Review of The Mist (2007) by Rocknblues 8 — 30 Oct 2013

I'm a big Frank Darabont fan, so I was excited when I blind bought the 2 disc version the week it got on DVD. I'm very glad I did because this is a solid, but not perfect horror film. The effects are somewhat hard to look at sometimes, but I honestly believe that is part of the design. This movie is influenced by the horror movies of the 50's and 60's like The Blob and Night of the Living Dead. So the idea is to have effects that are somewhat on par with those types of films. We should also keep in mind that this is a fairly low budget film.

The performances are also better than some give them credit for. Marcia Gay Harden plays the over the top bible thumper the way it's designed. It's not a hammy performance given what Marcia is asked to do. It should also be noted that Darabont often has a over the top villain in his films. Thomas Jane fairs well as the every day hero that leads us through the film. The rest of the cast is mostly Frank Darabont regulars that do their job. It's always nice to see guys like William Sadler and Brian Libby getting roles in a time when these roles usually go to young teens that can't act their way out of a paper bag.

The movie it's self just isn't a horror film. It's somewhat of a commentary on how us flawed humans tend to not act so civil when things start to break down. So aren't happy with the ending, but I think it fits the story pretty well. Everybody doesn't act the same in any given situation. But I'm not surprised to hear novel lovers being upset. But Frank isn't required to stay faithful to the book. I'm glad he didn't because I can't see the books ending impacting me the way Franks did. Sorry novel fans.

Color version:7.5/10.

Black and White version:8/10.