Common Sense Media Review
By Melissa Camacho
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based on child development research. How do we rate?
Uneven Stephen King horror has plague, violence, cursing.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
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The Stand
What's the Story?
Adapted from Stephen King's sixth novel of the same name, THE STAND is a post-apocalyptic mini-series about a world in which 99 percent of the population is wiped out by a massive flu epidemic. Seven billion people around the world are dead thanks to a "super flu" known as Captain Tripp, which was created in a military laboratory. People immune to the disease, like Stu Redman (James Marsden), Frannie Goldsmith (Odessa Young), and Harold Lauder (Owen Teague), figure out what to do in this new reality. Meanwhile, two forces emerge that are aligned either with the deeply religious, psychic Mother Abagail (Whoopi Goldberg) or the evil Randall Flagg, a.k.a. "Dark Man" (Alexander Skarsgård), who has powers of his own. The human race is in their hands, and the few survivors must decide who they will follow.
Is It Any Good?
The dark, uneven miniseries based on Stephen King's popular novel — the second produced for television — offers a Christian-inspired story about the fight between good and evil. Woven throughout The Stand are plot lines in which survivors find each other, work together, or seek to destroy. Some of these stories are better developed than others, which can be frustrating. However, there are enough creepy characters and dreadful moments to keep it engaging.
Hardcore fans of the book may not appreciate the changes made to the original story, the ending of which was rewritten for this series by King himself. Nonetheless, when it comes to post-apocalyptic horror, The Stand still delivers. Granted, some of this is due to the series being released in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. But it succeeds at painting a bleak picture of what can happen when our biggest fears become reality, and we are forced to make choices that call into question our fundamental values as human beings.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the post-apocalyptic genre, which is meant to introduce new ideas and challenge our understanding of the world we live in. Why do you think they're popular among TV and movie audiences?
What's your reaction to the violence in The Stand? How does it compare to other horror show — is it more or less brutal? Do you think watching this kind of movie violence can desensitize viewers to brutality?
The Stand is meant to be a scary work of fiction, but the idea of a dangerous sickness affecting the whole world became very real during the COVID-19 pandemic the year this was released. In what ways can TV programming be constructively used to help us understand the pandemic? How has media helped people cope with it?
TV Details
- Premiere date : December 17, 2020
- Cast : James Marsden , Odessa Young , Owen Teague
- Network : Paramount+
- Genre : Science Fiction
- TV rating :
- Last updated : July 31, 2024
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