How many times have we heard this year, "We're all in this together" ? Well, I'm afraid when it comes to the Stand, we are all having the same frustrating experience. At some point (think around episode 2) this big beautiful boat hit an iceberg and we're now all on a sinking ship.
CBS has put a lot of time and effort into offering Stephen King fans a plate of trash. I was so excited with the first episode, endured the second, and am ready to cancel CBS after the third. After watching the latest gob of mush, I finally decided to open my eyes and see what others were saying. Am I the only one who hates this? What I found was -- I'm not alone.
In fact, after reading article after article expressing similar frustrations, I started looking for someone who enjoyed this. Some reviews found some entertaining moments, but no one seems blown away. Even Lilja at struggled to find positive notes in his spoiler free review. (liljas-library.com) Surprised, I turned to the ever-fan at thetruthinsidethelie.blogspot.com. Stuff I hate, Bryant and usually find hope in. But when it comes to this version of the Stand, we all seem to be on the same sinking ship. "Thus far, The Stand has failed utterly to establish that it is the "present" which is the real story." He notes the timeline is "sloppily connected." (Well said.)
Stephen King has rightly pointed out that no movie can really "ruin" his book, since the book is right there for you to read any time you want. Which might be what I end up doing. That, and canceling CBS.
hollywoodreporter: CBS All Access' new adaptation of The Stand is a car on cinderblocks. It looks great. If you glance under the hood, you can see all of the work that's been done on the engine. But no matter how ready it seems to peel out onto the road, it isn't going anywhere. Very rarely is the Benjamin Cavell-steered adaptation, with Josh Boone directing the pilot, actively bad, but it's very frustrating.
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics Consensus: Despite an A-list ensemble and a smattering of poignant moments, The Stand's extended runtime doesn't make for better storytelling, leaving its expansive cast stranded in a cluttered apocalypse.
rogerebert.com: Most damningly, there’s no sense of the world’s descent into madness, no seeping dread, no unbearable builds of tension; “The Stand” hits you with the glowing eyes of evil and the mystical wisdom of the “magical old black lady” (the show’s description, not mine) early and often, leaving subtlety in the dust.
www.vulture.comWhile there are some genuinely effective attempts to generate suspense, those sequences stand beside some of the wildest and most off-the-mark sections of the series,
indiewire.com: in an article titled, "‘The Stand’ Review: Stephen King’s CBS All Access Adaptation Is a Plague Unto Itself": Even more debilitating is the realization these flashbacks are going to keep happening every time we meet a new character. “The Stand” is famous for having a massive cast, and while jumping ahead in time so we can get past the pandemic is a sound instinct — the show’s viral outbreak is close enough to reality to remind viewers what’s going on outside, but far too extreme to provide meaningful parallels — repeatedly going back in time kills forward momentum. And it doesn’t help that all these flashbacks fail to set up any intriguing “how did they get from here to there” teases.
and: It is also miscast, in nearly every role. “The Stand” isn’t bolstered by a fleet of skilled actors so much as it’s hindered by watching those proven talents struggle to find a credible tone within the series’ cleaned-up TV sheen and dirty allegory for good vs. evil.
CNN notes, 'The Stand' turns Stephen King's epic book into what feels like a very long sit." And
Collider headlines their article, "'The Stand' Review: A Sprawling Apocalypse Epic That Trips on Its Own Ambition."
USA Today said, "CBS All Access makes a -- mess out of Stephen King's epic." I think this form the USA Today article nails everyone's frustration: :The most troublesome problem with "Stand" is the decision to jump around in the timeline, starting not at the pandemic that destroys humanity but in the middle of a new society that sprang up after it. Working backward (and then forward, and then backward again), the episodes struggle to clearly explain what happened with "Captain Tripps," a lethal super flu accidentally released from a military facility. Most plot developments and characterizations are implied rather than filmed, making this "Stand" more confusing than anything else."
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