A widow becomes the object of a dangerous stalker, obsessed with her husband’s work.

Apple TV+’s eight-part adaptation of Stephen King’s 2006 novel boasts some heavyweight talent both in front of and behind the camera, and yet in its opening two episodes it fails to grab, instead flitting endlessly between two time periods and sacrificing any narrative cohesion or momentum.

Lisey Debusher Landon (Julianne Moore, Hannibal) is still suffering flashbacks of when her author husband Scott Landon (Clive Owen, Children of Men) was shot two years previously. It’s apparent that she has been crippled emotionally following his death (which wasn’t immediately after the shooting) and has to deal with dysfunctional relationships with her sisters Amanda (Joan Allen, Bourne movies) and Darla (Jennifer Jason Leigh, Dolores Claiborne) and stalker Jim Dooley (Dane DeHaan, A Cure for Wellness).

That’s already a strong cast, with all episodes directed by Chilean Pablo Larain (Jackie) from a screenplay by Stephen King. Unfortunately, it feels too much like a book on TV rather than an adaptation of a book as a TV series. King has cited the novel as one of his favourites and his affection for it comes through in his unwillingness to make it televisual. The soundtrack by Clark is incredibly intrusive and melodramatic, frequently blaring out when little is going on, but it’s the inordinate amount of time spent in the past that’s the greatest distraction, with King desperately throwing in bits that make little sense yet while leading us on a scavenger hunt of clues – as indeed he does with Lisey.

I hope that as the story progresses the more abstract content will make more sense and that there will be a sense of forward momentum rather than just focusing on the past. There’s some gorgeous cinematography by Darius Khondji (Seven) and the pedigree of all involved means that you’ll return for more, but with poorer credentials I believe that many would have bailed at this early point, scratching their heads and wondering just what is going on.

Verdict: Not the King opus that we’d been hoping for, let’s hope it’s a grower and that we’ll be rewarded by the cumulative effect of subsequent episodes. 6/10

Nick Joy