Product: The Dead Zone [VHS] (1983)
Rating: 5.0
Its called a coma diet-lose weight while you sleep
This movie was thought provoking as well as emotionally provoking. There were two characters that I absolutely hated, and only at the end did I salvage any respect for either of them. The first was the girlfriend of John Smith who got married while he was comatose. I could deal with that part since most people in real life would have probably done likewise under the circumstances, but she came across in a smug, arrogant, rub-it-in sort of way when she comes face to face with John after 5 years in the coma. He wakes up to find he had basically lost everything, including her, but unlike Sarah, who has obviously turned the page, his feelings are unchanged. In an extremely awkward first meeting, her first words to Johnny were "you lost weight" to which he replies "its called a coma diet, lose weight while you sleep" He should have said, "Oh, how nice of you to to point that out Sarah, I feel better already" and then kicked her out of the house. I never liked her after that, and hoped she would go off and get bulldozed by an 18-wheeler herself. The second character was the mentally void jerk "bodyguard" of Stillson, who weighed every bit of 150 pounds soaking wet, and only seemed to pick on disadvantaged people. I was hoping he would meet up with someone his own size and get what he deserved, but I did gain some respect for his character when he blew off Stillson at the end, after the pictures were taken of Stillson's cowardly attempt to protect himself by using the child as a human shield, which destroyed his political career and exposed him publicly for the true clod he really was. All in all, a great story, well thought out and written, with great actor selection to fit the characters involved. Christopher Walken was a natural for the part of John Smith, and turns in his best performance ever. Another Stephen King masterpiece.