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29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Stephen King's Golden Years, March 9, 2000
Well, King has strayed from his usual horror story genre to produce a little bit of TV mini-series heaven. Set in upstate New York, "Golden Years" is based around 70 year old Harlan Williams, a janitor working for a top secret government plant. He is accidently caught in an explosion from one of the labs where mad scientist Dr Todhunter was conducting 'regeneration' experiments. Over time, Harlan begins to notice sudden changes in his body. Brown hairs begin to reappear in the place of grey ones, his skin becomes softer, his eyes don't need glasses anymore! He begins to get younger. The accident causes some concern in the government, so the spooks are soon on the scene. Witnesses to what is happening to Harlan begin to disappear after the arrival of government agent Jude Andrews. The heads of the plant, Terri Spann and General Lewis Crewes, grow suspicious of the intentions of the people they have been working for and decide to get to the old man and his wife before the spooks do. A race across the states begins, Harlan and his wife flee for their lives while coping with the effects of his reverse ageing. This is a great little story, and had it not been rushed to an ending, it may have become a King classic. The original ending to the series finished on a cliff-hanger where Jude Andrews and his henchmen may have actually caught Harlan. It ended with the tag-line 'To Be Continued...' But the TV network was disappointed with viewing figures, so a new ending was shot, providing closure for this quite inventive story. The concept is great, the characters are brilliant (especially the play-off between old enemies Jude Andrews and Terri Spann as she manages to be one step ahead of him every time), it is just a shame that the final scene was so rushed. For die-hard sci-fi and King fans, it's definately worth a look.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not as good as I remembered, November 18, 2001
When this miniseries first aired, I remember getting lost in the world it created. Upon viewing this new DVD transfer however, I'm confused as to how I could've liked it so much. The story of what would happen if an elderly man was accidentally exposed to some chemicals that made him become younger is very intriguing and full of possibilites. King jumps on those posibilities and can get your mind going, but the execution of them is flawed. I like the languid and reflective pace of the series, but there are too many scenes that don't add to the plot, don't make much sense, or worse, repeat points that have already been covered. I remembered the strongest element of "Golden Years" being the relationship between the elderly couple Halrn and Gina and I find I'm still touched by it today. The actors do such terrific work that I never once questioned the reality of their love and concern for one another. It's refreshing to see an elderly couple that's so 'normal', 'real' and alive. Most of the other preformances though are a bit too over the top to be believable. The mad scienist especially, seems to be making an entirely different film than the rest of the crew! The central relationship and interesting premise are almost enough to make up these flaws, but then we get a rushed, tacked on ending that defies all reason. It's a great dissapointment after investing so much time and caring so much for Harlan and Gina. Don't see "Golden Years" expecting too much and you'll find many things to like about it, but it will never be anyones favorite Stephen King project.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Science fiction at it's best!!, August 23, 1999
By A Customer
I saw this movie when it first aired, and hope they would show it again. The story is about a janitor who is exposed to a substance and he starts to turn younger, he at first does not understand what is happening and then the fun starts. Of course the government wants him for tests but all he wants is to be left alone with his wife. So on the run he goes = there are some neat effects and it ends kind of sadly - but this movie is worth seeing - as i said before I waited, and waited and waited for it to come back to tv - never happened = so now i am going to purchase the viedo -- won't you take a chance? If you love stephen king -- then come on down it's much better than cujo,,,,
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