Desperation (2006)

Stephen King's books have a habit of being hit and miss when they make the transfer from paper to the screen. In fact, more of them have been 'misses' that 'hits.' This one falls into that grey area somewhere in between.As per usual, anyone who's read the book 'Desperation' is based on laments how it's been interpreted on the big screen. I hear it's best to just read the book. It was supposed to be a two (or more?) part TV mini series, but, in the end, got turned into a 'made-for-TV' movie. It runs at about two and half hours and – sometimes – feels every bit as long.It's about a collection of various characters who all get (unfairly) 'caught' by – the slightly unhinged – Sheriff of a town in the middle of nowhere, subtly called 'Desperation.' Then, once incarcerated inside his cells, they have to come up with a way of escaping from more than just the immediate bars that surround them.First of all, it's worth mentioning that we have Ron Perlman on the cast list, who – as usual – turns in a brilliant performance as the afore-mentioned nutter-Sheriff. Any fans of Ron's will enjoy the film just on his appearance. However, what's left is good and bad as the rag-tag band of survivors try to figure out what happened. It's a bit like The Stand, only not as long and therefore with a 'rushed' feel in places and 'not enough information' in others.Also, it's worth noting that the film relies heavily on 'God' to move the plot forwards. Atheists beware – they may get a little tired of everything the Almighty doing being right all the time.It's not a great King adaptation, but it's certainly not the worst either. Enjoy it for its perks and do your best to forgive it for the parts when it drags a bit.http://thewrongtreemoviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/

Desperation time, alright. Ron Pearlman hams it up in what appears to be a satire of his own satire character, Hellboy. Annabeth Gish and Tom Skerrit aren't bad in their roles, but the paper thin script and atrocious direction give them very little to do. The remaining cast members blandly deliver expository lines that lead nowhere.Stephen King has had both success and failure in adapting other books he has written for the screen. This one goes to the goof-ups list. The script meanders wildly, without any cohesion. It's hard to take anything seriously, as the same slick-wannabe camera work shows us people towering like giants from an ant's point of view. Why things are happening as they are? You won't know, and you probably won't care, either. Clichés like the old "evil entity possessing a peace officer" routine are rampant.Still, it can pass the time if you're really bored. But don't expect much.

Several people fall victim to the town sheriff of Desperation, when they are thrown into a jail cell in the deserted mining town, they must fight for their lives against an ancient supernatural entity.There is no comparison to the book! The film closely follows the events in the film but I wish it hadn't as much, it seems so confusing and boring that I wanted to re-read the book to check-up on what was going on. Apart from that, there's a lot of stuff missing towards the end that completely ruins it although I would say the whole set for the film is very realistic. Although the film fails to achieve the things in the book, its still a great piece of horror. It's something worth watching to "relate" your book to, but not something you'd consider buying...

There are NO spoilers in this review, just questions I would like answered! My one question is: how? How on earth could such a talented writer, who brought such amazing horror novels such as: IT, Pet Semetary, Carrie, Christine and The Stand, write such nonsensical drivel. Everything, from the random comments the characters would make to the religious droning which was too contrived and forced to be of any depth, was terrible. The story, after starting off with a bang, descended literally into nothing. What the hell happened? Someone tell me please! Now, I have not read the novel, which is probably better than this movie, but an ounce of explanation would have helped. Who is Tak? Where did he come from? Why did he speak in a computerised voice? Was he God? What happened to the hundreds of dogs, did they just vanish? Those are a few questions I would love answered, as the story barely touches upon them. Besides the lackluster story, the characters are clichéd to the point of embarrassment. I mean, come on Mr. King: a skeptic, phony writer who becomes the hero, a kid who can speak with God, a drunken old man who tells the story, give me a break! Furthermore, it does not help that there are three good actors out of the bunch (Tom Skeritt, who looks like he is sleepwalking through the role, Steven Weber and the always reliable Ron Perlman). The little religious kid could NOT act to save his life, neither could the annoying hitchhiker or the kid's parents.What else is wrong here? Poor special effects, a made-for-TV feel and mediocre direction courtesy of regular Stephen King collaborator Mick Garris (who I find incredible overrated). Admittedly, he does conjure up a few genuine frights and a couple of eerie scenes, but these can not make up for the slow pace and lack of interesting story. There are only a few King adaptations which I have thought either fall into the overrated category or not-as-good-as-they-could-have-been category and this falls into the latter (assuming the book was at least good).1½/5