Product Description

Studio: Lions Gate Home Ent. Release Date: 02/05/2008 Run time: 504 minutes Rating: Nr

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7221 in DVD
• Brand: Lions Gate
• Released on: 2006-06-13
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Collector's Edition, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 3
• Running time: 504 minutes

Amazon.com
The fourth season may fall a little short of the three that preceded it, but The Dead Zone remains one of the smartest, most intriguing series on television. As its adherents well know by now, the show, based on Stephen King's 1979 novel of the same name, was adapted for TV by Michael and Shawn Piller, with actor Anthony Michael Hall (who's also one of the producers) starring as Johnny Smith, who recovered from a horrific car accident and resulting six-year coma to find that his fiancee (Nicole deBoer) is now married to the town sheriff (Chris Bruno), who's helping raise her and Johnny's son. What's more, Johnny is now possessed of some remarkable and unsettling powers: simply by touching another person, or objects touched by others, Smith experiences visions that illuminate events that have happened, will happen, or are simultaneously taking place elsewhere. It must be handy to know which elevator button to push when you're looking for someone who's in trouble, or to realize that it's okay to jump off a hundred-foot bridge because you've seen yourself surviving the fall, but Smith's visions are rarely comforting and not always reliable, leading to moments of genuine suspense and intrigue.

With eleven episodes (plus a "bonus episode" from December, 2005) spread out over three discs, The Dead Zone is at its best when dealing with the series' one ongoing storyline: i.e., the machinations of Congressman Greg Stillson (Sean Patrick Flanery), the dumb, arrogant puppet of sinister forces who aim to put him in the White House, where, by accident or design, he may preside over Armageddon, according to Smith's visions. Unfortunately, only three Season Four episodes address that story, and they fail to advance it much further; indeed, Episode 11, "Saved," serves mainly as a cliffhanger for subsequent seasons. The remaining stories, in which Johnny helps the cops pursue various psychopaths, perverts, missing persons (including a Lennon-esque rock star presumed dead many years before), and such, are good but considerably more pedestrian. Still, while other shows may have cooler special effects, more action, and larger doses of tension-relieving humor, The Dead Zone stands out for its overall smarts and classy production values. Bonus features include deleted scenes, audio commentary on a few episodes, and a featurette focusing on production design. --Sam Graham

Customer Reviews

Season 4 is short but the story advances
Johnny Smith completely twists whatever you were expecting to happen in season four upside down. Christopher Wey, Johnny's counterpart in the post-armageddon world, brings Johnny face to face with his future self. He learns armageddon will still happen if he maintains his present course. Everything changes as a result. How so? You'll have to watch and see. Here's the rundown of the season:

BROKEN CIRCLE
EPISODE PREMIERE: June 12, 2005
Johnny (Anthony Michael Hall) fights to stop Rebecca (Sarah Wynter) from killing Greg Stillson (Sean Patrick Flanery), whom she believes is responsible for her sister's murder.

THE COLLECTOR
EPISODE PREMIERE: June 19, 2005
Johnny's (Anthony Michael Hall) visions of a young girl's abduction lead him on a life-and-death race to find "the collector" (Brian Markinson), a disturbed man who kidnaps and indoctrinates young women.

DOUBLE VISION
EPISODE PREMIERE: June 26, 2005
Johnny's (Anthony Michael Hall) ability to alter fate is put to the test when he meets a young woman (Jennifer Finnigan) with psychic abilities of her own.

DOUBLE VISIONEPISODE PREMIERE: June 26, 2005

STILL LIFE
EPISODE PREMIERE: July 10, 2005
Johnny (Anthony Michael Hall) becomes embroiled in a murder mystery as he searches for the missing daughter of a famous artist.

GRAINS OF SAND
EPISODE PREMIERE: July 30, 2005
Johnny (Anthony Michael Hall) faces a difficult decision after saving an infant from a dangerous ring of human traffickers.

VANGUARD
EPISODE PREMIERE: August 7, 2005
When Johnny touches a former science student and sees Armageddon, he sets out to find how this student - now a gifted researcher for a biomedical company - could be working on something that's connected to a weapon. The truth puts Johnny and his prized prot?g? in the crossfire between Greg Stillson and destiny.

HEROES & DEMONS
EPISODE PREMIERE: June 17, 2005
An autistic boy seeks Johnny's (Anthony Michael Hall) help to save his father (David Neale), a tough cop awaiting execution for the murder of federal DEA agent.

COMING HOME
EPISODE PREMIERE: August 21, 2005
Residents at a Cleaves Mills retirement community are dying at an unusual rate, and the old folks there speak in whispered tones about a Shadow Man that creeps the halls in the dead of night. It's a macabre tale that ultimately threatens to swallow Sarah's beloved father, Bruce, and possibly Johnny himself. Meanwhile, JJ manages to put aside his fears and preconceptions about the elderly and connect with his cantankerous old great grandfather by helping to unlock the little boy inside the old man.

THE LAST GOODBYE
EPISODE PREMIERE: July 24, 2005
Johnny goes on the road in search of a rock and roll legend - a man who has been dead for many years. His trail will lead him down a path where he becomes the rock star, and through his visions he will relive the last few days leading up to the rock star's mysterious disappearance.


BABBLE ON
EPISODE PREMIERE: August 14, 2005
Johnny visits a noted local psychiatrist to seek treatment for his persistent nightmares. After his first session on the couch triggers a cryptic vision of an impending homicide, he is thrust into an investigation that will not only reveal the murderer's identity, but will ultimately uncover a family secret buried in the deepest, darkest regions of his subconscious.

SAVED
EPISODE PREMIERE: August 28, 2005
In a bizarre turn of events, Stillson (Sean Patrick Flanery) begs Johnny (Anthony Michael Hall) to help him investigate the disappearance of his girlfriend, Miranda (Laura Harris).

A VERY DEAD ZONE CHRISTMAS (not sure if this will accompany the season 4 DVD)
EPISODE PREMIERE: December 4, 2005
When female psychic Alex Sinclair (Jennifer Finnigan) pays Johnny (Anthony Michael Hall) a surprise Christmas visit, the two work together to solve the mystery of one very lost and confused Santa.

Dead Zone gasping for air
I'm not sure why only 3 episodes of this season were committed to the ongoing storyline of Greg Stillson (Sean Patrick Flannery), but that was a mistake. The remainder of the stories are pure escapism; entertaining, but no more so than any other TV show. The writers need to do a better job tying individual episodes to the real story.

One of the best reoccuring themes from seasons 2 and 3 was the appearance of Frank Whaley (futureman) and of Johny's future self. They ended this story with Johny's impromptu tossing of his cane into a river. In effect, the writers threw away a formula that was working in favor of a purely mediocre series of fill-in episodes.

The Dead Zone is nearing it's last gasp and there doesn't appear to be any sign of recovery. The introduction of some evil cabal behind Stillson and Rev Purdie only fuels the derailment. They need to go back to basics and focus on the true storyline of the Dead Zone without overly complicating it.

There still time
I just started watching The Dead Zone on dvd because I don't have cable, I recently picked up all four seasons and watched them all in two weeks. While season four may not have been the best season it advances the mythology of the series, and ep. 11, the season finale was excellent. Anthony Michael Hall is excellent as Johnny Smith and he has great chemstry with his co-stars especially John Adams who plays his friend Bruce. I can't wait till I get season five. There has been rumours that season 5 will be the last season, I hope this is not true. Season four is definitely a must buy for DZ fans, the only problem is that season 4 does not have as many extras as the other seasons.