Starring: James Franco, Josh Duhamel, Sarah Gadon, Michael Izquierdo, Kevin Dennis, Daniel Webber
Director: Kevin Macdonald
Rated: Not Rated
Studio: Warner Home Video
Release Date: August 9, 2016
Run Time: 450 minutes
Series: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 3.5 out of stars
Extras: 1.5 out of 5 stars
“11.22.63” is a great Stephen King novel, which was ruined in it’s TV expansion by casting James Franco as the star. This show has such potential. The story is so interesting and yet it is ruined by the ridiculously overacting of Franco, who just looks confused and stoned the who series. Chris Cooper was amazing and I wished we could have seen more of him. Behind the show was some major power with executive producer J.J. Abrams and the Master of Horror himself, Stephen King. I wish this could have been done better because I had really high expectations for 11.22.63. The next King adaptation will be “The Dark Tower” and I hope that does not follow in this series’ path.
Official Premise: Viewers hurtle deep into the unpredictable darkness of the American dream. James Franco stars as Jake Epping, a high school teacher at a loss with his life, who wants to make a difference and do something meaningful. Encouraged by his ailing friend (Chris Cooper), Jake journeys back in time to prevent the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The story transports audiences into the world of 1960s Texas as Jake explores the multiple mysteries surrounding the alleged assassin Lee Harvey Oswald (Daniel Webber). But Jake’s mission faces threats not only from Oswald, but from Sadie (Sarah Gadon), a beautiful librarian he falls in love with, and from the Past itself… which doesn’t want to be changed. And if the Past doesn’t want to be changed, it will push back – often violently. With something for everyone, this edge-of-your seat mystery offers an epic and emotional thrill ride.
This Hulu Original cast includes James Franco (127 Hours, Milk), Sarah Gadon (Dracula Untold), Cherry Jones (Erin Brockovich), Lucy Fry (Game of Thrones, Pirates of the Caribbean), George MacKay (Defiance), Daniel Webber (K9), T.R. Knight (Grey’s Anatomy), Kevin J. O’Connor, with Josh Duhamel (Transformers films) and Chris Cooper (American Beauty). The Blu-ray features nothing special in terms of audio/video, typical 1080p transfers and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks. DEcent, no complaints. There is only one special feature included here (besides a Digital HD copy) called “When the Future Fights Back”, which features the producers and Franco talking about turning the novel into the series.