Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 7/10
Cast Mike Vogel, Rachelle Lefevre, Dean Norris, Natalie Martinez, Britt Robertson, Alexander Koch, Colin Ford, Mackenzie Lintz, Nicholas Strong, Aisha Hands, Jolene Purdy, John Elvis, Samantha Mathis, Leon Rippy, Natalie Zea, Jeff Fahey.
It takes supreme endeavour to take one of Stephen King’s novels or short stories and turn them into something worth either taking a couple of hours out of your day to go to the cinema and seeing someone else’s view of much loved characters or investing several months of your life to and watching a series from start to finish in the hope that what you see will ever match up to the very high expectation of immersing yourself in one of the many books.
For fans of Stephen King, some of the films and television series have fallen far short of what could have been. The Shining, whilst easily one of Jack Nicholson’s best moments on film, still fell incredibly short of the atmosphere created between the covers. The Stand, the brilliant epic penned by the master of horror, was as insipid as the film version of It. Misery on the other hand was top notch as James Caan and Kathy Bates were in realms previously unseen by anybody attached to a film version of a King novel. Under The Dome falls somewhere between the two poles. It is no Misery, then again it’s doubtful anything could be as good as the creeping horror of having your number one fan beat seven bells of hell out of you, audiences await of course how the latest version of Carrie is going to turn out, however it is no multi part The Stand either.
For Stu Redmond read Dale ‘Barbie’ Barbara, two very interesting characters, the pinnacle of each book in terms of what constitutes a hero in dark times and the result shows how under one director the hero becomes slightly tainted by the whole mess, no reflection thankfully on Gary Sinese who remains one of the best actors in the United States today and Mike Vogel who along with Rachelle Lefevre, Dean Norris, Britt Robertson and Alexander Koch have made Under The Dome enjoyable if not inspired.
Nothing ever really ever captures the imagination, especially in Stephen King’s case, as the book, the chance to identify with a character and root for them throughout. Whether it is Stu Redmond in The Stand, Danny Torrance in Doctor Sleep, James Gardener in The Tommyknockers or even Rose Daniels in Rose Madder, the characters step forth and impress upon the reader the goodness and inherent evil that resides in all humanity. For this Rachelle Lefevre, Mike Vogel and Dean Norris have given there absolute all to convey. Rachelle Lefevre especially has been a revelation in her portrayal as Julia Shumway. Professional as the Editor of the local paper but also able to shoulder darker emotions such as the loss of her husband to great effect, Ms. Lefevre, Mike Vogel and Dean Norris make quite an impact on screen.
The impression the series has had in America must have been incredible to turn it into a two series affair but the jury might still be out this side of the Atlantic whether given a couple of more weeks Under The Dome could have easily been done in one series. At least a full series in far more adventurous than the mini-series afforded arguably Stephen King’s greatest work The Stand!
Ian D. Hall