Tag: Stephen King

IT: Welcome t Derry (sn1)

Derry, Maine is a quiet town tat slips right out of your memory once you leave. Every 27 years, children disappear and no one has answers. Every 27 years children see terrible things, hear voices around the drains, and many are never heard or seen again. What happened in Derry 27 years before the Losers Club fought Pennywise, well, come on down and see what surprises lurk in the lovely little town.

I love the IT movies and the miniseries (RIP Tim Curry) so I was expecting a iffy, low effort season that vaguely resembled the remakes. However, I’m ecstatic to say in a lot of ways I enjoyed the show more than the movies. Fans of King’s lore will have a lot of chomp at; I lost my shit a few times with certain Dark Tower references and the Shining connections were great. The acting is fantastic and I gotta say all the characters felt like they belonged in a Stephen King story. Again there’s a few surprise reveals I don’t want to spoil but they are well done. This show is very hard-hitting when it comes to brutality and the imagery- full warning, you’ll see some messed up shit happen to children. I even shivered a few times with how far the show was willing to go. The effects and setting are incredibly done. It has one of my favorite opening title sequences ever. Lastly, I was thrilled this wasn’t the Pennywise show- we don’t see the iconic clown til halfway in but the revelations we get and the shocking moments make him feel more threatening than ever.

Of course, nothing’s ever perfect. In this case, there is a plotline involving the army and Derry that never fully full circle for me. The ending is a bit too heavy handed with the “power of friendship” and the finale did feel drawn out. I also had to wonder why the Hanlon’s chose to stay in Derry after all the crazy crap that happens. I do love the little surprise appearance at the end that connects to IT 2017.

In the end, I adored Welcome to Derry and I’m incredibly hyped we’re getting a second season. I highly recommend it but I’m warning you their is a lot of triggers and tons of disturbing imagery. May the gaming gods let you float down here.

Carrie 2026 trailer

Carrie is one my favorite King stories so I’m always cautious when a new adaptation comes out. I had mixed feelings on the Carrie 2026 teaser but ultimately I know it’s not for my generation. After seeing this, I like what I see of the modern aspects like social media and cyberbullying at play. My only major gripe is I don’t like the plot point that she was homeschooled til her last year of high school in this version. The history between Carrie and her peers, the long years of resentment and stewing rage I always felt was vital part of the story. I’m hoping this version finds a new way to circumvent that. In the end, I think it’ll be a solid adaptation. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Carrie 2026 teaser

So I love the monologue. Like it is perfect Carrie. I feel like everything looks too modern which I think might subtract from it. Savior, wise man he is made a valid point- it isn’t made for us. It’s for our kids generation. Taking that into account, I warmed up to it a lot more. Carrie is one ofmy favorite King stories so I’m excited to see what we get this time around. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

The Long Walk

So I haven’t done one of these in awhile. Today I’m doing a double review much like i did with other King adaptations such as Pet Sematary , Misery , Cujo , Carrie and The Shining in the past. The Long Walk, is of course by Stephen King during his famous/ infamous Bachman era. It was the first book he ever wrote, but didn’t publish until much later in his career.

The premise is simple but intense: 100 young men (in the book) compete in the Long Walk each year for a huge cash prize as well as a special wish granted by the Major, a tyrannical figure who oversees the walk and possibly America’s dystopian regime. Walking is the name of the game. Walk. No stops, no sleep, no exceptions until the last man stands. Death awaits those that buckle under exhaustion and strain via the military’s cruel hand.

So let me talk about the book first. Honestly, I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. King masterfully builds tension and dread throughout while rarely falling into the monotonous pitfalls you’d expect. I was invested with most of the characters, especially Pete McVries who becames a friend to Ray Garatty, the story’s overall main character. I’m no stranger to King’s writing, and I can say it was kinda cool getting a glimpse of him in his earliest years before hitting legendary status and mastering the craft. Thankfully, it’s a quick read at 310 pages roughly, just starting to wear out its welcome once it finally ends. I do have to say I never got invested in Ray much as a main character and even started finding him annoying after a bit when I should’ve found sympathy for him. His whole motivation for competing in the walk is flimsy compared to many of the other walkers. My other biggest complaint is the end: it feels abrupt as hell. There’s no satisfying conclusion to some characters I really cared about. No real climax. No catharsis really. Just ends. I get the choice, the futility and hopelessness of it all but I was left feeling let down instead of chilled. In the end, The Long Walk is a solid book. Not great but a good read, especially if you’re new to King and are weary of the sheer size of many of his popular books. I’d recommend checking it out.

The movie has the same basic premise so I won’t recap but I will say their are A lot of small changes I loved as well as fixing 2 of the biggest problems I had with the book. Ray has a new, more relatable motivation and a character arc that hit me like a brick at the end. The ending, by the way, is much different and so much more fulfilling. The actors do an incredible job of carrying the movie. David Jonsson and Mark Hamil especially steal the show but Jonsson comes out on top and is becoming one of my favorite modern day actors. The movie cuts the number of walkers in half which was wise, giving characters more time to flush out. The movie, like the book, is brutal and palpable- as someone who spent nearly a decade pushing carts for the real life Umbrella Corp, this movie and book had me relive some scary shit. In the end, I actually enjoyed the movie more the the book. The book was good, the movie is great and I’m willing to say it’s the best adaptation of King I have seen since IT (2017). May the gaming gods bring you glory, and keep walking.