THE MYSTERY OF A LIFETIME.

Considering the impressive adaptations that Mike Flanagan has made for TV of works by authors like Shirley Jackson and Edgar Allan Poe, this is a disappointment.

As in the novella, we’re served the life of Chuck in three chapters, but Flanagan begins with the cataclysmic ending and saves the beginning as a poignant ending; unfortunately, the effect isn’t as striking as in Stephen King’s story. What we do have is a sweet tale that urges us to savor the highlights of our lives, because it will soon be over.

Among the film’s best scenes is Tom Hiddleston’s Boylston Street dance.

2025-U.S. 111 min. Color. Part Widescreen. Written, directed and edited by Mike Flanagan. Novella: Stephen King. Cast: Tom Hiddleston (Charles ”Chuck” Krantz), Chiwetel Ejiofor (Marty Anderson), Karen Gillan (Felicia Gordon), Mark Hamill, Jacob Tremblay, Mia Sara, Matthew Lillard, Heather Langenkamp. Narrated by Nick Offerman. 

Trivia: Co-produced by Flanagan.