27 Dresses? Or is he the evil one with nefarious motives like in Hulu’s
Mrs. America, Netflix’s
27 Dresses?
These themes hit a crescendo with Marsden’s latest role in limited series,
The Stand. Based on the popular Stephen King novel, the star-studded CBS All Access program focuses on the few survivors of flu-like pandemic that swiftly wiped out most of the world’s population. Will those remaining choose the path of good? Led by Whoopi Goldberg’s nurturing 108-year-old Mother Abagail, this flock sticks to their dwellings in Boulder, Colorado. Or will they decide to stand with Randall Flagg, Alexander Skarsgard’s alluring and intoxicating “Dark Man” who has staked his claim on the remains of Las Vegas?
âThe Standâ Review: A Dystopia for Today and Tomorrow
This adaptation of a Stephen King novel about a pandemic is especially timely in the age of Covid, but also stands up as a lasting work in the genre.
Whoopi Goldberg in âThe Standâ Photo: James Minchin/CBS By John Anderson Dec. 15, 2020 4:52 pm ET
The classics of dystopian fiction have often been born of an unhappy vision, but theyâve always been the product of uncluttered logic: Take an existing problem to its possible end, imagine the worst and, voilà , you have the perpetual war of âNineteen Eighty-Four,â the ultra-violence of âA Clockwork Orange,â the reproductive tyranny of âA Handmaidâs Taleââand the pandemic of âThe Stand,â whose arrival right now as a nine-part miniseries seems more than a bit uncanny, morbidly fascinating and in somewhat questionable taste.
The Stand Feels Both Timely and Overwhelming
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Mother Abagail (Whoopi Goldberg) summons you.unless you re Team Flagg. (Image: CBS All Access)
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The Stand came out in 2020. Much like the year itself, the story begins with a pandemic and goes on to showcase some truly awful human behaviour. CBS All Access certainly has timeliness on its side but what about the rest?
The Stand both epic and iconic is not hyperbole. From its release in 1978, the novel has frequently appeared on best of lists and impacted popular culture and beyond with its post-apocalyptic, dark fantasy tale of the collapse of human civilization and the battle between good and evil. It s also a substantial book, well over a thousand pages in its complete and uncut edition, making an adaptation a massive undertaking and, while it s been done before with ABC s 1994 miniseries, CBS All Access is approaching the novel again in its own, nine-part series event that kicks off on Thursday, December 17th. Despite this adaptation making some changes and shifts its approach in telling the story, it may just be the most spiritually faithful adaptation yet.
Uneven Stephen King Adaptation The Stand Can t Quite Convey Its Apocalyptic Stakes: TV Review lmtonline.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from lmtonline.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.