The Dead Zone
So, as a disclaimer, The Dead Zone isn't actually bad for what it is, so I feel bad giving it 2.5 stars, but it's my website and I get to choose which arbitrary factors to rate movies by.
The fatal flaw of The Dead Zone is that it is, according to pretty much everywhere, supposed to be a horror movie, but I suspect that that's only because it's got a story by Stephen King, with David Cronenberg directing it on top of that. If it were directed by, say, Christopher Nolan, people would probably call it a dark fantasy drama or something. Great for people who like dark fantasy dramas, but that's definitely not me.
My other gripes: The score could stand to be more prominent/intense- that could even get it closer to horror- and it feels unnecessarily long with the two unrelated and non-simultaneous problems our protagonist sets out to solve: serial killings and a potential nuclear war. Hell, maybe they could even have made a TV series loosely inspired by the original book. Also, Cronenberg's potential isn't lived up to in this- sure, there may not really be any good opportunities for body horror, and I don't mean to box him in or imply that I could do a better job, but if I can't really think of anything in the direction that stands out at all- and this is coming from someone who admires Cronenberg greatly.
Final rating: ★★⯨☆☆
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