The Mist (2007) Movie Review
Written By: TJ
Edited By: Grave Reviews Staff
Film Information
Director: Frank Darabont
Producers: Frank Darabont, Martin Shafer, Liz Glotzer
Writers: Frank Darabont
Date Released: November 21, 2007
Cast:
Thomas Jane as David Drayton
Nathan Gamble as Billy Drayton
Laurie Holden as Amanda Dunfrey
Marcia Gay Harden as Mrs. Carmody
Toby Jones as Ollie Weeks
Frances Sternhagen as Irene Reppler
Jeffrey DeMunn as Dan Miller
Andre Braugher as Brent Norton
Rating: 2/5 Graves
***May contain some spoilers***
Synopsis
After a storm hits in the middle of the night and devastate their house, David Drayton (Thomas Jane) drives to town to get some groceries and hardware supplies. His son comes with him along with their neighbor, leaving his wife to clean up some mess. When David and his son are already at the counter, they hear a man shouting outside the store followed by a mist engulfing everything in its path. All the people inside the supermarket panic and are forced to stay until a plan is laid out. David soon discovers that this isn’t ordinary mist when one of the store staff decides to go out and suddenly large tentacles coil around his body and take him further into the mist. When David announces what happened, the townspeople are divided into three groups: one who believes David, one who doesn’t, and one who believes that blood must be sacrificed to the evil to please the God. Now they must not only battle against the monsters lurking around, but also against people who fight for their own conviction.
Gore Factor
The Mist (2007) relies heavily on computer-generated imagery rather than gore. Although the film provides a fair share of gory moments, the film also incorporates scenes that create tension. One notable scene is when there is a focus on the cut tentacle of the monster. In this scene, the tentacle is lying on the floor, with black nails/hair attached on the sides, and when picked by a wood, it dissipates into air. This scene is very seamless but unfortunately, this is the only thing commendable on the props and editing department. Overall, the CGI of the creatures takes away from the mystery of the main premise being “The Mist.”
The Grave Review
On face value, The Mist (2007) isn’t exactly a film anyone would be excited about. Whats scary about mist? However, diving further into this cinematic adaption of Stephen King’s story, the movie starts with an interesting sci-fi idea that eventually plunges into a vortex of chaos and bloodthirsty romp with no concrete story or acceptable script. What is bothersome is the fact that this film had an excellent story as well as a reputable cast, but unfortunately failed in execution.
One terrible mistake to be done when making a film is not giving enough room for characterization. Directors and writers need to give the story some real depth in order for viewers to feel some connection with the characters. For two long hours, all we saw was how these people fought off monsters and how they will survive. We didn’t have enough time to know the life of each character and feel that connection.
As a reparation, all the main characters have distinct personalities including religious nuts, country hicks, self-righteous professionals, and motherly women. These characters are given justice by the chosen actors who give the film a little boost for ratings. I’d like to give a special mention to Marcia Gay Harden’s, Mrs. Camody who portrayed the unstable women who eats biblical words for breakfast. Her performance was exceptional.
Don’t worry too much whether cinematography is good or not, you can barely see through the mist. The sound effects shall give you enough idea if you’re about to get a scare or if you have to feel a bit of emotions. You may feel disappointed with the ending as the main character acts in a moment of desperation. Then you may ask yourself what is the point of all this survival when everyone they fought for is dead. Perhaps, the ending requires you to be more analytical in your interpretation. But, from an entertainment standpoint, the ending is not a feel good moment.
For the foregoing reasons, Grave Reviews gives The Mist (2007) two graves out of five graves.
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