There is a combination of words that do not often go together, "Great Made For TV Movie." In fact, I can count on one finger, the number of movies that aired on television, and were amazing. That movie, is Stephen King's, "The Stand." The whole series aired in four two hour segments (with commercials) on four nights in May of 1994, each of which had it's own unique flavor.
The first segment was all about the set-up. All the characters (important or not) were introduced. The crisis which sent the rest of the story in motion occurred. Most importantly, billions of people died. Plotwise, the important piece of the segment was the movement of survivors. The good folk started heading toward Hemingford Home. The evil folk went where else, but Las Vegas.
The second and third segments were all about the various journeys, as well as the fortifying of the forces of good and evil. Of course there were defectors, sabotage, deaths and so on. More characters were introduced, though most of them were of lesser importance.
The fourth and final segment saw the final showdown between good and evil. There was a fair amount of important falling action, and we, the viewers, are left with a ray of hope for the future of mankind.
A short synopsis of the gist of what happens in this movie does no justice to it. Stephen King's story is left more or less intact. A few characters are left out, but no one of any great importance. (If you watched "The Lord of The Rings" and cried out for Tom Bombadil, you will not relive your agony here.) The acting in the movie was surprisingly good. Gary Sinise, Molly Ringwald, and surprisingly, Rob Lowe, all lead an otherwise small-time cast.
The directing in the movie was apt or better, certainly for a movie made with an obviously smaller budget. More important than that, the special effects were pretty OK. Considering the movie was made in 1994, I think that 1989 theatrical quality special effects would be considered quite a compliment. The sounds of the movie were excellent as well. I still vividly remember the opening sequence of the movie, which melded perfectly into what very well could have been a music video for Blue Oyster Cult's, "Don't Fear The Reaper."
To talk too much about the movie is to ruin it for those who haven't seen it. So I end my review with a joke that only those who have read or seen the movie will understand. M-O-O-N, that spells, "Good movie."