Customer Reviews

The Dead Zone (TV Pilot) [VHS]

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Warning -- If you are looking for the unaired original Dead Zone pilot episode that was offered for a short time as a bonus to those who purchased the First Season Set, do not buy this DVD.

Although this is a great DVD, it is the same first episode that is included in the First Season Set.

I purchased the first season set after the deadline for taking advantage of the offer for the bonus DVD. I really wanted to see the original unaired pilot episode and I mistakenly thought that this was it. To my dismay found that it was the 2 hour series premier that I already had on the First Season Set.
I guess this one will find its way to a friend or end up in the used bin at the video store.

If you are unfamiliar with The Dead Zone and don't want to lay out the bucks for the complete First Season Set, this DVD is an outstanding intro to the series. However, if you love the series, go for the gusto and get the set. I'm on my second viewing of the set and can't wait for the release of the Second Season Set.

While I loved the DVD, it's not worth the money if you are planning on buying the complete first season. I bought the first season DVD after taping every episode from the TV. The TV Pilot makes it sound like it was not aired on TV. It was and I had it on a VHS tape (I threw them away when I bought the DVD's). If you buy the complete first season, the episode is listed as "Wheel Of Fortune". ...

"The Dead Zone" is one of my favorite Stephen King novels and I have taught it a couple of times in class because of the way in which the series of events persuade Johnny Smith to do what he does at the end. It is also one of the best Stephen King books to recommend to people who do not like Stephen King books (i.e., monsters and scary things). The 1983 movie version of "The Dead Zone" was one of my least favorite Stephen King movies, mainly because I thought the casting of Christopher Walken as Johnny was a mistake; Johnny has to be more of an ordinary guy in extraordinary circumstances, and nobody can ever mistake Walken for ordinary. Anyhow, the idea of turning "The Dead Zone" into a television series instantly appealed to me, because the premise of the character and the episodic nature of the novel, both lent themselves to such an adaptation.

The premise is fairly simple. Johnny Smith (Anthony Michael Hall) is a high school teacher who has some minor psychic abilities as a result of a childhood accident. One night, after a fun date with his fiancé, Sarah (Nicole de Boer), Johnny is in a car accident. He wakes up six years later to find his perfect life is gone and that now, when he touches someone, he gets intense psychic images that serve as warnings of back things happening. With great power comes great responsibility and Johnny tries to use his gift to help.

There are some problems with this movie that serves as the pilot for "The Dead Zone" television series, but creators Michael and Shawn Piller come up with several significant changes from the novel that serve as a solid foundation for the first season and beyond. This television pilot is actually the first two episodes thrown together (for distribution as a movie if the series was not sold), with the first hour devoted to establishing Johnny's new situation and the second to the serial killer story from the novel. The main problem is that there are several instances where things get a bit rushed: Johnny wakes up in the hospital and Dr. Tran (Rick Tae) IMMEDIATELY tells him that he has been in a coma for six years. Dr. Tran wants to wait to tell Johnny that his mother died and his fiancé got married during those six years, but the whole six years of your life gone in an instance he hits this guy with right away. Similarly, in terms of everything that Sarah has to tell him he picks up on in flash when he touches her and even the wall that exists between Johnny and Sarah's husband Walt Bannerman (Chris Bruno) does not last long in the second hour of the show. Also, if you want to have fun nitpicking, Johnny would have known about O.J. Fortunately, while the serial killer plot gets resolved in the second hour, as dictated by the USA network, the series did go on to take its time with Greg Stillson.

What outweighs these problems are some of the changes the brothers Piller made in the elements of the novel. First, on their fun date Johnny and Sarah produced a child, which gives the characters an unavoidable link and another aspect to the new love triangle. Second, related to that, is the idea to back Sarah's husband Sheriff Bannerman (this raises a question: will Johnny warn Walt about Cujo?), which adds another layer of complexity to the love triangle because Walt the husband and Bannerman the sheriff have different relationships with Johnny under different circumstances. Third, Johnny's parents are now out of the picture and in their place is the Reverend Gene Purdy (David Ogden Stiers), the beneficiary of Vera Smith's money and a powerful figure with a continuing interest in Johnny, an interest that exists on multiple levels and cannot really be pinned down. Fourth, Johnny Smith now has a sidekick, Bruce Lewis (John L. Adams), his physical therapist, and the first true believer. This allows the writers to give Johnny someone to talk to instead of finding ways to get Johnny to think out loud all of the time.

Fifth, picking up from the theatrical version, when Johnny has his visions we see him there, in the setting. An extension of this, taken from the novel, is that Johnny unconsciously mimics the person he is seeing, talking their language. This works very well with the subplot involving Dr. Tran, who is the updated version of Dr. Weizak (a nice move, both in terms of the updating and in terms of the new resolution to the question of Tran's mother). This also provides the director to come up with some stunning set pieces as everyone freezes and Johnny walks through the moment paying attention to the details (it looks like he is walking through a Matrix-like CGI shot, but it is simply done for the most part). But there are some equally impressive effects created during Johnny's visions by cutting back and forth between now and then, or by doing reverse shots from two different locations. Consequently, "The Dead Zone" has a visual style that makes for some nice examples of creativity in filming a television show.

The second hour does a nice job of establishing the rules of the game here in terms of how Johnny gets flashes of the future, but that it is a future that can be changed: you taken one moment out of the string of life and everything changes. This becomes a very workable premise for a television series, with the story of a real life superhero, on to which we throw all the interpersonal angst of Johnny's relationships. It would have been nice to have seen what this show would have done if they had been allowed to take their time with these initial story threads, but being rushed by the network seems a small price to pay if it means getting the series on the air. As a TV pilot this 2002 version of "The Dead Zone" is not perfect, but it does a very good job of establishing a solid foundation for a pretty good television series.

Final Note: If you pick up the first season of "The Dead Zone" on DVD you get the TV pilot as the first two episodes, but you do not get the commentary (which is split in half) that appears on this particular DVD.

As an Aussie viewer of this series, I was so completely blown away by this fantastic series that I HAD to order the pilot episode AND the complete first season. At this point in time, I've only been able to find the time to watch this particular DVD, so I thought I'd write a few words about it.

In one word, outstanding!! Watching this today brought back all of the great memories about the opening act of what will continue to be a great series. I'm absolutely itching to watch the complete first season again (this time on the DVD's I recently purchased), and am sure that I will love every bit of it, just like I did when I watched the show on TV in 2002.

This DVD has been superbly created, and is a "must have" for any Dead Zone fan. I particularly liked hearing what the actors and producers had to say about the making of the episode, as well as viewing the alternate ending and the interview concerning Series Two, which is yet to be seen here in Australia at all. In fact, I believe it may never be shown, so I've advanced ordered Series Two on DVD for delivery in April.

One thing that amazed me about this DVD was the fact that it plays in Australian DVD players (technically Region 4), although this is apparently a Region 1 DVD. I also tested it on an X-Box machine, and it worked perfectly too. So, fellow Aussies, don't be put off and feel free to add this DVD to your collection. You won't regret it, especially if you love the series.

Cheers,
S.

Because it's a remake, I must compare it to the original. Here goes: This version has better acting, better special effects, more humor, and is up-to-date. It isn't exactly like the book, but in this case I actually think that's to it's benefit. (I love the book. It's perfect and complete in itself. This is the begining of a series, so they've altered that.... but I still like it.) I'm looking foreward with great anticipation to the rest of the series.

It's not exactly like the book.... the book has an ending which, in ordered to make this story into a series, they had to change. I love the book, it is a perfect little Stephen King jewel. But I love this altered version as well.

I live overseas at the moment, and don't get to see much American TV; so I was sort of going out on a limb when I ordered this completely unseen and only slightly reviewed.
I was not disapointed.

I have faithfully wathced every episode of this show, and it is great. I mean with such actors and actresses like Anthony Michael Hall (The Breakfast Club) and Nicole deBoer (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) what could go wrong. The story is based on Stephen King's Book "The Dead Zone" which is also a great book, that I recommend. This is definately a must see, and worth it.

Russ

Dead Zone is truly an excellent series, but I recommend that you refrain from buying this DVD unless you are a collector. According to the official website, the entire first season will be released on DVD by this summer. Wait 'til then to buy it.

When I first heard about it and saw the previews, I was a bit skeptical, I mean, how many lame scifi shows are out there now that are really stupid? So I watched an episode called 'Shaman' and I was completely hooked. USA had a marathon of all episodes soon after and I watched it all. The first episode introduces you to Johnny Smith, a biology teacher engaged to his high school sweetheart. It moved fairly quickly into his subsequent car accident leaving him in a coma for six years. When he does wake up, not only has the world changed around him, especially by his sweetheart being married to another man, but he now has the unusual ability to see things about people he touches. So now he has to deal with being out of touch with the world for so long, overcoming the loss of his fiance while playing the reluctant hero for the local town. Anthony Michael Hall does an excellent job with this character, with him, Johnny Smith is just like any other person you'd know. He is not over the top and other than his newfound abilities, he is just a guy trying to manage everything that has happened to him. The supporting characters add more to the believability of the show and to Johnny's overall situation and they all have great chemistry. I highly recommend this show to anyone looking for an intelligent, funny and thought provoking series.

The pilot is included with the first-season DVD, so now I have two of them. The production is very good, as are the special effects, especially the scenes in Vietnam where debris is frozen in mid-air while the lead character walks through the dustry street.

The story is tight, and the writing is good. I'd like to have seen Rev. Purdy's character better explained, but I think that will make itself known in the first season, which I'm now watching.

Overall, it's a really good story and makes you think about the possibilities.

I'm glad it's a cable show, because the cable shows these days seem to do a better job at developing characters and offering something fresh and unique. That is: They aren't afraid to take chances.

I think we've all had enough reality on television that "The Dead Zone" is a welcome chance to walk on the other side.

After watching two episode of "The Dead Zone" I was hooked. This a great show. Anthony Michael Hall is great, "Dead Zone" makes me forget him in of the 80's movies that he did. The acting by the surpporting actors is also really good. If you are like and discover "The Dead Zone" in the middle of season two then this a must DVD! Can't wait for the season packs to be out!