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Another of my Halloween inspired viewings
Speaking ow which, while it may be a tremendously simple and indeed derivative premise (see John Carpenter's The Fog) the mist itself is a fantastic storytelling device. By obscuring the main threat within the mist it instantly helps to build up the sense of tension and fear, as it really allows your imagination to run wild. We get the ravings of a man caught out in the mist, mysterious sounds and then our first glimpse of the creatures through a series of tentacles; all leaving us to imagine just what it is that is out there and terrifying these people. Darabont also utilises the mist as a tool to make a marvellously atmospheric movie, particularly on the occasions where he has the characters journey out into the mist. With the mist swirling around them and visibility at almost zero they are extremely effective sequences. It's perhaps just a shame that more time is not spent outside of the store, either on foot or in the car at the end. Darabont also employs quite a bit of impressive camerawork, making frequent use of a handheld camera.
As I found to be the case with much of the film, the special effects of The Mist were a bit of a mixed bag. The CGI itself can have a tendency to be a little bit rough around the edges and fake-looking on occasion, though if you choose to you can tie that into its B-movie roots and it works. While the realisation of the monsters may not always have been the best I thought that the actual design work on the creatures was very strong. I enjoyed little touches like the tentacles which could open up and morph into a more claw-like apparatus, capable of grasping its prey. More dependable I felt was the work done by the make-up and art departments when it came to portraying the after-effects that characters suffered from having run into the creatures. Both the design and realisation of the creatures did come together for one fine moment however when it came to the massive behemoth that the group run into at the film's conclusion. Towering over them at hundreds of feet tall its appearance provokes a stunning, awe-inspiring reaction. I think I may have actually let out an audible “wow” at its revelation. It's a moment reminiscent of the creatures in Gareth Edwards' Monsters, or the first time that we see a dinosaur in Jurassic Park; it just absolutely floors you.
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Year of release
2007
2007
Directed by
Frank Darabont
Frank Darabont
Written by
Frank Darabont
Stephen King
Frank Darabont
Stephen King
Starring
Thomas Jane
Marcia Gay Harden
Laurie Holden
Toby Jones
Andre Braugher
Thomas Jane
Marcia Gay Harden
Laurie Holden
Toby Jones
Andre Braugher
The Mist
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Plot - The small town of Bridgton in Maine is pummelled by a violent thunderstorm. The following morning as the locals flock to the grocery store to stock up on supplies a huge cloud of mist begins to descend upon them. With one man warning of there being 'something in the mist' the locals hole up in the store in an attempt to stay safe. Amongst the group is graphic artist David Drayton (Jane) and his five-year-old son Billy. Before long the people discover that there really is something in the mist; a series of horrific, otherworldly creatures. As their world begins to fall down around them, the locals attempt to desperately survive. These attempts are undermined however by clashes between the town's residents, particularly in regards to a religious zealot called Mrs Carmody (Harden).
Like so many horror films before it The Mist uses a terrifying predicament to showcase how the true monsters of the piece are the humans at the core of the disaster. For all of our evolution and technological advancements when we are backed into a corner humanity will most often resort to our basest instincts, with the instinct to survive being at the forefront; even if that means sacrificing the life of someone else to save your own sorry ass. The situation also makes people resort to perhaps the oldest reasons for conflict, namely race and religion. Most obvious is the religious angle at the heart of The Mist. Right from the outset you've got Marcia Gay Harden's fanatical Mrs Carmody ranting and raving about judgement day and the wrath of God, infuriating everyone around her with her coarse and combative manner. As time goes on however and people begin to realise just how desperate their plight is they turn to God in desperation and begin to view Mrs Carmody as some kind of preacher and soothsayer. And while it's never stated explicitly, there certainly does also seem to be an element of race involved in the dispute that centres around David's neighbour Brent Norton. When Brent accuses the locals of not liking 'outsiders' like him, the underlying implication certainly feels like it is that of a racial nature. And while it is never especially focused upon, the splinter group that Brent leads out into the mist seems to be at least predominantly, if not exclusively, black. This element of psychological drama and having the people turn on each other and prove to be just as dangerous as any creature out there put me in mind of the classic Twilight Zone episode, “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street.”
One thing that The Mist does very nicely is to build the sense of community that exists amongst the people of Bridgton, Maine. It is a very small, tight-knit community where every single person knows everyone else. Although the film shows not just the benefits but also the detriments of such a situation. Initially we see the residents acting friendly and helping each other out. In such a tight community however there are sure to be feuds and personal grudges that exist, and those will undermine the group's efforts at banding together to see out this situation. This rears its head in the long-running battle that David has with his neighbour Brent Norton. Thanks to their tempestuous past Brent does not believe David's version of what has happened, and as a result puts both his own life and the lives of others at risk by venturing out into the mist.
Film Trivia Snippets - As I'll get to later on in this review The Mist features quite a striking and controversial ending; an ending which played a large part in the film's pre-production. Originally Frank Darabont had been been offered $30 million to make the film, but with one important stipulation; Darabont would have to change his planned ending. It was a conclusion that he had personally envisioned however and had been wanting to do for twenty years. As a result he turned down the offer, eventually hooking up with Bob Weinstein and making the film for about half that amount, and only after forfeiting his own salary. /// Frank Darabont actually wanted to cast Stephen King in a supporting role in The Mist, but King turned down the offer and the role was eventually taken on by Brian Libby. /// The Mist has a very strong connection with the TV series, “The Walking Dead.” As well as both being stories of post-apocalyptic survival they share a number of the same cast members (Laurie Holden, Jeffrey DeMunn and Melissa Suzanne McBride), while Frank Darabont also produced and directed the first few episodes of the series. /// When he saw the finished film Stephen King admitted to being genuinely frightened by the adaptation; an achievement that Darabont described as being the happiest moment of his career.
The performances may not be of the highest standard but they are solid enough and certainly don't cause an overly detrimental effect to the film. Thomas Jane is solid if unremarkable in the lead role of David Drayton. In his defence however I feel a lot of that is down to the character he is handed; it really is your generic, square-jawed B-movie hero that doesn't have a great deal of interest at his core. Laurie Holden I also felt was rather bland. Outside of them a lot of the other actors deliver quite hammy examples of overacting which would hurt many other films but with The Mist it rather fits in with its B-movie charm. As a big fan of his William Sadler's involvement was a high point, as was Toby Jones. And speaking of overacting this leads us onto Marcia Gay Harden's immensely imposing performance as Mrs Carmody. I'm struggling to remember the last time I despised a character so much. From her very first moments on screen I just hated her with a burning passion. And to be honest she actually turns out to be the scariest thing in the whole damn movie! Particularly as she becomes more and more dangerous as the film goes along, gaining more self-righteous power and more followers of her rantings. By the time we get to the stage where she whips the crowd up into an angry frenzy and has them sacrifice an innocent man I was begging for her to die the most painful of deaths.
The film runs for nigh on two hours before the end credits begin to roll and to be honest it feels at least about 15 or 20 minutes too long. The film really does have some pacing issues in its second act stretch as it begins to resemble a poor shoot-em-up video game which basically repeats the same level over and over again but just switches up the location. It really settles into a repetitive pattern where a creature attacks, a few people die, the locals eventually repel it, they regroup, David's son talks about wanting to see his mom and then there's another attack. This happens about four times and I felt my interest starting to be strained by it; I think it really could have done with being pared down somewhat. Another flaw I felt was just how long it takes the people to realise the source of the creatures. I mean you've got the people talking at the start of the film about the local military base and its mysterious Project Arrowhead, and speculating on what exactly is going on up there. And yet when this incredible situation begins to unfold no-one thinks that that may be the cause.
Film Trivia Snippets - During the scene in the pharmacy, when David is going to grab a comic book for his son Frank Darabont suggested to Thomas Jane that he should grab a copy of “The Punisher: War Journal” as a reference to Jane having played the Punisher three years earlier. Jane went against the idea however because he had a falling out with the the film's producers and did not return for the sequel. He instead picks up an issue of “Hellboy” as a shout out to his friend Ron Perlman. /// One of the posters for The Mist was designed by the legendary Drew Struzan. Frank Darabont is a huge fan of his work and in addition to contracting him for the poster he also includes a shout-out to Struzan in the opening sequence. The character of David Drayton is an artist who does a lot of work for movies so Darabont decided to just make him Drew Struzan in a way. We see David painting a poster for Stephen King's The Dark Tower; this was actually done by Struzan. The character's studio is filled exclusively with work by Struzan, including several famous posters for the likes of The Thing and Pan's Labyrinth.
WARNING: "MAJOR SPOILERS REGARDING THE FILM'S ENDING" spoilers below
And then there's the contentious issue that is the film's ending. Even before I had seen the film I was well aware of the furore over its conclusion, and the vast split it had created between viewers. It really is a tremendous downer and a gut punch of a finale. It's a finale that will either make the film for some, or completely ruin it for others. I was going to say that it's really a love/hate finale but that would be untrue because I was on the fence about it, about 70-30 in favour of liking it. On the positive side I felt the lead-up to the final moments was very strong. As I mentioned above there was the incredible moment with the behemoth and I also loved the haunting piece of music that accompanied their drive through the mist. The actual moment where David kills everyone to save them from a horrible death I thought was a really powerful, brave move on Darabont's part. I then felt it was rather undermined by its twist ending. I felt it just strayed from powerful and brave into being a touch gimmicky. Had they just faded out with him having shot everyone (including himself) then I'd have liked it, or had they all died and then the rescue showed up I'd have been fine with it. By having David alive however it just feels like such a cruel trick to play on him.
Conclusion - As a modern take on the creature feature B-movie The Mist is really quite good fun. However it also shares a lot of the same flaws as those old 'classics', and while dodgy effects, broad stereotypical characters and iffy acting may have been part of the charm back in the 1950s these days it's not quite as excusable, particularly when you take into account some of the talent involved. A mixed bag of a flick which with a little work could have been excellent.