As the renewed wave of interest in Stephen King continues to crash on our cinematic shores, we can only hope that future adapters and adaptions will be so well matched.
Ultimately, Gerald's Game is an unassuming, overachieving little thriller that is blessed by two performers capable of handling the lion's share of the dramatic challenges it presents.
When the movie arrives at a phenomenal, breakneck climax, and then keeps going with a totally implausible twist, it's adhering to the unwritten rule: No matter who's driving, everyone must bow to the King.
This is what makes adaptation so compelling, when you see artists solve creative problems to translate formats. You still get the joy of seeing scenes you pictured, but new stuff as they turn internal prose into on screen action.
In bursts, between the memories and the ghostly Who's Afraid of Stephen King? playlets, Flanagan shows that he probably could have made a leaner, meaner, more suspenseful film.
