User reviews

I don't get the negative reviews here. The series kept me engaged and is very well done! Cast is great.

Story is typical S. King.

Is a bit dark and has that mystical/magic component of S. King novels which I enjoy.

Last episodes get better. Should definitely have a better rating here.

I have been drawn to reviews here of 7/8 rating and then those shows are crap.

Probably one of the best shows on Apple Tv at the moment.

It is absurd for hundreds of people to give this show extremely low ratings accompanied by statements like "What am I watching??" Well, pay attention, use your imagination, and watch the entire series instead of giving it a three-star review after two episodes.

The miniseries is an improvement over the novel, which I think is one of King's weakest, despite the fact that he says it is his favorite of his books. The book is relentlessly dark and depressing, with literally no humor, with a needlessly oblique and depressing ending. The miniseries, on the other hand, while being equally bleak and depressing for the vast majority, does actually come to a conclusion in a way that the novel did not. It is sad and beautiful, bittersweet, a deeply emotional homage to romantic love, loyalty, and loss. I did not make up my mind about the miniseries until the last 15 minutes of the final episode, it which point it achieved what the novel didn't.

As for reviewers criticizing it for being "all style and no substance," they are either missing the point behind the production design or they haven't lived enough life to understand and appreciate and feel the thematic emotional substance of the story.

With respect to production design, the characters literally traveling into a fantastical alternate realm of reality. Criticizing Lisey's Story for flamboyant visual style it's like criticizing Sleeping Beauty or Peter Pan for the same reason. It's just an absurd statement and which makes it clear that that viewer really doesn't understand how to watch fantasy movies or shows, which has to make you wonder why they are watching this to begin with since it's obvious from the description that that's what it is. As for the idea of lacking substance, I've already remarked on that.

I'm not saying the story or the program are not without their flaws. The novel and the miniseries would have benefited from making Scott's character more multi-faceted and less dower. I also did not appreciate the way Lisey is physically brutalized and repeatedly called the b-word. I found this difficult to take in both versions of the story, and I'm still not sure it was necessary. We get the point well before the end of each scene in question and I have to wonder why King, who wrote the script, and the showrunner both thought these moments needed to be dwelled upon. And, as I mentioned before, the 5-Hour run time would have benefited from at least a few moments of character-developing humor, but there is almost none.

At the end of the day I think this is one of the better adaptations of a King novel, and the only one I can think of that actually improves upon the source material. I recommend it for thoughtful, imaginative viewers of fantasy, and people who have the ability to feel deep emotions and empathy for the characters being portrayed. You have to be able to experience this show on an emotional level in order to get what King is trying to achieve.

Exactly like the book. Same drawn out story where you turn the page and realize you were accidentally mentally constructing your grocery list and have to turn back and reread a page or two.

I really wanted to like the book. I really wanted to like this series. But this book/series taught me that an author can get so big, so famous, that anything he puts out is treated with respect. Even when it doesn't deserve it.

The acting, the mood, the music, the locations are all quality. But the story is not.

Watched both episodes available now and I will say it's weird. I like weird and it's definitely weird! If you don't kind of pay attention you might start to get a little lost. Lisey or Lisa, which is her real first name, starts sifting through her memories of her late husband as she finds clues he left behind that he wanted her to find after his death....this is not a spoiler as it's in the preview that he died. She has memories of these weird things but does not seem quite fazed by them. At the same time, her older sister has some issues that connect her to Lisey's husband. Another side story involves someone trying to get her late husband's unpublished manuscripts. So there is a lot going on. It's not necessarily confusing if you pay attention. After the second episode and I can already see how some things are connected, but some people may just be super confused and rate this very low. I won't rate it low yet because it kept my attention and had some intriguing aspects. So I am interested in how this weird, sometimes off the wall, story unfolds.

We'll see how it turns out. But right now the story is a bit of a mess. Too many montage gimmicks does not a narrative make. The tension is there so that promising but it does feel a bit over done since you're not entirely sure what's going on. Moore might be over acting just a bit. Let's see if the story gels.

DeHaan is the real star so far. He's absolutely anchoring the drama. Not sure I'd keep watching if it wasn't for him. Joan Allen also is completely transformed.

Beautiful, very artistic shots aaaaand that's it. There's nothing more, not a single person you can relate to or just plain like. Don't get me wrong - this have everything I love but it still managed to bored as hell. It's just pretty blown egg.

Has become the sounding board for the miserable and frustrated?

I read the reviews and...when it seemed to first begin, a number of years ago, i missed some shows/movies because i beLIEVED the reviewers...but since that time i've learned that i should pay more attention to the positive reviewers...research their output, if possible...and see if we have similar tastes... i guess the main problem is that anyone with a computer, internet and a keyboard can write a review...only fair, i guess...it just doesn't serve as someplace that informs me anymore, is all... in any case...i've seen the pilot and it was as enjoyable as any stephen king work that i've enjoyed(and there are many) in the past.

Slow? Right. No car chases. No superheroes...nothing to nail you to the seat if you just have a red bull...so SORRY!

God, you haters are really frustrating...

Well-acted and very pretty to look at. After the watching the first episode I'm definitely curious to see where the story is going, however, constantly jumping between different times and visions can be a little confusing.

I really wasn't going to watch this after reading all the sledgehammer negative reviews. I took a chance and wasn't disappointed with this series.

Yes it's slow, yes the subject matter is disturbing. Many aren't comfortable with subjects like self harm and, death and abuse.

As a counsellor these sort of things are an everyday subject. I found the whole series to be extremely compelling.

Very nice cast.

More than a little frightening. The overtly dark characters come off as one-note... the potential for subtlety is lost. I know how brilliant King is, and I realize that it was important for him to write the televised script... but I'm not sure if he had a say in the actors' interpretations.

On the whole, this feels like it will be unnecessarily drawn out--this is my prediction, after 1 episode. If it was a movie, I would have watched all of it.

"Awww, give it a chance", you say.

I gave it a chance. I've had enough.

Whether for good or bad, this story really is soaked in Stephen King tropes, which makes sense since he wrote it. Depressed Author? Psycho obsessed fan? Abusive father? Family with unexplained powers? Underlying unknowable dread? Hotel in a snowstorm? It has it all! I had to laugh out loud when I saw a message written backwards in blood... Stephen why do you do this?

The actors do a stellar job to keep me invested, and the show, for the first 3 episodes, rides a fine line of subtly and going full blown crazy which is great. My only critique is it can feel repetitive even early on and Dane DeHaan is a little over the top but really interested to see where it goes. They're really going full steam with that Oreo product placement as well.

I just got halfway through the 5th episode and turned it off, I can't watch anymore! I'm a huge King fan, but this series is a BIG miss for me, I find the storyline too ridiculous and all over the place.

I made myself watch up until now hoping that it was going to improve, now I don't even care how it ends, I can't endure anymore!!

I am a Big Stephen King fan and in my youth he was one of the writers that I read a lot Most of them were scary but also compelling that much if it meant reading his books in bed late at night because I couldn't put them down I would although I would prepare the room before hand checking all areas and when eventually I could read no longer due to my eyes feeling heavy I would give into sleep with the lights on of course lol

Not all his books translate as well on the big screen Ifound IT scary when reading but boring as a film!

I haven't read this book but the production is very much his style sometimes appearing complex in its slow burning delivery but maintaining interest this is no exception As for the acting mostly good however I admit to not particularly likening Dane Dehaans role as the obsessive fan. I felt like he had studied every psycho part played in films adapting all into his role on this show and sadly because of that he comes across to me as overdoing it and not making the role his own which is a great shame !

On the whole if like me you love Stephen King offerings this is certainly worth iinvesting .time in if only to see if your interpretation is near the mark.

I bought Carrie when it came out and have been reading his works ever since. There have been many masterpieces and a small number not so good - but always there was something good in them which I enjoyed and to write as much as he has and never fall below top class is a tough, maybe impossible ask. I read Liseys story and hated it. It was slow, boring and turgid - I was disappointed and sad. It was the first King book I wanted to end quickly so I could just put it away and forget about it. It was like it wasn't written by him at all.

I thought I'd give the tv series a go in the hope that it may offer some redemption.

It doesn't. It's just like the book. It is self indulgent, over the top arty, confusing and ultimately unsatisfying. Julianne Moore is wonderful as she always is and does the best she can with what she is given to work with. Clive Owen is as wooden as often as she is amazing and makes no change for this role. Its early days of course but I am delaying watching the second one as two in a row would be far too much to endure. It's a totally different type of story of course but this is no better, indeed is much worse, than the recent version of The Stand which at least offered some decent set pieces and some humour. I hope it improves but after the books first few chapters, it certainly didn't so I don't hold out much hope. Sorry Mr. King, just telling it how I see it.

P. S I have a Samsung phone and loved Servant...

The story was very intriguing. I honestly did not understand the first episodes so it took me half way into the series to really get invested in it. I did cheat a little and googled some information to understand the story better because I don't think I would watch this again. So I wanted to understand the final episodes and know what the heck was going on.

The show has a talented cast of actors and skilled art directors and cinematographers. I was particularly impressed with Joan Allen's catatonic performance. It was her acting prowess that carried me forward and caused me to not withdraw from watching weekly. She really is talented.

It's an interesting romantic psychological horror story revolving around mental illness and abuses that happen. It's a fine show and I think you can get more out of it by looking up its fandom page and reading a little background on the story from which the book its based. It's not my favorite Stephen King story, not scary, but I enjoyed it.

Watching this series is like being slowly tortured each week. It has got to be the slowest, most boring, and ridiculous show I've ever watched. Yet, I foolishly keep watching because I guess I'm a glutton for punishment and the potential is there for what could have been a unique series, but they are so far from the mark, it's just never gonna happen.

The best horror mini-series ever made, because the script is rooted and complex, and the characters are complex, and all the rules of the genre are seen in it. A film adapted from Stephen King will either be wonderful or awful and in this case wonderful.

There's some good stuff here but the material is stretched out, with especially a lot of redundant scenes in the first half. This could have been cut down to a two-hour movie without losing anything, including atmosphere. The visuals were beautiful and there were a lot of things that will stick with me. I don't regret watching it.

A good show for double-tasking.

This show is painful to watch. Way too slow and drawn out. Wasted a pretty decent cast. Gave up part way through episode 4 and won't be finishing it out.

Of the several adaptations of King's work to small or big screen, this strikes me as the best. The characters, portrayed by a superb cast, are well developed and complex. The videography supports the lyrical quality of the story well. The tale sits astride the tenuous boundary separating horror and fantasy. Viewers should expect a drama far more subtle and more beautiful than the typical fare of King films. This is a poignant and mesmerizing exploration of grief, love, and trauma.

Lisey's story, perhaps amazingly, is Stephen King's favorite book. Or perhaps not so amazingly - an extraordinarily prolific writer who churns out books faster than he can think about them, maybe it shouldn't be surprising that something as bland, slow and dim as this caught his attention - it's unlike most of his works which are at least competently written and often engaging, if rarely intellectually powerful.

Unfortunately, Stephen then decided it should be him to adapt it for television and he did it superbly faithfully - all the dullness, dimwittedness, plodding pace and a gallery of wooden characters have been copied to screen and suffer with us as this non-piece plops along.

No actor could save it, none did. They all stare into nothingness, grimace, point to the unknown and offer inane lines that tie nothing together. The story is so pregnant with remembrances, flashbacks, throwbacks and emotions unsuited for visual representation that there is barely any story conveyed - there was precious little to begin with.

Garbage in, garbage out.

I never read the book and maybe that's a good thing. 3 episodes in, I'm completely hooked it's weird but so beautifully shot there are scenes so sumptuous brooding and dark it makes you want to understand. The relationship between a writer and his wife of just a few short years. She learns about her husband's past through a series of clues he left behind. Meanwhile she is menaced by a super fan as her own subling suffers a mental break. It all comes together as you get closer to the end. There are shocking scenes of brutality juxtaposed with these fantastic colorful dreamlike states. Stephen King wrote the screenplay himself this is not often a good thing but Pablo Larrain deftly directs this mini-series every episode and he does so with satisfying results. Julianne Moore gives one of her best performances.i gave it a 7 out of 10 because I think editing out an hour could have made it better and improved the pace.