Comparing a movie, a book and a new TV series is not as easy as one might think. You'd be surprised how many elements get lost in the translation. Not only are you switching mediums but you're switching time frames as well. It can be done, if the proper time is taken and the characters are considered quite carefully.

John Smith (Anthony Michael Hall) has the ability to see the future and the past when he touches people and objects. This ability starts at a young age when he hits his head playing ice hockey. The talent is all but forgotten all through his life. Time moves on and he is a schoolteacher now and in love and engaged to be married to Sara.

John and Sara go to the carnival one day and play the wheel of fortune. John can't seem to lose. He has a great winning streak, as he always seems to know which number the wheel will land on. After their date, John takes Sara home and offers to go out and rent some movies for them. He drives off in the rain and is then in a terrible car accident.

John eventually wakes up in a hospital after being in a coma for six years. His muscles have atrophied and it will take a lot of physical therapy to get him walking again. As the nurse begins to clean him up, he touches her hand and he sees a child's room. It's engulfed in flames but so far, the little girl is safe. He tells the nurse that there is a fire at her home and her daughter is safe but there is no time to lose. John doesn't realize what is actually happening to him The doctor tries to explain away the incident as he's convinced that the trauma that John has sustained is the cause of these "visions" and that they're nothing more than his brain learning to function again. The doctor is convinced that it's only John's imagination until John makes a prediction about him that comes true. He tells the doctor that his mother is alive and well even though his family had thought she died during an attack in Vietnam.

John starts to find out that a lot has changed in six years. His mother has passed away while he was in the coma and his fiancŽe is now married with a son. As it turns out. Sara's son was conceived before the accident that put John in the coma. Sara's current husband, Detective Bennerman, has been raising the child as his own.

John finally comes home from the hospital and manages to get involved in a murder case. A serial killer has been stalking and killing area women since before John woke up from his coma. Detective Bennerman is heading up the investigation and John starts to help him track down the killer. Will they find the killer with the help of John's newfound ability? The only way to know for sure is to check it out for yourself.

Ok, now for some comparisons. Christopher Walken plays John in the original film. He was much younger and not quite as creepy as he appears in many of the parts he plays today. He was a great choice for the role because of his all around intensity. Who in their right mind would accuse this man of lying? I certainly can't complain about the job Anthony Michael Hall does in the TV series. He's a little younger than I would have cast the role but plays the part well. Long gone is the "Sixteen Candles" geek we remember, he's all grown up now and a half decent actor to boot.

Comparing the storyline between versions is a bit difficult. In the book and movie John's mother doesn't pass away before he wakes from his coma. It's not really a huge part of the story but big enough to take notice. Also both of John's parents are alive and well when he wakes up and the TV series has cut the father out of the picture completely.

Also, Sara is married in both the book and the movie and she does have a young son. However, John did not father the child in the book or the movie. Sara is also not married to Detective Bennerman in the original tale. John does work with the detective in the original movie and book and he does work on this particular case. Things like this tend to happen in a lot of Stephen Kings stories when they're translated to film or TV. He tends to write a vast array of characters and sometimes they end up getting blended together when the story hits the screen. It simplifies things but sometimes you lose important details as the story develops. It's hard to tell in this case. The TV series pilot contained in this review doesn't go as far as the book and the original movie. The original story tells the tale of John's adult life as it covers from the time John wakes up until the end (if you catch my drift).

I have to say that The Dead Zone is one of my favorite books. I'm a fairly big fan of Stephan King's older work as he really does spin a good tale. From what I can tell of the series, they've hit most of the major scenes on target. A few details here and there are different but the story follows the same format. They've really done an excellent job up until now... I really don't have too many complaints.

There are a few nifty visual tricks that enhance the visions that John has as well. Scenes freeze around him and John can actually walk through the vision picking out specific details. It also allows the viewer to see the important details of each vision as well. This is a great trick and it brings a little something extra... I really enjoyed it. Too often the minute details can go by too fast for the viewer to actually catch the importance of each vision. Since the whole story is based on John's visions, I thought it was a nice touch.

Picture quality on the DVD was sharp and clear, a little sharper on the DVD than on broadcast TV but not by much. Audio is presented in 5.l Dolby Digital Surround and sounded great on the DVD. The volume stayed level through the whole pilot and I didn't have to worry that the music was going to spike and be too loud for the scene. There were a few minor glitches in the audio when the scenes would change, it didn't happen a lot but there were a couple spots where the audio was cut poorly and hung into the next scene. Most likely, it was where they intended commercial spots to be inserted during broadcast. Special Features on the disk include: Commentary with the cast and crew, USA TV Promos an alternate ending, and a preview of future episodes.

I didn't really know what to expect from this series, but it will be interesting to see how they move through the story and develop the characters. The possibilities really are endless. They have an opportunity to create an entire new life for this character. I wouldn't mind seeing the direction that the creators take with the storylines. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this to any die-hard Stephen King fans familiar with the previous film. It's impossible to keep the story intact and still have a complete series. If you enjoyed the characters and the basic story of the original, you might want to look into the show. I think it certainly has promise and would definitely be worth checking out.