Sara Rusk

I just recently watched this (yeah, I'm behind on my television) and am utterly floored by how nitpicking some people are who have read the book over details that really don't matter in the narration of the story. I read The Stand as a teenager, and so it's been a minute. That being said, I remember a fair amount and, while this is not 100% faithful to the book, it really does encapsulate the characters and story quite well. A marked deviation, for example, was the abysmal The Man in the High Castle, which honestly should have never been attempted as a series because of the book's non-ending. This tells a full narrative. Is is the book's whole narrative? No, that is impossible- and to attempt would result in a multi-season escapade that no one really would have the patience for. Stephen King is for people who can bide their time; this miniseries is a good representation of what his stories can offer. I also love The Shining, and that's way off from the book. For people who are caught up on appearances of characters; sometimes this is important, and sometimes it's not. The casting choices here make sense, so if your hang up is someone not having black hair or not being pudgy, then you are really missing the point. I do agree that some of the acting is wooden (Amber Heard is just not very good at it), and a few of the other characters experience an imbalance in screentime. It would have been nice to see a little less play on the obvious vices of NV as well; that just seemed there for shock factor versus getting into the nuances of the story. We could say, for the sake of television, that ambiguity might not convey the message as well. For those considering watching it, even if you love the book, give it a chance. Is is considerably better than the 94 miniseries? No, but it does refresh it in a way that I still think it worth investing a few hours in.