Stephen King's Desperation
by Mick Garris
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Annabeth Gish, Charles Durning, Matt Frewer, Steven Weber, Tom SkerrittDirector: Mick Garris
Brand: Lions Gate
Cinematographer: Christian Sebaldt
Producer: Mick Garris
Producer: Bruce Dunn
Producer: Kelly Van Horn
Producer: Mark Sennet
Producer: Stephen King
Writer: Stephen King
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 131 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-08-29
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Lions Gate
Movie Reviews of Stephen King's Desperation
Movie Review: flawed but fun, gory but not grotesque, chatoic- if not quite a classic, all round- classic King
Summary: 5 Stars
I too, havent seen the DVD, and this review is based on the strength of the ABC airing.
Desperation is directed by Mick Garris, which will either be cause for horror fans to jump up and down with excitement and others to cringe. His adaptations vary from excellent to sub-par (Quicksilver Highway, which was entertaining- but entertaining just as fairy-floss is tasty; nice while your chewing, but over and out of mind within seconds). Fortunatley this adaptation falls at the opposite end of the scale.
There are a couple of things working against this one, firstly being that it isnt based on one of Kings best and the mis-casting of Annabeth Gish, but thats pretty much it. It's faithful, for those who want or need that, its well made- the cinematography is occassionally stunning and is quite beautiful in its construction, especially for a horror film and especially, for a horror film made for television.
For the most part the performances are great, Ron Perlman is stellar- dangerous and comic, leaving viewers lost in the mid-ground, which is where the tension works best.
The fist half is very intense and full of wonderful suspense sequences, whereas the second half (after the departure of Perlman) develops the supernatural themes and shamlessly runs with it, which is the best and only way to do adapt such material (if only Dreamcatcher could have done the same).
The music is gritty and chilling at times (especially in the China Pit flashback- it perfectly captures the racism of the characters and the danger of the unknown Diety Tak). The effects are good and the action well paced, but it is two important flashbacks (one of which mentioned above) that steal the show- they are creative and innovative, not to mention spooky and lasting; which is something you dont get from many horror films recently.
Garris succesfully captures the camp, the over the top characters, the gritty desert landscape within his recurring wide-lenses and steep shadows- the very first shot perfectly sets up what type of film you are heading into: the camera tracks over the sandy ground, going up and over rises like a sidewinding rollercoaster- with the only sound being natural atmos and the shot continues, rising, following up to a speed limit sign, to which a dead cat has been tied. Then, for a final, wonderfully times suprise, a car litterally pistols into shot.
This film is a rollercoaster ride. It is vicious. It is funny. It is highly religious in content; which will not be for everyone. But for those who find that angle to hard too swallow, there is the character of Johnny, who is a well timed lynchpin to the blindly faithful David. It is in these scenes of religious tension that the most of the heart shines through, and unlike past Garris-King adaptation Riding the Bullet, the sentimentality is measured and not over-powering.
This is truly better than the majority of horror that is in the cinemas at the moment. In a time where horror remakes fill our screens and wink-wink nudge-nudge thrills come aplenty; Desperation comes as a breath of fresh, blood laced air blowing straight through the hair of the mountain lion that stalks the streets of the mining town.
Not to mention its the best King adaptation in a long time. It is so much better than Dreamcatcher (which seriously needed a sense of humour- especially in the second half), Secret Window (which became more a parody of its own genre than even a half decent adaptation or film on its own right; although it did have two wonderful performances), The Salems Lot remake (I usually dont care, or can differentiate myself from original material when watching adaptations, but this one- the changes just utterly confused me in their randomness; it really gutted the entire film, which is a shame), The terrible Carrie remake and better than Riding the Bullet (which does have its merits, but it is still sub-par, despite some wonderfully revealing camera work and a perfectly comic flashback sequence involving the death of Staub).
From first shot to last, I (and everyone else i know who has seen it) was thoroughly entertained. There is an unfortunate backlash against Mick Garris- but whatever stigma many have attatched to him, for better or worse, really should be left behind in this one. He is a good director, this is evidence of that. He is an excellent producer- Masters of horror. And an occassionally brilliant writer- A Life in the Cinema. Garris's heart is in the right place, just as it was with The Stand- and the result is fun horror for fans of 80's style supernatural opuses and thought provoking, if challenging religious dogma.
Well done Mick! Thank God, we waited long enough and it was well worth it. Good luck with masters of Horror series 2.
Summary of Stephen King's Desperation
Cross-country travelers on an isolated highway are arrested by a corrupt sheriff and jailed in a desolate town whose streets are littered with the dead bodies of local residents. The captives manage to escape, only to discover that Desperation, Nevada, is more than just a town gone wrong?it?s the terrifying source of unbridled evil.Similar DVD Movies
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