Darabont understand Stephen King

Rating: 8/10 (15 April 2019)

This is one of the better Stephen King adaptations out there. It's very similar to the novella and gets most of the plot points and characters right. It helps that the source material isn't as long as other King stories. The movie does feel like a made for TV pilot at times but it doesn't detract from it too much and it's understandable since the budget was tight. The creepy scenes work well, although some of the monsters are a little goofy but I guess it's meant to resemble classic monster movies in a way so it's fine. The core of the story and the human drama at the heart of it are very much the key to this story and the atmosphere of uncertainty and desperation can be felt throughout. As for the ending, it is interesting. I myself prefer the original ending. I prefer the fact that we never know what happened to David's wife in the book as he keeps thinking how he can't afford to go and check. I also prefer that the book seems to say that the monsters have taken over and there is no way they can be defeated as it ends with no scenes of soldiers killing off monsters, instead having the surviving characters trying desperately to survive by moving from location to location, knowing that sooner or later their luck with run out. However, the movie's ending is very bleak and I appreciate the change as it makes the two versions a bit different. Overall, a worthy adaptation even if the novella is better and it proves once again that Frank Darabont is good at adapting Stephen King stories.