One of the quirkier adaptations, as well as one of the last original adaptations from Night Shift, "Battleground" is not a movie, but the pilot episode of the
In both story and movie, "Battleground" is largely a single human character, played here by William Hurt, interacting with no-longer-inanimate objects. While there is some room for dialogue, particularly at the beginning when he carries out his hit on the toy-maker, the entire episode is dialogue-free. This works pretty well for the main section of man-versus-toy soldiers (even though I'd be hollering holy hell at those little green men), but elsewhere it is a little forced.
At times the action seemed a little silly. For example, nobody in his luxury apartment building seemed bothered by the fact he was shooting up his furniture with an assault rifle or wrecking their elevator. However the well-done special effects (under supervision of director Brian Henson....yes of that Henson family) helped to smooth out the instances of the incredulous. Of course, the fun of the story is not knowing what bonus surprises are hiding in the toy solider box. So it is possible that those who never read the original story would be more floored by the outcome than those who are waiting to see what a miniature hydrogen bomb will look like on screen.
Given the mediocre nature of some of the other adaptations from Night Shift, especially the later ones, this was a little breath of fresh air. It is certainly something to look forward to when this project advances thirteen years further in Stephen King's publishing history.
