The Mist
Fear Changes Everything
A thick mist engulfs a small town, killing those caught in its shroud. Terrified survivors seek refuge in a supermarket, while a swarm of murderous critters tries to get in.
Based on the novel by Stephen King.
Member Reviews
A good director away from a great horror film - rnhaas
Darrabont has made, by my count, one great movie. Otherwise, he has made mediocre ones. And they all seem to follow the same MO: based on a Stephen King source. I can't say that I have read this one, but I can say that if this is loyal to that source, then a less loyal King lover would have been better for the movie.
We see the creatures far too early for the film to build up any kind of suspense. If the allegory is going to work at all, the characters on which the audience focuses shouldn't know what's out there. But they do, or at least the important ones, way too early.
I disagree with people who hate the ending. It's a hell of a twist...it's a horrific twist, appropriate for a horror movie, but the reveal is bungled to the point where it doesn't feel likely or plausible, and so it elicits groans and doesn't feel like the quality twist that it could have been.
Those are just two of the many major mistakes made by the director. Maybe he was too loyal to the source material. Maybe he just isn't that great a director. Either way, he blue an opportunity, because the idea is sound (it's certainly a far better one than the idea behind The Fog).not too bad - morris13
This was an ok movie not what i had expected.overall left me wanting more, more scare, more guts and blood and mostly more story. i just found it to lack story but like i said not bad. it diffently had you wanting something more. the ending i found to vague for my likingexcellent horror film marred by ending - clauditorium
Stephen King hasn't had much luck at the movies. I think the main reason is that the movie people usually get distracted by the flashy scary stuff in his stories, and entirely miss the careful characterization that makes readers care about what happens.
They didn't forget about it this time, though. I wouldn't call myself a Frank Darabont fan. In case you don't know who he is, he directed this movie, as well as Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile - all adaptations of King stories. The first two times, he took solid stories and rendered them mushy and cliché-ridden. The Mist isn't perfect, but it doesn't suffer from those flaws. For most of its running time, it's an excellent horror movie. Intense, and grounded by realistic performances and dialogue. (Plus some cool creatures.) But it does stumble at least twice. The first time occurs when a bunch of characters have a conversation the purpose of which is to tell the audience about the movie's subtext. Thanks, Frank. I mean, we are idiots, after all.
But the biggest stumble is the ending, which is just plain wrong-headed. I don't care that Darabont deviated from the original story at the end (I'm not a stickler for "faithfulness"). The problem is that he has his characters behave in a completely unbelievable way. It took me right out of the movie, because it felt like a pretentious attempt to infuse his giant bug movie with unearned depth, and also to shock the audience. As for the stupid Twilight Zone-style final moment of leaden irony, don't get me started... So, I recommend this movie, but brace yourself for an ending I can't imagine anyone liking.
Member Reviews
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A good director away from a great horror film - rnhaas
Darrabont has made, by my count, one great movie. Otherwise, he has made mediocre ones. And they all seem to follow the same MO: based on a Stephen King source. I can't say that I have read this one, but I can say that if this is loyal to that source, then ...not too bad - morris13
This was an ok movie not what i had expected.overall left me wanting more, more scare, more guts and blood and mostly more story. i just found it to lack story but like i said not bad. it diffently had you wanting something more. the ending i found to vague ...excellent horror film marred by ending - clauditorium
Stephen King hasn't had much luck at the movies. I think the main reason is that the movie people usually get distracted by the flashy scary stuff in his stories, and entirely miss the careful characterization that makes readers care about what happens.
They ...