Breakinger A Brilliant Conflict

Merolliv I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

Lachlan Coulson This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

Francene Odetta It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

loktar Its really shame people rate this movie so low, i mean yeah true not so many movies can be good as book and honestly you cant perfectly transfer book to a movie, but to give so many bad review's just because of that is stupud.. If you can get over that you will like movie cuz its damn good, and actors did pretty good job... Bottom line dont listen to bad reviews watch a movie give it a chance and you will see how good it is.

classicalsteve There is a very short list of classic novels centering on the vampire mythos. Of course the most famous is "Dracula" by Bram Stoker (1897); probably the deepest and most philosophical is "Interview with the Vampire" by Anne Rice (1976); but the most disturbing may be in fact "Salem's Lot" by Stephen King. While Dracula was an ancient monster wreaking havoc on Londoners in late 19th-century Britain, King's tale involves the dark little secrets of a New England town whose residence become ripe fodder for a highly-intelligent demon. The point of King's story I believe is how the unspoken and unexamined behavior of a small town become easy prey to dark forces.The recent rendition of Salem's Lot into a made-for-cable film starring Rob Lowe, Samantha Mathis, Andre Braugher, Donald Sutherland, Rutger Hower and Dan Byrd is a bit closer adaption to King's original story than the television-movie of the 1970's which starred David Soul and James Mason. Looming above the town is an old "haunted mansion", the Marsten House. The House itself is a character like the others, which the more recent adaption exploits a bit further than its 1970's counterpart, although the house is menacing in that adaption as well. In many scenes in this recent adaption, the House looms in the distance, as if watching the events unfold from on-high, a spooky version of the Eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg of Great Gatsby fame.Rob Lowe in a solid performance in the wake of his years on "The West Wing" plays Ben Mears, a native-born of the town Jerusalem's Lot who returns to his place of birth and, as we'll learn, his coming-of-age. Mears has been away from the town for over two decades, nurturing a successful writing career in New York. (Many aspects of Mears ring of Stephen King who was also brought up in a small New England town.) The writer has returned from his hustle and bustle life in the Big Apple to write about the town, and, as it turns out, about incidents which occurred when he was on the verge of adolescents.Aside from the story of the vampires is the parallel story of the corruption of the town, such as a father abusing his daughter, then threatening the local garbage service who employs a crippled man who he believes had been with this daughter. A lower-middle class couple residing in a trailer park are not caring adequately for their baby, and they use blackmail schemes to raise money. Charlie Rhodes is an abusive school bus driver. He enacts "justice" by forcing children he believes are either misbehaving and/or simply doesn't like, to get off his bus and walk home.When Mears returns to Salem at the beginning, he meets Susan Norton (Samantha Mathis), a college graduate who had been corresponding with Mears through emails about her choice of academic studies. (Which is a bit of an upgrade from the original book and original film adaption. Online selling is also discussed.) Mears learns the Marsten House has been bought by two mysterious gentlemen in the antiques trade, Richard Straker (Donald Sutherland), and the mysterious Mr. Barlow who, according to Straker, is constantly on buying trips in Europe. They open a shop in Salem's Lot.Brothers Ralphie and Danny Glick, and their friend Mark Petrie (Dan Byrd), decide to see pictures hidden in the glove compartment of their school bus driver who had been abusing them, possibly as a blackmail scheme. The plan fails and the boys end up running for the lives through the woods near the town. Ralphie Glick disappears and Danny Glick is found by Father Callahan on one of the nearby roads. Danny is in hospital and shortly thereafter is paid a visit by Ralphie, the former making the mistake of a letting his ghostly brother pay him a visit. Later, Danny Glick, floating outside the window of Mark, asks to be invited in.The creation of the vampires spreads like a virus, somewhat akin to Invasion of the Body Snatchers. A few characters realize what's happening, including Mears, Dr. Cody, the schoolteacher Matt Burke, and love interest Susan Norton. They realize the evil is emanating from the Marsten House but they must unravel what's happening before it's too late. There is something strange and sinister about their new resident, Richard Straker. A very well-done and satisfying adaption of Stephen King's classic of mortal good versus supernatural evil. This recent version is a bit more faithful to the original book, including the portrayal of Barlow which is closer to King's original vision than the Nosferatu-like character in the 1970's version.

Maziun I haven't read the Stephen's King book or seen the 1979 Tobe Hooper's TV movie. From what I see this movie (or mini-series) is rather loosely adapted from the book. The story was heavily rewritten and the characters were updated for modern audiences ( Afghanistan , black homosexual). Those followers of King's novel will probably hate this movie. Those who have not closely read the novel will have a better chance of enjoying it. I didn't liked the movie not for the changes it made to the book ( loose adaptation can still be great movies - "The Shining") , but because of other problems.A frustratingly large amount of important events either take place inexplicably off-screen, or are simply bypassed and ignored. Lots of things are left unexplained. Even at three hours the plot somehow feels both rushed and bloated. The supporting cast is too large and poorly developed. The dialogues are weak too.The directing is also a problem . The mood changes from serious with attempts at social commentary to campy , from black humor to (not so) scary.This movie (or mini series) had 25 mln budget , yet there is nothing remarkable about production values and the special effects are rather poor. The music also feels cheap , especially the "dark" rock music.Good actors like Donald Sutherland and Rutger Hauer are wasted , because they have very little screen time . The leading star Rob Lowe is mediocre at best , same goes for James Cromwell and Andre Brauer. Samantha Matis (love interest) and Robert Mammone (doctor) were not bad.It's not the worst horror movie I've seen. It was mildly entertaining and engaging. There was a good movie here somewhere. At least it's better than "Dreamcatcher". I give it 2/10.

jacco59 This movie was pretty decent, though it did suffer from a relatively low budget. More realistic special effects would have made it more believable. Without the great acting performances though it would have been boring to watch. Rob Lowe does really well as Ben Mears, the writer who returns to the town of Jerusalem's Lot to face his demons, and André Baugher (who by the way also played in The Mist, which is a better Stephen king adaptation than this) also does well as Matt Burke, the literature teacher who becomes involved in the quest to expel the evil from Salem's Lot. One disappointment though was the character of Mark Petrie. It's not as if Dan Bryd doesn't play him well, it's just that he is described totally different in the book (is that right? English isn't my native language). Also the movie skips through some of the best parts of the book relatively fast (I was expecting much, much more from the scene where Mark escapes the Marsten house). I also enjoyed the bits of narration here and there, they weave the story together really well.To conclude:Good:Excellent acting,great story (of course),narration Bad:Screenplay adaptation of the character of Mark Petrie,very obviously fake 'special effects', skipping of scenes that shouldn't be skipped.This movie is worth watching, especially if you're a Stephen King fan. But if you're not, you'll still have a good time. And that, in the end, is what movies are for