Finally saw this.

[Terry B]

Sci Fi Channel showed this movie on Christmas Day so I took advantage and recorded it. Missed it when it was first aired. Watched it the other day and was very impressed. It's been a long time since I read the book but the movie was so good it all started to come back to me. Glad I got to see this.

[~Ally~]

Desperation is near the top of my list for King stories. Johnny Marinville and Collie Entragian are two of my favourite King characters. I watched the movie a few months back on Sci~Fi, had always avoided it as I feared disappointment. But all in all, it ain't that bad. Ron Perlman did a great job as Collie IMO. I would definitely watch it again, although would be better without the damn advertisements...maybe on DVD next time.

[Doc Wilson]

I had just re-read the book when I finally caught it on scifi. I found it flawed but enjoyable.

[edkemper]

This came on today on the sci fi channel, i dvr'd it to watch later. I loved the book and had been wantin to see this but kept missin it. Ron pearlman is great in everything he does so thats a big plus also.

[Just Me]

This came on today on the sci fi channel, i dvr'd it to watch later. I loved the book and had been wantin to see this but kept missin it. Ron pearlman is great in everything he does so thats a big plus also.

Me too. I hate commercials so I DVR'd it yesterday too. That way I can jump over the ads.
I watched it this afternoon. Very good movie. I didn't remember the story so it was all new again.

[Lina]

I've watched the movie today. I liked it. It's a really good movie, and it even scared me in a way. I don't know if it's going to be one of my favorite movies but I watched it with pleasure and maybe I will watch it again some day (especially I'll be happy to rewatch it if I manage to get it in DVD and watch it without commercials :grinning:)

[jackson992]

The part for me that I really did not like is how different the scenes with Audrey were

[Teddy Duchamp]

Desperation is near the top of my list for King stories. Johnny Marinville and Collie Entragian are two of my favourite King characters. I watched the movie a few months back on Sci~Fi, had always avoided it as I feared disappointment. But all in all, it ain't that bad. Ron Perlman did a great job as Collie IMO. I would definitely watch it again, although would be better without the damn advertisements...maybe on DVD next time.

I absolutely loved the book, but found the movie disappointing - I suppose because so much of the detail you get in the book was missing, which is inevitable in a way. But when you see what a fantastic television adaptation they were able to make of "the Stand" - to me this just didnt compare in quality.

[Silhouette86]

I didn't like the movie that much- again it comes to a book with gore and coarse language and television "cleaning it up". Desperation would have been way better as a major motion picture. IMO.

[Seb Shaw]

Loved the book, liked teh film. I thought it was ace that King sid the screen play and exec producing too :D made it more of a King film :P

[nate_watkins]

I watched this over the weekend. I thought it was very well done. Some things were changed, but overall it's a good movie.

[TakAhLah]

I rather liked it! As a fan of the books, of course there were parts where I'd wished things could have been a little better. But, i loved it. Ron Perlman was terrifying.

[RobertWriter]

I liked the movie but, I saw it about a year after I read the book. And the book was ALOT better. In movies you don't get to adore SK's writing style. You still get the great story of coarse. But it isn't told quite the same. After a year I still remember my favorite line in the story. Some of you may think it is simple or not special because it's just a description. But I thought it was brilliant. (A Bonnie Raitt tape that had suffered a miscarriage in Deirdre's dashboard player.)

[CCAL]

No one has mentioned the religious angle in this story. I find that sad. The little boys soul was at stake and no comment has been made. He didnt have a specific religion but he believed with all his heart and even convinced the others. This was the unifying core to the whole story! Am I the only one who saw it that way? Remember the conversation in the jail with the mother becoming alarmed that her son was praying ?The motorcycle rider (author) was the one to explain the boys feelings to his own parents. Makes me feel like everyone here drank the same amensia (sp) drink & somehow 'forgot' the point of the story....perhaps you dont agree? let me know.

[RobertWriter]

No one has mentioned the religious angle in this story. I find that sad. The little boys soul was at stake and no comment has been made. He didnt have a specific religion but he believed with all his heart and even convinced the others. This was the unifying core to the whole story! Am I the only one who saw it that way? Remember the conversation in the jail with the mother becoming alarmed that her son was praying ?The motorcycle rider (author) was the one to explain the boys feelings to his own parents. Makes me feel like everyone here drank the same amensia (sp) drink & somehow 'forgot' the point of the story....perhaps you dont agree? let me know.

Yes I remember and agree 100% I just wasn't referring to the plot of the story. I was comparing it to the movie. But, you are right. It is a cool little religous battle in the end.

[Mallory]

I wish they'd make the Regulator's since their sister books or maybe brother books I liked it better out of the two

[Seb Shaw]

No one has mentioned the religious angle in this story. I find that sad. The little boys soul was at stake and no comment has been made. He didnt have a specific religion but he believed with all his heart and even convinced the others. This was the unifying core to the whole story! Am I the only one who saw it that way? Remember the conversation in the jail with the mother becoming alarmed that her son was praying ?The motorcycle rider (author) was the one to explain the boys feelings to his own parents. Makes me feel like everyone here drank the same amensia (sp) drink & somehow 'forgot' the point of the story....perhaps you dont agree? let me know.

Yeah agreed. It's a very powerful angle too. I like the good over evil aspects in his books. It was a powerful performance :) Thanks for bringing it up.

oh, and Ron Perlman was fantastic IMO!

[kingricefan]

I re-watched Desperation on dvd this past Friday. I originally saw it when it first aired on tv. I think I may have posted about it at that time and gave it an ok revue. I probably said something negative about Mick Garris too, at the time. After the re-watch, I have to say that it is actually a pretty darn good movie! Maybe it was being able to see it without commercial interruptions, or being able to hear all of the creepy background noises on my surround system that I didn't pick up on the first time seeing it, but I have to say that this movie really got under my skin this time! There were a couple of times were I was really nervous! The acting from everyone really impressed me this time, too. Ron Pearlman was really quite scary in his role. Creeped me out! So, Mr. Garris, I think I owe you an apology! Ya done good!

[jajatoff]

Desperation was the second book I'd read (OK, well HEARD as it was an unabridged reading). So I awaited the movie eagerly - for months and months. I must admit that I was disappointed. It seemed to trivialize the story (only my opinion of course) to fit it into a comparatively short film - compared to the book. The sequence I really didn't like - it looked too comical - was the old-fashioned movie about the miners...

[jimson]

How well it matches up to the image I create in my mind from the book is how I tend to judge a film adaption and this one was pretty darn good. The physical setting was nearly perfect. The municipal building and jail cell was a perfect match as was the mining offices and mine itself.

As I was watching it, I wondered if it was filmed in Southern AZ where I live and found out that it was. The mine is in Bisbee and some of it was filmed here in Tucson, so the local connection is always a cool thing. Apparently there was a fire in one of the sets at the local entertainment arena where some folks got injured.

Apparently they had a premiere here advertising the film that set "Tucson on fire", but I don't recall reading about any of that back in 2004.

The casting all matched up pretty well to my imaginary cast from the book and Ron Perlman was of course, fantastic.

It can never be exactly like the book, but if you cut a little slack for that it was all in all, pretty decent work.

[Moderator]

Have been to Bisbee (after the filming of Desperation) and it was very interesting to see what the real location looked like and how it compared to what we saw on the screen. Didn't do the mine tour when I was there as I wasn't dressed for it but may go back another time as I'm planning to do my snowbird thing in AZ once I retire so will have plenty of opportunities then.

[blunthead]

Have been to Bisbee (after the filming of Desperation) and it was very interesting to see what the real location looked like and how it compared to what we saw on the screen. Didn't do the mine tour when I was there as I wasn't dressed for it but may go back another time as I'm planning to do my snowbird thing in AZ once I retire so will have plenty of opportunities then.You weren't dressed for the mine tour. They make you bring your own headlights?

[Moderator]

You weren't dressed for the mine tour. They make you bring your own headlights?

No, was dressed in heels and skirt/top because we were meeting friends in Sierra Vista for dinner later. Didn't think the heels or skirt would make for safe or comfortable conditions for me. :smile2:

[blunthead]

No, was dressed in heels and skirt/top because we were meeting friends in Sierra Vista for dinner later. Didn't think the heels or skirt would make for safe or comfortable conditions for me. :smile2:Oic. I agree, I'd never do a mine tour in heels.