The Dead Zone

Summary

“You’re not the voice of the people! I am the voice of the people!”

Currently only available on Blu-ray in the Stephen King 5-Movie Collection from Paramount:

I am a fan of director David Cronenberg, which puts me into a certain cinephile group that celebrates his films. For some, his films don’t appeal due to his body horror moments or the film’s almost undefinable stranger qualities. I began enjoying his films late in his career when I saw the film A History of Violence while I was still in college. I thought the film was absolutely brilliant and I soon found myself watching any Cronenberg films I could get my hands on. This newfound enjoyment of the director coincided with my interest in the Criterion Collection and then with my discovery of Blu-ray film presentations, so I tried my best to only view his films in the optimal presentation available. This caused me to hold off on viewing his film The Dead Zone until I could watch it on Blu-ray. The release that I am reviewing is currently only available in the Stephen King 5-Movie Collection that Paramount has just released. I had hoped for a standalone release for years, but it had not materialized. I finally decided that, despite owning the other Blu-rays in the set, I would take the plunge and purchase the set given its relatively low price. This would allow me to finally see the film on Blu-ray. I am happy with my purchase, while also sad to say that this release is not going to exactly live up to the expectations that fans of the film have hoped the Blu-ray would fulfill.

A school teacher, Johnny Smith (Christopher Walken,) takes his girlfriend Sarah Bracknell (Brooke Adams) to an amusement park. On a rollercoaster a strange feeling comes over him. He takes her back to her home and decides to not come in, because he believes that some things are worth waiting for. It is raining outside. On his drive home he is involved in a serious car accident and his injuries put him into a coma. He awakens and five years have passed. His parents dote on him and then they let him know the sad truth – Sarah has left him and married another. His doctor Sam (Herbert Lom) assures Johnny that his therapy will bring back his ability to walk. When a nurse comes into Johnny’s room, he grabs her hand and has a vision of her daughter Amy in imminent danger from a fire. Johnny’s vision saves Amy’s life. This is the first of many visions that Johnny has. These visions gain Johnny media attention against his wishes. Soon people want to see what he can see, including an officer named Sheriff Bannerman (Tom Skerritt) working a serial killer case. The film unfolds from there and I don’t want to spoil how it unravels.

First and foremost: The Dead Zone is a terrific film. Christopher Walken is great in the lead role with an understated performance that fits the character perfectly. Martin Sheen is fantastic as a politician with allusions of manifest destiny and unstoppable desire for power. Herbert Lom, Brooke Adams, and Tom Skerritt round out the cast capably. There is not a bad performance in the film. The script by Jeffrey Boam is well paced and clever and the source material by Stephen King has great ideas that translate well to the screen. The cynical view of politicians holds up beautifully over thirty seven years after the film’s release. Jeffrey Boam was extremely talented and died too young in 2000 at the age of 53. The Dead Zone is one of the better Stephen King adaptations. 

A lot of the reason the film works so well can be credited to the work of director David Cronenberg. Working with cinematographer Mark Irwin, The Dead Zone is one of Cronenberg’s most visually appealing films. It’s a shame that the Blu-ray uses such a dated master for this release, because if the visual impact could come across as intended the film has the potential to look amazing. The film does an incredible job of developing the setting in Stephen King’s town of Castle Rock. Cronenberg draws great performances from everyone and he keeps the film moving towards the climax without a wasted scene. The score by Michael Kamen is very economically used in the first half so when it does begin to interject itself in the second half, it makes a great impact. For a Cronenberg film, this may be one of his most accessible. The ideas in the film should appeal to many, the body horror moments are kept to a minimum, and the film has some well liked actors in lead roles.

At the end of the day, The Dead Zone is one the best Cronenberg films that I have seen. While the merits of the Blu-ray are debatable, the film itself is fantastic.

Video

Paramount has provided a dated transfer of the film using an MPEG-4 AVC codec in 1.78:1 aspect ratio. The cinematography by Mark Irwin is beautifully done, but the Blu-ray presentation does not capably show it off. Fine detail seems artificial and faces get smoothed over at times. For a new release of a catalog title, this is not in the same ball park as what Paramount has been doing recently with their remastered titles. As someone who has waited a long time to own this film on Blu-ray, this transfer is not at all what I had hoped it would be. Fans of the film will be disappointed, but it is the best presentation currently available.

Audio

Paramount has provided a very capable DTS-HD MA 5.1 track that sounds good. The score by Michael Kamen sounds very nice when used and the surrounds help to make the film feel more alive. Like other films with remixed surround tracks, it is still front heavy, but overall I was definitely pleased.

Supplements:

None

Overall Scores:

Video – 3/5

Audio – 4.5/5

Supplements – 0/5

Overall – 3/5

The Dead Zone is a fantastic film. It is one of the most accessible films by David Cronenberg and in my estimation also one of the director’s best. With great performances by Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen, Herbert Lom, and Tom Skerritt, the film capably brings to life Stephen King’s town of Castle Rock. The film has a political cynicism that is still totally relevant today. The script by Jeffrey Boam is very well paced. I highly recommend the film. The cinematography by Mark Irwin stands out as some of his best work with Cronenberg. Paramount has given the film a release on Blu-ray that is only available in the Stephen King 5-Movie Collection. Like some other collectors, I purchased the collection specifically for this film. As it stands, this release is very disappointing due to the lack of supplements and dated transfer. That said, the audio on the release is solid and the film’s merits are very good. Fans will certainly be disappointed to see that the film has not been given a visual treatment that it deserves, but I am still glad to finally own the film on Blu-ray.