Givin' in to the Devil: Stephen King's Storm of the Century
Written: Jun 04 '01 (Updated Aug 09 '01)
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Pros: King's usual good vs. evil that keeps the excitement going, good message
Cons: long, some things were too obvious but not the ending, the ending itself
The Bottom Line: The Devil is the Devil. There are no deals that will really make him go away - you'll continue to suffer if you give in. Don't be fooled.
King incorporates a lot of things into this plot. Plays a part in the movie: people's actions, the way people think (or don't think) about sin, secretiveness, powers that some people believe are in effect all the time, decisions of life and death, decisions of selfishness, dreaming, mind control, control of people especially after they "give the devil what he wants" even though he says he will go away if they do (stays in mind, new decisions to be made, shatters relationships, the need to continually keep secrets or else, and your conscience) and soo much more...
The plot is King's normal good vs. evil fight. Although the ending wasn't what I was expecting, or hoping for, it was fitting to help get the message across.
While being held hostage on a remote island during the snow storm of the century, the townspeople face the devil. Their sins haunt them, in daily activities and in their sleep. Supposedly, the only way they can make it all stop is to give the devil what he wants... but how can they do that when they don't know what it is he wants?
Eventually the devil gives more and more clues here and there. He wants a child. He wants someone who will grow up with him and follow his foot steps. The town is supposed to hand over one of their children and never speak of the incident again.
The devil sways everyone to do his will, except for the constable. Unfortunately, the constable is outnumbered by everyone including his wife. Everything continually goes down. Atleast the constable stands firmly, I wish he could have done something more to prevent it and sway the people away from the Devil... put them all in jail or something. lol.
Although the movie sort of saddened my spirit (I tried to help them by thinking "How!?!? Why?!?!! Listen to Miikkkee!!," but alas, it did not work), I enjoyed watching it and would watch it again (maybe skipping and rewriting the ending). I think everyone can learn a great deal from it, as well as from King's others stories. This movie invokes a lot of feelings of sympathy, frustration, fear, and anger.
Since everyone, including Mike's wife agrees to hand over one child, peoples' lives are about to go down the drain. They decide that one parent of each child will go to the devil and it will be a "random, blind" picking. Against Mike's wishes, his wife goes up, and terror strikes as his son is the one the Devil has chosen. The town slowly realizes what they have done, but it is too late. No longer will his wife be safe or sleep. No longer will Mike sleep. No longer will the town and old relationships be the same.
At the end of the movie, Mike comes into contact with the devil and his son and it's a sad site. Mike can't have the child back, he's already turned sour and grew some scary teeth.
Recommended:
Yes
Viewing Format: DVD Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older
From Stephen King comes the terrifying tale of a town besieged by evil. The inhabitants of a picturesque, sleepy little town on a small island off the...More at HotMovieSale.com
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