Movie Review for The Mist (2007)

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The Mist

Review #574 of 365
Movie Review of The Mist (2007) [R] 127 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $11.75
Where Viewed: United Artists Colorado Center 9 & IMAX, Denver, CO
When 1st Seen: 24 November 2007
Time: 7:40 pm
DVD Release Date: 25 March 2008 (click date to purchase or pre-order)
Film's Official Website • Film's Trailer

Soundtrack: order the CD below

Directed by: Frank Darabont (The Majestic)
Screenplay by: Frank Darabont (The Green Mile) based on the novella by Stephen King

Featured Cast (Where You Might Remember Him/Her From):
Thomas Jane (The Tripper) • Marcia Gay Harden (Into the Wild) • Laurie Holden (Silent Hill) • Andre Braugher (Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer) • Toby Jones (The Painted Veil) • William Sadler (August Rush) • Jeffrey DeMunn (Hollywoodland) • Frances Sternhagen ("The Closer") • Alexa Davalos (Feast of Love) • Nathan Gamble (Babel) • Chris Owen (American Pie) • Sam Witwer (Crank) • Robert C. Treveiler (A Touch of Fate) • David Jensen (The Reaping)

Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word or less review of this film]
Click to see photos from the Premiere of The Mist
Click to read the spoiler points for The Mist
Writer / Director Frank Darabont can lay claim to hardly arguably two of the best adaptations of Stephen King stories to film ever: The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile. Would he be able to do it a third time? Not even close. These other two stories / films are head and shoulders above The Mist. This is partly because, with all due respect, The Mist is a creature feature horror film while the others were intense dramas. So, genre to genre, they are not in the same league. It is interesting to contemplate a different Mist than the one here, though, one without creatures and one where the psychological drama of the trapped patrons of a grocery store never know what's causing the mist nor the deaths and disappearances of those who leave it, for actually, it is what happens to the gang and their mentality that turns out to be the most interesting part of the story. Moreover, the ending to The Mist as written by Mr. Darabont sets the film apart in a gruesome way. It might be preferable to judge the film separate from the ending, which, quite candidly is nearly without any redeeming value. It is both desperate and mean-spirited—evil in itself. Setting the ending aside, what's left is a potent statement on human nature and human stupidity where a lack of faith in each other or a lack of fundamental education turns a group of mostly solid citizens into crazed maniacs and murderers.

So, the ending aside, saving it for later and the spoiler—and oh, yes, there's going to be a spoiler no matter what anybody says—the story starts off in pretty traditional Stephen King fashion. A catastrophe occurs reminiscent of an earthquake stranding 40 or so people from a small town in Maine in a grocery store now immersed in a never-ending mist. A townsperson, Dan Miller (Jeffrey DeMunn) storms into the store with tales of something horrifying in the mist, but who knows. With the store somewhat in shambles, and without knowing what's going on, the patrons flurry for answers that no one is prepared to make. And who's in charge? The store asst. manager Ollie (Toby Jones)? Leaders emerge from the ranks. Movie poster artist and college graduate David Drayton (Thomas Jane) for one. Mrs. Carmody (Marcia Gay Harden), the town religious eccentric and zealot for another. And, after a stock boy is taken by tentacles under the loading dock door, Brent Norton (Andre Braugher), an out-of-town lawyer, for another. Brent Norton is convinced there's nothing in the mist, that the stock boy, Norm (Chris Own) being taken was a gag, and that he'd be better off leading a party of followers out of the store. He convinces a band of people to go with him, promising the store patrons a rescue party soon. David convinces one man to tie a 300-ft clothesline to his belt so they can see how far he gets. Just after they leave visual range, the line starts to go out fast, too fast. Eventually, they get the bloody rope reeled in with only the lower half of his body intact.

"… a chilling and compelling exploration into human nature run quite literally amok."
The rest, apparently much like Norm, was eaten. This causes wide-spread panic, but it also allows more for the emergence of Mrs. Carmody. She now has credibility in her pronouncements that the mist is God's work, and that the day of judgment is upon them. Her fundamentalist approach to religion, usually shunned by rationale people, begins to offer hope amidst a community in mortal fear. Realizing that the entire front of the store is plate glass, David suggests they work to strengthen it by taping the cracks and piling up dog food. Some follow his way, some do not. Eventually, there's bound to be a standoff between these two, and only God knows who will come out breathing. But, before that happens, the lamps they've set up along the perimeter of the window so they can see out, do what lamps do, they attract insects, only not just any insects, they attract giant, stinging insects about the size of a common house cat. And this stands out as one of the many, many examples whereby the group commits random examples of stupidity. Who in their right mind, at this point seeing these creatures up close, wouldn't turn out all the lights? Well, not only do they not turn out the lights, but the dumbest of the dumb, Jim Grondin (William Sadler) runs around turning on every light he can find. Wow! Now there's a perfect nominee for the Darwin Awards. In any case, there's no denying the brilliant text-book perfect paranoia that sets in among these people trapped, frightened, and willing to do anything for safety. The many dumb decisions aside, there is much to be said for this Petrie dish study of human behavior.

Marcia Gay Harden hasn't had a role this good to play since she was Celeste Boyle in Mystic River. This is the actress that won an Academy Award® we've all been waiting to see break out again. Her Mrs. Carmody perfectly represents the way in which a compelling speaker with claims to a direct link to God can convince nearly anyone to drink some poisoned grape punch. Thomas Jane, playing somewhat the unlikely hero of the story, takes the role to its limits in a way one might picture Harrison Ford doing. His character, unfortunately, is but a movie poster artist and not a biochemist or animal behaviorist or electrical engineer—anything that would have helped him plan a better escape. Laurie Holden nicely portrayed Amanda Dumfries giving her a great deal of strength and a calming level-headed edge. Toby Jones seems to be taking steps backwards, though, in his career from playing the better of the two but critically unsung Truman Capotes to a grocery store asst. manager in a Stephen King horror film. Did he think this would be just so much fun? Frances Sternhagen stood out as the venerable town elder, Irene, who knows a thing or two about almost everyone in the store and how to get them to work together. Her compassionate voice resonates until the very end of the film.

And now to that ending. If the adage were, don't judge a film by it's ending, then yes, it would apply here. For the Mist, minus the stupid things that hopefully no one would ever do, is a chilling and compelling exploration into human nature run quite literally amok. Setting aside the scientific or supernatural elements, and just focusing on what people can be brought to do to one another the film's an A+. So why this particular ending (again discussion is ongoing on the spoiler page)? And does it completely ruin the film. Yes and no. For many filmgoers, it's all about the ending, and for them, the movie is a complete failure in just about every way. Not only does it not make sense from any logical perspective; but, after not making any sense, it kicks you in the gut just to make sure if you weren't down enough, you will be now. It's not that the ending doesn't make sense, it's that it doesn't make any sense why anybody would have the story end this way. As a species of storytellers, one would argue that we write and tell stories for a reason, usually it's to teach people about ourselves. Likewise, most of the greatest of our stories, even the tragic ones, get told because there is a purpose in the ending. Something, now matter how small, redeeming. Well, there's no redemption in this ending, only mental torture. If you are inclined to get the most out of this film, without giving more away here (save that for the spoiler), leave after groceries at the check stand incident and accept the film for what it is up until then. Don't put yourself through the final 10 minutes or so. You'll be glad you did, and you won't spend the rest of your evening if not lifetime wondering what could possess anyone to think this was the right way to end this movie—especially if he was trying to make another great one like Shawshank and Green Mile.


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Cast Members
Thomas Jane • Marcia Gay Harden • Laurie Holden
Andre Braugher • Toby Jones • William Sadler
Jeffrey DeMunn • Frances Sternhagen • Alexa Davalos
Nathan Gamble • David Jensen • Sam Witwer
Director
Frank Darabont
Writer
Frank Darabont
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Review-lite The Mist (2007) [max of 150 words]
The ending aside, Stephen King's The Mist as written and directed for the big screen by Frank Darabont is a chilling and frightening examination of human nature run, quite literally, amok. With a star performance from Marcia Gay Harden, and themes regarding fear and the power of religious zealots, the film is packed with stuff to think about. Unfortunately, the ending, couldn't have just left well enough alone, instead it had to shock and then kick you in the gut. If you plunk down cold hard cash to see The Mist, consider doing the normally unthinkable and leaving just after the groceries at the check stand incident, you'll be glad you did, and you'll have gotten as much as this film really has to give without being kicked in the gut.
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