Eric D. Snider
The Mist
Movie Review
"The Mist"
Review by Eric D. Snider
Grade: B+
Rating: R
Released: Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Directed by:
Cast:
Stephen King's entertaining stories have probably been ruined by movies more than any other author's, so it is a rare pleasure that 2007 should see not one but two successful adaptations: "1408" and now "The Mist," a scary-fun horror flick that doesn't skimp on the thrills or the mayhem but doesn't completely wallow in violence, either.
Another nice surprise is that it was adapted and directed by Frank Darabont, whose previous King films were the syrupy kind -- "Shawshank Redemption" and "The Green Mile" -- and who hasn't made a film at all since 2001's "The Majestic."
"The Mist" begins with a terrible storm in rural Maine (is there any other kind of Maine?) that downs trees and knocks out the electricity. The next day, a strange mist is seen coming in off the lake, and while a few dozen locals are buying supplies at the grocery store, a bloody-faced old man comes running in screaming, "Something is in the mist!"
He ain't whistlin' Dixie, either. In a very satisfying turn of events, several of the people in the besieged grocery store actually see what's in the mist firsthand (one of them, predictably, does not live to tell the tale) and can accurately warn the others. The de facto leader, an artist and family man named David Drayton (Thomas Jane), insists they need to board up the store's front windows before the whatever-it-is tries to break through. But he faces opposition from Brent Norton (Andre Braugher), his prickly next-door neighbor and a lawyer who won't believe there's any creature in the mist until he sees it with his own two eyes.
There is also Mrs. Carmody (Marcia Gay Harden), a religious fanatic who takes all these signs and wonders as irrefutable evidence of the impending apocalypse. As time passes in the supermarket (like "1408," this story is set almost entirely in one location), her ravings start to gain traction among people who have now seen the mist-dwelling things for themselves and are terrified of what they mean. People get crazier and crazier and start to embrace escape plans that are foolhardy or suicidal. "You scare people badly enough, you can get them to do anything," says the bloody-faced old man, Dan (Jeffrey DeMunn), voicing what could be seen as some of the film's commentary on modern politics.
Watching the film -- caught up in it, enjoying nearly every minute -- I thought often of the classic "Twilight Zone" episode called "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street," where friendly suburbanites are whipped into a panic by the fear that one of them may be an alien. In "The Mist," no one in the grocery store is thought to be in league with whatever's out there. But the idea that we have more to fear from each other than from monsters is an underlying theme.
These people actually have quite a bit to fear from the monsters, too, and that fact is horrifically made manifest by frequent scary attacks from the outside. Darabont isn't afraid to show us what everyone's so afraid of, yet he manages to save some surprises for later as well. The explanation for the creatures' existence is officially summed up in about two lines of almost-thrown-away dialogue -- perfunctory at best, and that's all the film needs. What do you want, a biology class?
There are inevitably some slower moments as the film pauses to regroup and explore some lesser relationships such as that between a young soldier (Sam Witwer) stationed nearby and the store's cashier (Alexa Davalos). There are far more people trapped in the store than the story actually needs, so a lot of them remain anonymous and voiceless, with colorful performers like Frances Sternhagen (as an old lady) and Toby Jones (as a store manager with sharpshooter skills) adding flavor. But maybe "flavor" is an unfortunate choice of words, considering the fate some of the characters meet.
Grade: B+
Rated R, a lot of harsh profanity, plenty of horror violence and some blood
2 hrs., 7 min.
Copyright © Eric D. Snider.
This work may not be transmitted via the Internet, nor reproduced in any other way, without written consent from Eric D. Snider.
This item has 20 comments
November 21, 2007 at 6:56 am
I remember reading "The Mist" and thinking what a cool movie it would make, while also fearing the inevitable film version due to historical mishandling of other King stories. I'm relieved to hear the good reviews and anxious to see it when I get the chance.
November 21, 2007 at 8:51 am
This is one of the very few horror movies I actually have a desire to see.
November 21, 2007 at 2:16 pm
I agree. I read this last week on a whim and really enjoyed it.
November 21, 2007 at 3:22 pm
A match made in heaven!
i love most of Stehen Kings works, and Thoms Jane is probably my favourite actor. im booking my seats already for the English release!!!
November 23, 2007 at 7:32 pm
I just saw it and I really liked it. I won't give away details, but I will say that it was truly a really good movie, but very, very icky with many, many creepy-crawlies.
But, the monsters are not even the point of the movie, although they provide stunning visual representations. If given the opportunity, I highly recommend it.
November 24, 2007 at 4:46 pm
okay. the movie was really great.
seriously all of stephen kings movies are very good.
and i was very excited to see this movie.
and wow- it was amazing. i really liked it throughout.
the beginning was great, the middle was fantastic.
and then the ending came-
and the ending is what you really remember when you think about a movie.
and i`m watching it and i`m like omg- this cannot end like this.
it was one of those endings that was just a complete downfall of the whole movie.
the movie was great, but the ending was terrible.
and that pretty much sums up the movie.
November 25, 2007 at 12:03 am
The Film through out is Great! ... and the ending! ROCKS!
November 25, 2007 at 12:12 am
First of all, this is not a "stephen king" movie. It was based on his book.
Ok, back to the good stuff =].
The movie was all-in-all pretty good. The special effects were really some-what good. In some scenes they looked pretty computer generated and one dementional. It had some much needed comic relief, which i loved! The ending made me extremely upset. I was pretty much yelling in anger while leaving the theater. It was a crappy way to end a movie. I really liked it though and im going back tomorrow to see it with my dad's girlfriend. I like to watch movies at least twice in theaters so i can experience everything to the fullest (the first time watching it, not knowing whats going to happen expierience, and the I already know what is going to happen so now i can focus on background information expierience).
Go see the movie. It really is good.
November 25, 2007 at 5:03 pm
Just came from seeing the movie. It was great! I don't enjoy very many of Stephen King's books that have been made into movies. This one was an exception and very much worth the $8 it cost to see it. A lot of subtle social commentary in the film too. I highly recommend this movie.
November 26, 2007 at 9:52 am
I waited with such anticipation to see this movie when it came to our local theatre. We went Friday and I have to say......what an awesome adaptation for this Stephen King story. There are a lot of Stephen King books made into movies that I just couldn't stand. Ex: It, The Stand, Cujo.......anyway....this isn't one of them. A great cast and Marcia Gay Harden was outstanding. The whole theatre actually stood up & clapped when seeing her fate. The ending was very shocking, however, fitting to the dilemma faced by those in the truck.
Highly recommended to get off your butt & go to the theatre to see the movie.
November 26, 2007 at 10:02 am
The ending sucked. I guess I'm a sucker for happy endings. I did like the social commentary and stuff, but I'd recommend watching the classic "Twilight Zone" episode called "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" (that Eric mentions) and "28 Days Later" for similar/better social commentary and "Alien" and "Aliens" for better monsters and horror.
Oh, and the monster origins are rather lame.
November 26, 2007 at 11:00 am
Mel (#6): "seriously all of stephen kings movies are very good. "
Seriously, are you kidding me?? King is a god in my eyes as far as his writing goes, but ALL of his movies? (I'm assuming you meant those that were adapted from his writing)
Have you even seen "Maximum Overdrive"? "The Lawnmower Man"? "Dreamcatcher"?
November 29, 2007 at 1:48 pm
I'm going to see this tonight with a friend, she said a lot of people liked it, it looks really good! i hope it's as good as it looks, cuz for some movies, movie trailers can be better than the movie itself, and i just hate it when that happens!
December 5, 2007 at 8:20 pm
I read the short story originally as a pre-teen during my introduction to science fiction as was completely blown away...it is def my favorite King short story...fast forward twenty odd years later and Frank Darabont is blowing me away again with The Shawshank Redemption, which I think is the greatest movie ever made...so, put the two together and BLAM, you have a great cinematic experience that was made just for me! [MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD] Darabont's vision of the monsters and of the interpersonal relationships within the grocery store seemed to come right from my imagination, especially the penultimate scene where the big one walks by (written early into the short story, but more effective at the end of the movie, I thought). Darabont was very faithful to the book and I respect him for it.
As for the ending of the movie, it was simply devastating. This man had come to the end of the road and was out of choices and had promises to keep and somehow found the strength to fullfill them...it was the most heroic and terrible thing I have ever witnessed on film, and it left me in shock in my seat for ten minutes while the credits rolled.
Bravo, Mr Darabont!
December 9, 2007 at 7:33 pm
I loved the movie. The ending was increditable. Stephen King has always been my favor writer when it comes to mystery. The movie worth seeing and taking a friend. This movie will not disappoint you. I have to read the book.
December 21, 2007 at 1:19 pm
I agree with matti folks -- I was rooted in my seat speechless for a good long while after the film ended. While it was a terrible way to end a film, I also think it was perfect. It suited the mood and tone of the film, and left a far greater impression than any deus ex machina happy ending.
December 25, 2007 at 10:56 pm
the movie was very good, but the ending was weak.(SPOILER) i don't see why he shot everyone in the car when he could've waited till they went hungry or when they were about to die from the monsters.
April 27, 2008 at 3:46 am
Thanks, Jack (#17). You should really vent those kinds of spoilers with the friends you saw the movie with, not on a movie review forum intended for folks who typically haven't seen the movie yet.
I know, I know - you tacked on the word "spoiler" to let people know what they were about to read. There's a difference, though, between spoilers about characters, cameos, plot twists, etc, and spoilers where someone tactlessly prattles on about a climax people prefer to experience on their own.
In the case of this movie, to say that the ending wasn't happy or didn't end well for the characters would have been spoiler enough. What you did was akin to running up to a bunch of Harry Potter fans reading book 6 for the first time and yelling, "Man! I can't believe Dumbledore died!". Or like when Homer Simpson came out of Empire Strikes Back and talks loudly in front of a long line of movie-goers about Darth Vader being Luke's dad.
Forehead-slappingly bad taste, my friend.
April 27, 2008 at 3:58 am
Tyler, he *did* warn you that spoilers were ahead. What did you think? "Oh, I'm sure he's not going to spoil anything *Major* about the movie. Probably just some minor stuff." How is it his fault that you thought "spoilers" meant "nothing huge, don't worry?" If you don't want any spoilers, then when you see the word SPOILER, maybe you should *stop reading,* dumbass.
May 11, 2008 at 1:02 am
I don't understand the good reviews of this movie. 90%+ of the people in this movie were flat out stupid. They were stupid throughout the movie and I can't believe the director made them that stupid. I know it is just a movie and you have to have stupid people in horror movies but when everyone is stupid, from the main good guy to the stupid idiot, it insulted the intelligence of the human race. I love movies that tries to be creative and this movie does try and it is actually well made besides the stupidity. The beginning of the movie starts off promising and I did love the intensity and the story was believable but once the movie started to roll on, the stupidity was flying out like white on rice. I thought this movie was going to be decent but it turned out to be one of the worst movies I've seen in a while and I'm very disappointed because I truly wanted to like this film.