The Mist (R)

This could have been such a good movie. Still, Director Frank Darabont manages to make “The Mist” (2007) an entertaining film, filled with twists and turns to keep those with low expectations happy. The film stars Thomas Jane as David, an artist who…well, that’s really all we know about him. Other notable roles include those of Laurie Holden as Amanda (fans of “The Walking Dead” will recognize her as Andrea), Toby Jones as Ollie (you’re likely to recognize him from somewhere), and Marcia Gay Harden as Mrs. Carmody. I also recognized two other actors who are in “The Walking Dead,” plus Frank Darabont who created the show, so if you’re a “Walking Dead” fan and you haven’t seen this, add it to your list. The film is based on a novella written by horror master Stephen King, and fans of King will recognize his hand in the film (as well as a few notable easter eggs).

The premise is simple enough, in a small Maine town an artist for movie posters (including John Carpenter’s “The Thing,” apparently, and a fictional version of Stephen King’s “The Dark Tower”), David is set back after a torrential storm sends a large tree through his workshop roof. In need of supplies, David, his son, and their neighbor set off into town only to be trapped in the local grocery store when a mysterious mist rolls into shore.

If you’re thinking this sounds a lot like John Carpenter’s “The Fog,” you would be correct. In fact, the two films have a lot in common, but also a lot of differences. And seeing as it was King that wrote the original story, and the constant references to John Carpenter in the film, it seems “The Mist” was inspired by its predecessor, and is not an attempt to rip off “The Fog,” but rather pay homage to it.

Things take a dark turn when David begins hearing strange, monstrous noises coming from outside the store. A group of about fifty people are trapped inside, coming from all walks of life, and comprising every type of classic character type you’d expect to find in any Stephen King novel (the soldier, the artist, the teenager, the religious fanatic, the old timer, etc). Panic ensues, and debates and social anarchy break out between those trapped in the store about what, if anything is out there and what to do about it. There’s some serious “Lord of the Flies” stuff that goes down here, which is one of the more interesting parts of the film, even if it is a little overdramatic at times. It’s always fun to see how human beings react under stress. Some decide to head out into the mist, others stay.

The premise of this film is solid enough, a mysterious mist with some kind of monster, people trapped in a store, forced to work together. Sounds great. Well, there are a few problems. First of all, there’s too many characters. It seems that half of the small town gets trapped in this store, and a lot of random characters kind of pop in and out making it hard to focus on the central ones. Films like this work best with a small cast where you can get to know a few characters in an isolated setting. It may have worked in the novella, but not so much in the movie.

The second thing is that David isn’t really a likeable guy. He’s brash, kind of rude, and we’re supposed to care about him because he wants to help his son, but it isn’t enough. Part of the problem is his characterization in the script: David doesn’t really have an arc in the film, or make any choices that define who he is as a person. He starts off as an artist who cares about his son, and he ends up as an artist who cares about his son except now there’s monsters.

The third problem are the special effects. Once the monsters show up, the movie starts to feel like a high budget movie that could play on the sci fi channel. It feels like the studio didn’t want to put the money into this movie that they needed to, and it shows. The other issue here is that the monster(s) show up way too fast, and too often. Instead of using the mist to their advantage and only showing parts of the creatures, the film tends to show us everything, which takes all the mystery out of it!.

Despite its many flaws, there is one thing that sets this movie apart and makes it worth watching: the ending. Without giving it away, this movie has one of the craziest, shocking endings of any horror movie I’ve seen. And I’ve seen a lot. So if you’re a fan of crazy/twist endings, put this one on your list!

Overall, “The Mist” was a great idea that didn’t get the treatment that it deserved. I would love to see a remake of this movie, and if done correctly, it would be a remake that could spawn several sequels. Seriously, the premise is that good. It felt like something that could fit into the “Cloverfield” universe. J. J. Abrams, if you’re reading this, it’s something to consider. But that’s just one man’s opinion.

– by D.M. Hutchins