Guy' and 'That Lady' Actors and Actresses will show up throughout.
You want Molly Ringwald and The Dad from ALF? Done. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the Voice of Patrick Star? Yep. Freaking Patrick Kilpatrick? Scan him in!
The Plot involves, well, the end of the World. Can you see why this was hard to adapt?
To find out if this one holds up after 3 Decades, read on...
A bioweapon of some sorts is accidentally released in a Government Lab.
One of the men flees the Facility with his Family, traveling across multiple States in 4 days!
He crashes and dies in a small Texas town, where the people- lead by Sinise- try to help him.
He dies from a strange virus and the Government soon finds out!
Of course, this is Part 1 of a 4-Part Mini-Series, so we have to play the Introduce Every Character Game.
First up, this Musician guy, who will be important later.
We have Molly Ringwald (I didn't pick the most flattering shot, did I) and her wannabe boyfriend.
She's also going to be important later.
Rob Lowe plays a Deaf-Mute Character- a role he wanted to play since he is legit dead in one ear- who gets on the bad side of Kilpatrick.
He's the first to see the strange visions that will lead to stuff later.
Throughout the first part, we see a General- an uncredited Harris- trying to cover things up when all else fails.
He's a big part here...but likely won't be in the next 3 parts.
Here's a random Scene for you- in the midst of everything breaking down- with lots of people dying and rioting happening- we get a Found Footage-style section with this Reporter and her crew.
They're targeted for leaking some footage and assaulted.
Oh and sudden Kathy Bates!
She plays a Radio DJ who tries to report on what's happening before some unplanned company arrives.
The key player here is Sinise, as he's proven to be immune to the Virus. The Scientists- including ALF Dad- try to find out why, but all succumb to the plague.
He escapes the Facility, but also dreams of Mother Abigail as Part 1 ends.
A really vast, but also interesting Story. There's LOTS going on here, which is both a blessing and a curse.
On one hand, there's many diverse Characters, locales and Stories.
One the other hand, that same thing makes it hard sometimes to keep up with who is where and why.
The fact that they do stuff like randomly introduce a guy named Rat-Man and have Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as a 'The End is Nigh!' guy keep popping up is a bit distracting.
With so much going in, it can be hard for a Story like this to focus on what matters. I think that they do alright, but I can easily see people in 1994 or 2024 needing a score card.
Hell, even following the ownership of this one is, as it ran on ABC, but my DVD was released by CBS!
For a TV Mini-Series, they get the scale pretty good. The make-up work, which won an Award, is great too. I don't have complaints about the content- just the format, I guess.
Personally, I found it kind of funny that Mick Garris was hired based on his work on
Psycho IV (and, also Sleepwalkers). Alright then!
For better or worse, this sets up a big, long King Story. It also features 2 notable Cameos (at least to me). We've got Ken Jenkins, 7 years before SCRUBS...
...and Joe Bob Briggs himself. I wonder how many 'Captain Trips' he gave this Film?
Next up, I'll do my best to match the release Schedule of the Show. Now that most people are dead, let the drama begin! Stay tuned...
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