Great intention, but too sketchy to deliver

Rating: 7/10 (20 July 2000)

It's amazing what Hollywood can do to a good book. In an effort to make this a "new age" movie, Darabont stripped the book of its essential spirituality. Whereas the book has several, specific prayers and a visible minister character, this PC version leaves out any specifics, in a seeming quest for the separation of church and mind. This is not surprising, if you visit the official WB site, which has a link to a new age organization peddling a book "Experiencing God without belief."
Many of the performances are exceptional, especially Doug Hutchison (Percy), who brought depth and finesse to a very difficult character. King's compelling book is airbrushed and soft-focused out of leaving anything but emotional impact behind in a new-age soup of feel-good, feel-bad emotional highs & lows.