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The Dead Zone: Complete 3rd Season - Complete Third Season (2004)
Front Cover Actor Back Cover
John L. Adams Bruce Lewis
Nicole de Boer Sarah Bracknell Bannerman
Chris Bruno Sheriff Walt Bannerman
Anthony Michael Hall Johnny Smith
David Ogden Stiers Rev. Gene Purdy
Sean Patrick Flanery Greg Stillson
Sarah Wynter Rebecca Caldwell
Frank Whaley Christopher Wey
Sonja Bennett Rachel Caldwell
Gary Chalk James Stillson
Richard Lewis
Greg Grunberg
Movie Details
Genre Science Fiction
Director Jon Cassar; James A. Contner; Jefery Levy
Producer Robert Petrovicz; Eric A. Stillwell
Writer Karl Schaefer
Studio Lions Gate Films Inc.
Language English
Audience Rating NR (Not Rated)
Running Time 508 mins
Country USA
Color Color
Plot
Three seasons into it, The Dead Zone has cemented its stature as one of television's most ambitious and compelling series, combining action, psychological drama, and elements of sci-fi and the supernatural in twelve episodes contained on three discs in this handsome, bonus-filled package. Based on Stephen King's 1979 novel (later a feature film starring Christopher Walken), The Dead Zone was adapted for TV by Michael and Shawn Piller, with actor Anthony Michael Hall (previously best known for his roles in the mid-'80s hits The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles) as star, co-producer, and occasional director. Hall ably plays Johnny Smith, who has recovered from a six-year coma to discover that he now has some rather remarkable powers; merely by touching other people, or objects touched by others, Smith has visions that illuminate events that have happened, will happen, or that are taking place elsewhere. He has put this ability to use as a psychic, working with the police in the Maine town in which the stories take place.

Understanding all of this may take a while for the uninitiated; not only does Smith jump both forward and back in time, but he often sees himself in his visions, and sometimes we're watching the Johnny of the present with the one from the past onscreen at the same time. The Dead Zone has a lot on its hands in each episode, with a stand-alone storyline (a Rep. Gary Condit-Chandra Levy takeoff in "Finding Rachel," a Columbine-esque school shooting in "Cycle of Violence") balancing the ongoing matter of Smith's visions--how they came to be ("Collision" details the car accident that led to his coma and, eventually, his powers), how to interpret them, and whether they're a blessing or a curse. All of that is mixed together with his strange new personal life (his pregnant fiancé, played by Nicole De Boer, married the local sheriff while Johnny was out of commission). And then there's the overriding series theme, which is heavily featured in the first two episodes of this season but mentioned only occasionally thereafter: Armageddon is coming, Johnny alone lives through it, he might even cause it? and maybe he's the only one who can prevent it.

It's a tough act to pull off week after week, but while the show occasionally seems about to collapse under its own weight, it mostly succeeds, albeit without a shred of humor and an ultra-serious, portentous vibe that gets a little tedious. At the very least, The Dead Zone makes for consistently intriguing viewing. The generous bonus features include commentary (by Hall and many others) for every episode, three featurettes, and more. --Sam Graham

Personal Details
Seen It Yes
Index 103
Collection Status In Collection
Links IMDB
Amazon US
DVD Empire
Product Details
Edition Special Edition
Format DVD
Region Region 1
Screen Ratio Fullscreen (4:3)
Layers Single Side, Dual Layer
UPC (Barcode) 031398167587
Release Date 6/7/2005
Subtitles English (Closed Captioned)
Packaging Custom Case
Audio Tracks Dolby Digital 5.1 [English]
Dolby Digital Stereo [English]
Nr of Disks/Tapes 3
Extra Features
  • Audio commentary for all 12 episodes (including commentary with guest stars Richard Lewis, Greg Grunberg (TV's "Alias"), cast and crew).
  • Three exclusive behind-the-scenes featurettes:
    "Making The Leap To HD" shows the artistic and technical struggle The Dead Zone team faced when deciding to switch from shooting 35mm film to HD camera technology.
    "Cooking Verite" takes our fans into The Dead Zone traveling kitchen and exposes the secrets of feeding an entire crew.
    "Quiet Confidence" shows how actor Chris Bruno (Walt Bannerman) stays in shape.
  • Gag Reel
  • Deleted Scenes
  • "Five Minutes Til Mitch" is a hilarious five-minute short film, written and directed by actor John L. Adams