Kingdom Hospital: The Entire Series

Columbia/Tristar | minutes | | | Standard DVD reviewed by: Fusion3600

Kingdom Hospital is located in Lewiston, Maine and while the facility looks normal, that is just not the case. The hospital was constructed on a site with a tragic past, as back in the Civil War era, a terrible event transpired there. A group of helpess children was burned alive on the very site, an event which some claim damned that parcel of land. As it happens, a lot of folks have stories to tell about visits to Kingdom Hospital, stories that involve unexplainable events, eerie sensations, and all other manner of supernatural tales. The newest patient at the hospital is Peter Rickman (Jack Coleman), a well known artist who just suffered an accident. While jogging, he was struck by a van and knocked out. He remains in a coma, but he is not dead or even close, as his mind continues to work. Inside of his mind, he ventures through Kingdom Hospital, but not in its present state, but in the old form before the horrific accident. But Rickman is just one resident at Kingdom Hospital, so the other patients, doctors, and visitors have experiences of their own. Is Kingdom Hospital haunted and is so, can anything be done to restore peace to the site?

Based on Lars Von Trier's incredible Danish mini-series The Kingdom, Kingdom Hospital is a supernatural epic. This "limited series" is more like a one shot season, as the length is beyond the scope of traditional mini-series productions. The idea was Stephen King's to remake Von Trier's series and King took an active role, to say the least. He worked as a writer, but also shelled out a lot of his own cash, in order to cover budget overruns and purchase high profile promotional ads for the eerie series. But does Kingdom Hospital offer the kind of treatment genre fans want, or does it pale in comparison to Von Trier's original landmark production? While the series has sparks of excellence, the project on the whole is disjointed and ineffective. Kingdom Hospital isn't bad, but it fails to cash in on the potential here and if Von Trier's work were followed more, perhaps the result would have been more impressive. As I said, sometimes the series does work and the pieces click into place, but not often enough. The large assortment of characters are often underdeveloped and the various storylines aren't brought to a sufficient climax. Even so, there is some great atmosphere, eerie chills, and genuine scares, just not in ample portions. I had a decent time with Kingdom Hospital, but it is far too long and loses focus too often. As such, I can recommend this to fans of the genre, but even then as a rental.

The episodes are presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. The series was issued on DVD a short time after broadcast, so as expected, the episodes look excellent and provide no real reason for concern. The series was shot on film and the prints look excellent, with no softness or debris to mention. This looks like a brand new series should, a clean overall visual presence with crisp detail levels. I found colors to be bright and rich as well, but within a natural scope. No troubles with flesh tones either, as skin tones come across in warm, natural fashion. The contrast is quite good also, as black levels look stark and consistent, so even the shadows look excellent here. This is as good, if not better than we could have hoped, so Columbia deserves some praise for giving us a top notch treatment here.

The series has been given a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, which is great news, given the film's atmospheric texture. The surrounds are given plenty to do here, but the focus is on subtle touches, not raw power. So no, you won't be blown over in your chair, but the audio enhances the film's eerie atmosphere, which is what counts. The little touches that add to a scene, such as creaks or distant sounds, that helps build and maintain atmosphere. A few scenes do allow the surrounds to open up and drop some power however, so this isn't a total exercise is minimalism. I found vocals to be in great form, while the music is clear and well handled also. This release also inclides French subtitles.

The first episode has an audio commentary session with Stephen King, director Craig Baxley, and two of the producers. This is a loaded track, so there's never a down moment, though it does seem a tad crowded at times. This release also includes four behind the scenes featurettes, which focus on the cast, the special effects, the hospital itself, as well as a more general look into how the production unfolded.