The Mist

Films based on the writing of Stephen King have a habit of not translating to the screen very well; although director Frank Darabont made what is often considered the best of the Stephen King films in The Shawshank Redemption - and now with The Mist he's directed what is surely one of the major contenders for the title of best horror film to be based on a Stephen King story! When I first heard the plot description, I was expecting the film to be a cross between John Carpenter's The Fog and modern horror disappointment Feast; and while it does have elements of both those movies, it is thankfully much better than both. The film starts with a violent storm that leaves the Drayton family home in tatters. David Drayton sets off to the local store along with his son and a neighbour; but the town is soon plummeted into trouble when it is surrounded by a malicious mist. It soon transpires that there are otherworldly creatures within the mist and the townsfolk in the local store find themselves battling against the creatures as well as themselves...

The film takes on a real classic style horror feel and never tries to be exceedingly clever or overly gory and that is one of its main strengths. Frank Darabont puts his focus mainly on the tension between the characters and the atmosphere and this benefits the film as there's always enough to keep things interesting - and that is particularly impressive when you consider the thin plot and the fact that it's over two hours long. Thomas Jane takes the lead role and gives a great performance which is nicely pitched between family man and action hero. The rest of the ensemble perform well alongside the lead actor, with Marcia Gay Harden as a fanatical Christian and Toby Jones as the quiet shopkeeper stand out most. The special effects are used sparingly but are very well done and show some great imagination. The creatures that come out of the mist are varied and interesting. There is a lot of talk about the ending of this film and I have to say I'm not really surprised; you'll either love it or hate but personally I found it to be a refreshing end to a commercial modern horror film. Overall, The Mist is an excellent horror film and can be considered a must see for anyone who is a fan of the genre!

Frank Darabont returns to the Stephen King well once again and this one is my personal favorite. I have a soft spot for horror stories, I know The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile are both much more subtle artistic masterpieces of modern cinema, I watch those films quite often and they tug at my heart strings each and every time. This film, however, is a fantastic character study with a subtly layered screenplay, powerful performances from it's ensemble of movie stars and "hey it's that guy!" character actors that also just so happens to include expertly directed gut wrenching sequences of horrorific monsters. It's a truly spooky film unlike most modern horror films. Darabont puts you right there in that supermarket, surrounded by panicked townsfolk and religious nutcases. Not only is the film scary, it's painfully tragic. I don't want to spoil the ending because it's so incredibly powerful so I'll say as little as I can but just don't expect every character that you've grown to love to make it out unscathed. This film has immense rewatchability unlike so many horror films that are meant to shock you momentarily with a jump scare then laugh it off with a quip. This is NOT that kind of film. Yes things get shocking but they're earned shocks and not just a series of the filmmakers shouting BOO!

I'll start out by saying that I'm a Stephen King fan and thus I may have some bias. I've watched many Steven King movies but have never given one a rating this high. Most of his horror movies are in the 4-6 range with classics such as The Shawshank Redemption, The Shining, and The Green Mile ranking 8-10 (although two of those aren't technically horror movies). In most modern horror (like the Saw series) there is a greater emphasis on gore than the horror of the human condition and this movie, kudos to the actors, help weave a tale that disgusts you inside and out without the pure reliance on blood spatter (although granted there is a fair amount of that).

Thomas Jane (leading male and well known from The Punisher) has a brilliant and emotional portrayal of his character in a mind-blowing situation that we feel intimately associated with thanks to his acting and great directing. Laurie Holden (of X-Files and Silent Hill fame) has a more subdued performance but plays her role well and for any X-Files nut (such as myself) it's fun to see her in another movie. The cast is chock full of well known actors and some unknowns that really see and express the writer and directors vision. It pays off: They succeed in pulling you into a traumatic situation made worse with a mixture of religious zealotry, military conspiracy, and small-town ignorance that explodes in your face wondering if your humanity is worse off facing The Mist or the human condition.

There is no spoiler here but I will say this about the ending: It's what makes the movie and makes it so much better than most of the crap put out there in horror land. Yes, yes, getting cut in half and having limbs ripped-off is horrible. However it is the decisions we have to make that concern those we love and respect that can really drive one mad. The ending makes you look at yourself and wonder, if given the same situation, what you would have to do with the information you have available. It makes you think hard about your humanity and your soul and about what is right or wrong in any given situation involving our mortality.

I would suggest this movie to anyone that likes horror or science fiction and wants something a little more intense than, say, Army of Darkness (one of my personal favorites for totally different reasons). This movie deals with serious issues we hear about daily. The mist is just a piece of Science Fiction thrown in to bring out the best...and worst in us.

Enjoy!!

sometimes you have to catch a film on a big screen, while it is still in movie theaters. "The Mist" is clearly in that category. I will be thinking about this scary, moving, smart, and original work for days. I would like to say nice job for the screenplay, and direction, to Frank Durabant. He obviously understands the genre, and how to keep an audience engaged for a few hours, in the dark. There really is not much more to say about "The Mist." The cast, lead by Thomas Jane and Marcia Gay Harden, is brilliant. Some of the camera shots are amazing. The look of the supernatural creatures is stunning. The sound design in this film is creepy, and beautiful. The production design, art direction, is great. Every aspect of film making comes together here.

To summarize the story-in a small town in Main, VI, a man/David Drayton/and his son, join a big group of people hiding from supernatural creatures in a supermarket. These bug like creatures are brought to the town by a mist, which envelopes the town, and everyone there. I would describe "The Mist" as a cross between "8 Legged Freaks," and "War of the Worlds." It is original, scary, dark, serious, smart, and moving.

I have one large problem, though. The ending, which I will not discuss in detail with my comments, is in my opinion to realistic. We go to the movies to escape reality, not to visit reality. However, please do not wait for this film to appear at the DVD store. You might miss out on the chance to get real close to your date, when you get scared and you want him or her to protect you.

In closing, I will be brief. Do not miss this film. Go. I am real happy I had the chance to see "The Mist" in a theater. My hope is that you all get that chance as well.

I was very impressed by this adaptation of Stephen King's 'The Mist'. I have been a fan of the story since it came out and have played the text game and have heard the 3-D audio version of it. This is a masterful suspense/monster movie that puts an ensemble cast into the untenable situation of being in a deteriorating situation they cannot escape from. We watch as alliances are formed, religious paranoia takes hold and, nicely, the movie takes the time to establish characters whom we come to care for before the true action begins. I dock it a couple of points because some of the monsters seemed a little too cgi, and the middle lags a bit, but the much talked about ending is indeed awesome and I was most impressed by the director's decision to keep the music soundtrack down and even eliminate it completely during many of the action sequences. So many movies nowadays crank the music up to 11 to make up for the fact that their suspense scenes do not work. This movie does. I was breathlessly on the edge of my seat for most of it, even though I was already familiar with the story. Highly recommended.