In 1980. Stephen King published a novella titled, “The Mist.” Set in a small town, a father and his son go shopping at a grocery store. Suddenly a mist filled with creatures forces them to stay in the store along with other customers. The pair must survive the onslaught of fiends, a religious fantastic ands humans losing their sanity. The Mist was republished in 1985 in a collection of short stories under, “Skeleton Crew.” Has nothing to do with Star Wars.
Prior to adapting The Mist, Frank Darabont intended to adapt the novella as his directorial debut. He changed his mind with he decided to make “The Shawshank Redemption” considered by many critics and movie goers as a masterpiece. Mr. Darabont worked on yet another Stephen King adaptation , “The Green Mile.” Another highly praised film. After completing his non-Stephen King film, “The Majestic,” Frank resumed his planned adaptation for The Mist starring Thomas Jane.
Released in 2007, (same year I Am Legend came out) it received mixed to positive reviews from critics and movie goers alike. Frank confirmed he’ll direct two episodes of Stranger Things’ final season. Plus. As a fan of the Netflix series, I wanna share my thoughts on The Mist. One more thing, I’m reviewing Horror films throughout October. You know, get into then Halloween spirit.
Today’s review contains no SPOILERS.
Clear & Cloudy Elements
Clear: Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Toby Jones & William Sadler (Death from Bill and Ted) all did a terrific job for their respective performances.
Frank Darabont did a great job directing. He also wrote the script.
Mark Islam (The Hitcher, Point Break, ABC’s Once Upon a Time) orchestrated the soundtrack.
Scare Factor relies on paranoia. You feel like you’re inside the store trapped without your loved ones.
Death Scenes are intense and fatal.
Fun Facts
- Melissa McBride has a brief role. She later earned fame as Carol from “The Walking Dead.”
- If you played “Star Wars: The Forced Unleashed,” Sam Witwer plays a soldier. One Year Later, he played Darth Vader’s apprentice, Starkiller. The Forced Unleashed is one of my favorite Star Wars video games.
- Chris Owen (Sherminator from American Pie) appears as a bag boy named, Norm.
- The Mist isn’t the only Stephen King adaptation to come out in 2007. “1408” ring a bell.
Random Thoughts
- I admit, I never read The Mist. I watched the film when I was fourteen.
- Whenever I see a giant spider, I always quote David Arquette’s one-liner, “GET BACK, YOU EIGHT LEGGED FREAKS!” I can’t stand big spiders. They creep me the eff out.
In the first few minutes, David has a poster of John Carpenter’s “The Thing.” By the way, David works on a painting or a cowboy. A reference to Roland Deschain from “The Dark Tower” series.”
Frank mentioned the film’s influenced by “The Twilight Zone episode, “The Monster’s Are Due on Maple Street.”
Primary Themes are Survival, Fundamentalism & Paranoia. Each one’s handled maturely.
Not a single Stephen King cliche present. For example, the main character or supporting character is an alcoholic. A breath of fresh air.
The Ending well make your jaw drop. I refuse to tell ya why. You’re gonna have to see for yourself. I’m giving it Bonus Points for having a pretty ballsy conclusion.
Cloudy: Visual Effects are fake. The creatures look like unrendered PS3 enemies. Let’s face it, Dimension Films produced The Mist on an $18 million budget. Ain’t an expensive one like “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.”
Cinematography can be janky at times. As if the cameraman drank too much Red Bull or Monster Energy.
Harvey “Richard Ramirez” Weinstein served as an executive producer. Back then, nobody knew he’s a rapist. The asshole is in the slammers getting his cheeks clapped by a fellow inmate.
The Final Verdict: B, FOR BENEVOLENT!
The Mist is not a 10/10 flick like The Shawshank Redemption or The Green Mile. It’s a great survival Horror film that relies on paranoia. If you’re lookin’ for something that’ll keep you entertained, check out The Mist.
Nickthemoviecritic.com 