Mike Flanagan's latest delve into the world of Stephen King is an odd mix of schmaltzy sentimentality and grand-themes philosophising, proving to be as divisive as the treacly manipulative Forrest Gump. Structured in reverse, the opening Act Three threatens a typical Stephen King apocalyptic supernatural mystery, the central Act Two offers old-fashioned small-town quirk, and the concluding Act One is a most familiar King coming-of-age nostalgia-fest shot through with tragedy. The talented lead cast - Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, Matthew Lillard, a warmly charming Tom Hiddleston and more - talk and talk and talk against a soporific sub-Vangelis-styled score with musings on the planet, the environment, the universe and the human condition. It may all be a grand poetic exploration of the life and death of an everyman that urges us to live life to the full, but it treads a very fine line between being sweetly life-affirming and drearily twee in its rather long-winded journey.
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