Search - The Dead Zone [Special Collector's Edition] on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Violence, Brief Nudity, Not For Children, Adult Language, Profanity Movie Release: 1983 DVD Release: 09/26/2006 Format: DVD - Color,Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 43 mins Studio: Paramount Members Wishing: 8 Genres: Science Fiction, Supernatural Thriller See Also: The Dead Zone, The Dead Zone

Christopher Walken plays a schoolteacher, Johnny Smith, who awakens from a five-year coma. He discovers that he has acquired the ability to foretell a person's future simply by touching his or her hand. After seeing several examples, Smith's doctor (Herbert Lom) becomes convinced that Smith can not only predict the future, but also has the power to change it. This ability is given its severest test when Smith shakes the hand of ruthless political candidate Greg Stillson (Martin Sheen) -- and suddenly has a flash-forward to a nuclear holocaust. The Dead Zone is not only one of the best-ever Stephen King adaptations, but also one of the most consistently successful (and least gory) efforts of director David Cronenberg. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Christopher Walken - Johnny Smith
Brooke Adams - Sarah Bracknell
Tom Skerritt - Sheriff Bannerman
Herbert Lom - Dr. Sam Weizak
Anthony Zerbe - Roger Stuart

Despite its "special collector's edition" description, Paramount's reissue of The Dead Zone isn't quite as comprehensive as fans might want it to be. The disc acquits itself just fine in the A/V department: the anamorphic, widescreen video transfer offers a crisp, vivid portrait of the film's wintry look while the audio portion of the disc offers the original 2.0 stereo mix and solid if not dazzling 5.1 remix. In terms of extras, there is a theatrical trailer and a series of four featurettes that chronicle the film's transition from book to screen, its look, the techniques it uses to create its horrific mood, and the film's take on politics. These featurettes make use of new, insightful interview material conducted with David Cronenberg, Brooke Adams, and Stephen King expert Douglas Winter and offer plenty of fascinating insights into the film despite their brevity. Unfortunately, there are no further extras -- the lack of a commentary track is disappointing and some key players (like Christopher Walken) don't participate in the supplements. Thus, it would be a stretch to call this a definitive edition of The Dead Zone, but there are enough moments of interest to make it worthwhile for fans. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide