The Mist - The Opposing Viewpoint
One cannot help but make comparisons with the two films Darabont adapted from Stephen King’s work, The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile. Both are great films, and neither wears the horror badge one usually associates with King.
The Mist is a B-movie creature feature that brings to mind some of the best of the genre from the mid-20th century. As a character-driven monster flick, the film works on a B-movie level. Yes, there are plenty of thrills and chills, but The Mist tries hard to be more than it is, and one expects such from a writer/director like Darabont. The film suffers from something of a forced comment on the human condition, on society and religion, a difficult feat to accomplish, what with all the wonderful camp and the nail-biting, scream-inducing chills.
To Darabont’s credit, he loses no time revving things up right off the bat, and he sustains the suspense to the last, horrific moment. But it’s that moment, for me, that brings this flawed but creepily entertaining bug-fest crashing down. There are many things I can forgive a filmmaker for. The ending of this film is not one of them.
The Mist is a B-movie creature feature that brings to mind some of the best of the genre from the mid-20th century. As a character-driven monster flick, the film works on a B-movie level. Yes, there are plenty of thrills and chills, but The Mist tries hard to be more than it is, and one expects such from a writer/director like Darabont. The film suffers from something of a forced comment on the human condition, on society and religion, a difficult feat to accomplish, what with all the wonderful camp and the nail-biting, scream-inducing chills.
To Darabont’s credit, he loses no time revving things up right off the bat, and he sustains the suspense to the last, horrific moment. But it’s that moment, for me, that brings this flawed but creepily entertaining bug-fest crashing down. There are many things I can forgive a filmmaker for. The ending of this film is not one of them.
THE MIST (2007) Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden; from a novella by Stephen King; written and directed by Frank Darabont.
CHUCK: *** out of 5.
JAMES: ** out of 5.
Comments
But it's the ending. Man. That was so unexpected. So harsh. And Tragic.
At somepoint in a film, I start to guess how they will "wrap this up." I really expected that once the gas ran out, there was going to be another "adventure" expedition similar to the drugstore jaunt (seriously, if you have spider issues, this flick is not for you). I did not expect the final solution.
The religious zealot was a bit over the top. It reminded me of The Stand but I haven't read that book since ninth grade. If anything, she served to provide a catalyst for Drayton's escape run.
What I liked about "The Mist", and I did not say this in my review, is that horror is a very difficult genre to do. Spielberg has one of the best horror films of all times simply due to a Shark that would not work in the water. Hitchcock knew horror and suspense: he was an odd bird to be sure, but he knew how to drive a good story.
Today's horror films have shifted slightly from the slasher films of the 80s to a voyeristic ride along. Saw, Hostel as an example (with two previews before this films as more).
Mist plays more towards the less is more until the CG takes over. I thought it played a little like Lifeboat regarding how people's fear begins to mess with them. There's one line where Amanda says that people are basically good, to which Drayton replies "Sure, as long as the machines are working and you can dial 911. But you take those things away, you thow people in the dark, you scare the **** out of them - no more rules."