Rating of
4/4
A Stand Out
Franz Patrick - wrote on 04/15/08
Regardless of its nondescript title, this film is fascinating in every way. It has something to say about politics, the way society behaves when the chips are down and the pressure is up, how religion capitalizes on people's fear, and how people's actions change when they know that death is about to knock on their doors. On top of that, I appreciated that this is one of those old-fashion horror-thrillers with a mix of comedy--it goes for the mystery, what can and cannot be seen. It is not one of those easy-shock, torture-porn movies that anesthetize people when it comes to violence (although this film is very generous when showing blood and guts). I've read a lot of people's reviews on Yahoo! and movies.com about the ending and I want to say this: Stephen King is big on irony. If one fails to grasp the importance of that irony (that lingered or been hinted throughout the film), one will most likely not be able to fully appreciate the body of work. I thought the ending was deflty handled and... somewhat predictable (in a good way BECAUSE it's so fitting). There's a lot of dark humour in the film and the ending is the darkest of them all (hence, the saying that not everyone "gets" dark comedy). I wish I can talk more about the ending but I don't want to spoil anything. Lastly, I want to give kudos to Marcia Gay Harden for stealing every scene she was in: she was convincing but detestable, dedicated but pious--one way or another, audiences WILL have an opinion of her, there is no doubt about it. This is one of my favourite Stephen King adaptations to date because it is imaginative and incredibly snarky.
