Max’s The Penguin continues to exceed all expectations, especially following the landmark fourth episode, “Cent’anni.” But despite its high immersive quality, one Max Original has sucked the lifeblood out of all competitors. ReelGood.com reports that Salem’s Lot has dominated The Batman spin-off series in a surprising turn of events. While The Penguin isn’t that far behind, Salem’s Lot hasn’t exactly impressed critics. Adapted from Stephen King’s second published novel, the vampire film has earned an abysmal 44% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Penguin, on the other hand, is the darling of the television world. Picking up where Matt Reeve’s 2022 film left off, the gritty crime series depicts the fallout of the Riddler (Paul Dano) blowing up the Gotham seawall and Oz Cobb’s (Colin Farrell) mad grab for power in the Falcone crime syndicate. The series has amassed an IMDb score of 8.8 stars, with Episode 4 being the highest rated at 9.5. The beauty of the episode is that Farrell appears in a total of three scenes, where Cristin Milioti instead steals the show as Sofia Falcone. “Cent’anni” charts Sofia’s journey from a pampered mafia princess to her admittance into Arkham Asylum. Falsely dubbed “The Hangman,” viewers get a close look at society’s double standards, inspired by the real trials of Rosemary Kennedy. The hour of television is the pinnacle of modern storytelling, and yet, it could not beat a lackluster King adaptation.
‘Salem’s Lot’ Fails as a Movie and an Adaptation
Hype for Salem’s Lot had been circulating for some time. Shot back in 2021, the shakeup at Warner Bros. resulted in the company shelving the project. Only after the King of Horror publicly questioned when the film would be released was there any traction. Starring Lewis Pullman as Ben Mears, the film follows a young author returning to his hometown and discovering Jerusalem’s Lot has been corrupted by vampires.
The first adaptation of King’s book since the 2004 miniseries, the film was highly anticipated. However, that couldn’t save it from the main issue working against it: Time. There wasn’t enough of it. King isn’t known for his brevity and the book reaches almost 700 pages. Shoving all that material into a film in under two hours is impossible. This story can only work as a limited series and that was proven with the latest adaptation that changed a few elements from the Salem’s Lot book. Despite a strong performance from Pullman, the final film was a diminished version of what it should have been. Salem’s Lot did not have enough time to establish the connections between characters, fundamental information, or the real estate to develop the third act. Regardless of these factors, Salem’s Lot seems to have found its audience. Thanks to the Halloween season and King’s marketability, the film isn’t struggling for numbers. Viewers can continue to defy the odds and find Salem’s Lot streaming exclusively on Max.
An author returns to his hometown of Jerusalem’s Lot in search of inspiration for his next book, only to discover that the townspeople are being attacked by a bloodthirsty vampire.
- Release Date
- September 25, 2024
- Director
- Gary Dauberman
- Cast
- Lewis Pullman , Alfre Woodard , Makenzie Leigh , Bill Camp , Spencer Treat Clark , Pilou Asbæk , John Benjamin Hickey , William Sadler , Jordan Preston Carter , Nicholas Crovetti , Cade Woodward , Kellan Rhude , Debra Christofferson , Rebecca Gibel , Mike Bash , Fedna Jacquet , Avery Bederman
- Runtime
- 113 Minutes
- Studio(s)
- New Line Cinema , Atomic Monster , Vertigo Entertainment
- Distributor(s)
- HBO Max
WATCH ON MAX
