Kingdom Hospital: The Complete Series (2004) (Blu-ray Review)
Starring: Jack Coleman, Diane Ladd, Bruce Davison
Rated: UR/Region 0/1:78/1080p/Number of Discs 3
Available from Via Vision Entertainment
Soap opera meets THE SHINING in this star-studded miniseries that was nominated for two Emmy Awards; based on the Danish miniseries RIGET (KINGDOM), it is centered around the bizarre and preternatural Kingdom Hospital, where we meet a cast of peculiar characters inhabiting a quietly menacing setting. When Peter Rickman is hit by an inebriated driver, the last thing he sees before lapsing into unconsciousness is a vaguely human form who announces its mission to send Peter to rid the hospital of the evil that dwells there. Once inside the hospital’s halls, Peter meets the hypochondriac, psychic Mrs. Druse, and Dr. Hook, the brilliant surgeon who lives in the basement; when patients and staff begin to hear the cries coming from the walls, this unlikely band of allies sets out to solve the mystery of the ghostly inhabitants of Kingdom Hospital.
In what I’m pretty sure is a re-release from Via Vision Entertainment, we have Stephen King’s Kingdom Hospital here on a three disc Blu-ray release. Now, before we get into the show let’s breakdown the history of it. While this say Stephen King, it is worthy of a note that he just preped this for American TV. The show is actually based off The Kingdom from Lars Von Trier. This was a three episode TV series that was later turned into a full-on TV series, but at the end of the day only ran one season. You’d think that combination of Von Trier and King would be a sure shot, but sadly it does swing a miss in a few areas. That might be why we don’t hear that much about it here in the states. As a matter of fact, before Via Vision released this set I myself had never heard of it and I’m a fan of both people. So that could tell you a lot right there.
Basically we are in Maine and with Stephen King being involved that shouldn’t be a shock. A guy goes into The Kingdom hospital and while in a comatose state in room 426 he starts to notice things aren’t what they seem to be. We have other subplots and we have some creepy stuff here and there, but when all is said and done I don’t think this one stands out enough to full be something I’d openly suggest to others. Still, completest who love King or Von Trier might want it to completes the stuff they already own, but I don’t think you’ll be tossing this one up there with anything like The Stand or Tommy Knockers. It might be good for a once over, but it does lack in a lot of key areas and at time seems to be a little too by the numbers for me overall during the run of the 13 episodes.
Extras
- None
