Stephen King's Legendary Tale of Terror
Everyone thought of it as a harmless lightning storm. When Dave Drayton notices a strange mist on the lake, he thinks nothing of it. When his son, Billy Drayton, his neighbor Brent Norton, and himself travel to the supermarket, the unthinkable happens. On their way to the market, they see the army, the firefighters, and the police, heading toward the mist. When he sees this Brent mentions something about "Project Arrowhead", a secret military plan that no one knows about. As they are shopping, they see three army men walk in, just to pick up a few things then head toward the mist. All eighty of the store's shoppers had no clue what was going on until an old man runs in the market with a bloody nose and declares "Something in the mist!" He tells them to close the door. About five seconds after they do close the door, the entire store shakes, as though it was lifted feet above the ground. When David is asked to check on the generator, the loading dock door was being pushed by something outside. Then there was a groan heard by Dave. He asks three people to come with him. When Norm the bag-boy volunteers to go out, he is taken by a creature with large squid-like tentacles that have mouths, teeth, and arms of their own. When Dave and the other three fight it off, they alarm everyone in the store what is out there. After hearing this, Mrs. Carmody exclaims that it is the end of times and that God is punishing them. People don't believe it until Mrs. Carmody has almost everyone in the store on her side. Does 'Project Arrowhead' have anything to do with this? Will Dave Drayton, his son, and his friends make it out alive as they make their last stand against this destruction? Or will they be taken by the demon-like creatures of 'The Mist'?
Genre(s): Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Runtime: 126 minutes
Rating: 7.4/10 (64,837 votes)
Release Date: 21 November 2007
Country: USA
Languages: English
Company: Darkwoods Productions
Sound: Dolby Digital, SDDS, DTS
MPAA: Rated R for violence, terror and gore, and language.
Director(s): Frank Darabont
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Producer(s):
Frank Darabont - producer
Anna Garduno - co-producer (as Anna Garduño)
Liz Glotzer - producer
Denise M. Huth - co-producer (as Denise Huth)
Randi Richmond - co-producer
Richard Saperstein - executive producer
Bob Weinstein - executive producer
Harvey Weinstein - executive producer
Writer(s):
Frank Darabont - (screenplay)
Stephen King - (novella)
Cast:
Thomas Jane - David Drayton
Marcia Gay Harden - Mrs. Carmody
Laurie Holden - Amanda Dumfries / Dunfrey
Andre Braugher - Brent Norton
Toby Jones - Ollie Weeks
William Sadler - Jim
Jeffrey DeMunn - Dan Miller
Frances Sternhagen - Irene Reppler
Nathan Gamble - Billy Drayton
Alexa Davalos - Sally
Music: Mark Isham
Frank Darabont - producer
Anna Garduno - co-producer (as Anna Garduño)
Liz Glotzer - producer
Denise M. Huth - co-producer (as Denise Huth)
Randi Richmond - co-producer
Richard Saperstein - executive producer
Bob Weinstein - executive producer
Harvey Weinstein - executive producer
Writer(s):
Frank Darabont - (screenplay)
Stephen King - (novella)
Cast:
Thomas Jane - David Drayton
Marcia Gay Harden - Mrs. Carmody
Laurie Holden - Amanda Dumfries / Dunfrey
Andre Braugher - Brent Norton
Toby Jones - Ollie Weeks
William Sadler - Jim
Jeffrey DeMunn - Dan Miller
Frances Sternhagen - Irene Reppler
Nathan Gamble - Billy Drayton
Alexa Davalos - Sally
Music: Mark Isham
Posted on: November 1, 2007
June 21st, 2009
Stephen King has expressed his belief in the idea that the journey ismore important than the ending when it comes to life and stories. He isalso no stranger to the philosophy of negativity equating truth. "TheMist" embraces the later while seemingly contradicting the former. Itseems strange to me that King should aggressively champion this filmsending when it is its defining attribute. The entire body of "The Mist"acts simultaneously as a fantastical social experiment and an elaboratesetup for its bitterly ironic final act. It is a body possessed bydramatic flaws: the prejudice of the writing is obvious due to the factthat the cynical and anti-religious views expressed are hinged not onsolid logic, but on the presence of c.g. monsters and humancaricatures. The news camera trickery and poor computer work in placeof practical effects hurt the film's quaint mood (that of older pulphorror like "Night of the Living Dead") as well as any atmospherictension it could have had. The idea that human beings are inherentlyselfish and violent is amusing, but what is the relevance of such atheme and subsequent nihilistic ending for a popcorn audience? It allcomes off reactionary and pretentious when viewed in the context ofescapist entertainment. I believe in film as artistic and philosophicalexpression but "The Mist" is too commercial and superficial to justifythe means to either end. And even if the film does resonate meaning, itis an absurd one at best. If life is a brief and brutal struggletowards inevitable annihilation than what is the point in wasting anyof it watching silly affirmations of pointless negativity?
June 22nd, 2009
The Mist is an effective horror thriller with some flaws from directorFrank Darabont whose admirable in making this movie but unansweredquestions, the dialogue at times, and the ending is what weighed themovie down. However The Mist is still not that bad it just could havebeen better. Darabont the man behind films like The Green Mile and TheShawshank Redemption continues to show his skill with this one as afilmmaker despite it's flaws. Thomas Jane is good as the lead DavidDrayton a movie poster artist who finds himself trapped in a grocerystore with his son and many others when a freak storm unleashesnightmarish creatures that have a taste for human flesh. Jane may notwin any awards with his performance but he's still convincing as David.The same can go for Marcia Gay Harden as Mrs Carmody in a rare villainrole. Harden's character definitely has more than a few screws looseand can be as scary as the monsters outside lurking in the mist becauseshe's clearly losing her mind. Harden is impressive in the role and sheeventually gets whats coming to her. The rest of the cast includingLaurie Holden, Toby Jones, William Sadler, Jeffrey DeMunn, and AndreBraugher in a brief extended appearance are effective as the supportingcharacters in their limited screen time. The movie does have somesuspense, anticipation, a little humor, and the various creatures thatcome in all shapes and sizes are terrifying. Most of them are neverclearly visible because they're in the mist so you only get glimpseswhich was okay but a clearer view of what they looked like would'vebeen a little better considering several of the blood thirsty monstersare only given mere cameo appearances. All of them are still do theirpart but they could've been given more screen time. There is somesuspense build up and anticipation which doesn't quite pay off but it'snot entirely a failure either. A lot of questions are left unansweredexcept for one brief explanation as to where the creatures came fromand how they got here. It was because of some kind of militaryexperiment to create a window into another dimension which unleashedthis whole other world with nightmarish beasts onto ours or somethinglike that. A better explanation as to what happened would've alsohelped the film a little because it's better than no resolution at all.Some loose ends storyline wise aren't tied up by the end, the pacingwas slow at times, the dialogue wasn't the greatest occasionallyeither, and some of the characters made stupid decisions which seems tobe a trend horror movies have these days. The sequences involving acreature being shown in the mist or eating someone in a gruesome wayare well executed but there could've been more of them. The specialeffects were so-so because at times you can definitely tell it's CG.The ending wasn't the best and if they had changed it the movie atleast to me would've been much better. Despite it's flaws The Mist isstill for the most part a good horror thriller better then most thatare out there. Overall The Mist has gruesome deaths, some suspense,anticipation, scary villains, a little humor, and solid performances bythe cast who make this horror film worth watching at least once.
June 24th, 2009
I bought a DVD of this film because it was hyped as the having the mostshocking ending ever. But, I got sucker-punched. The ending is shockingbut only because you're so shocked at how the ending is so lame andcowardly. The movie is basically boring. The crazy Christian thing wascompletely ridiculous. Questions: How is it that the people in the jeepnever see or hear anything (for miles) such as the army fighting themonsters but the army is right behind them just moments before theycommit suicide? Project Arrowhead?? How do the characters know the nameof a top secret army research project? Why do the people in the storenot hear the monster banging against the back door and then think it isjoke especially after the "earthquake"? Is the mist poisonous? Why arethe soldiers wearing gas masks but the citizens in the trucks are notand seem fine? How was the mist dissipated? Is the army killing themonsters? If so, how?
July 6th, 2009
I was… baffled after I was done watching this movie!
The mist, which is originally a short story written by Stephen King, isa story about a small town near the mountains. At night, there is aterrible storm and there is a lot of damage. The day after, a strangemist descends down on the town, covering it completely. It soon becomesclear that inside the mist houses a terrible evil. The survivors run tosafety and end up in a supermarket, where they have to fight for theirlives or die trying…
That sounds like your average horror movie, doesn't it? HOWEVER! Unlikemost horror movies, the Mist has a lot of characters who you willeither hate or love. Wonderful, believable acting makes this film moreappealing.
The CGI is GOOD! Really good! It was nice to see a movie with somegood, scary effects.
There is gore in this movie. Sometimes even gross gore. So this movieain't for the weak of heart. (or you can just close your eyes or turnaway at the most intense parts).
And then there's the ending… my god… I won't spoil it, but I amjust gonna say that it is one of the darkest (perhaps THE darkest)endings I have ever seen…
The Mist is an amazing horror movie. Truly a worthy watch.
9 out of 10 stars!
July 18th, 2009
This truly is a cinematic Travesty. If you or anyone close to you planson checking this movie out….Don't…..Seriously. Do not let the 7.4rating fool you like it did me. I mean I thought the director ofShawshank Redemption and Green Mile(Great movies) could at least pulloff mediocrity…WRONG. They should have called this movie ThePunisher. Horrible CGI to Unrealistic everything, mixed with a burnoutcast. At least films such a Battlefield Earth, Batman and Robin, andTango and Cash have somewhat of a humorous feel. Darabont owes anapology to all It sickens me that the cast and crew and actually getpaid for this and continue to live their lives as if they have done nowrong, because they did.
August 8th, 2009
this adaptation of a Stephen King short story,directed by FrankDarabont(who also wrote the screenplay)is quite entertaining,though nomasterpiece.there are some bloody moments and some excitement.theacting,although adequate,does not stand out.except in two cases.thefirst being Andre Braugher,who plays Norton,the neighbour of Tom Jane'scharacter.i found him quite strong in his role,and very charismatic.theother is Marcia Gay Harden,who is brilliant as Mrs. Carmody.i liked theironic ending of the movie,which i didn't expect,though i probablyshould have.the music is also very haunting,perfect for the movie.whenall is said and done,The Mist is a 7/10
August 17th, 2009
Having big shoes to fill in John Carpenter's classic, the film startsoff quite well. You can see straight away that there is an attempt tobring something new into this remake. The dynamic between thecharacters works well from the beginning, and this is the one thingthat carries throughout.
The suspense works well quite long into the film once the action hasstarted, but some serious problems start arising the further we get. Isimply didn't buy the part where people turned into religious fanaticseager to kill each other pretty much overnight, even though Marcia GayHarden was a great as the charismatic misanthrope who sets people ateach others throats. The line of questioning regarding what happens topeople during a crisis is interesting enough, but there needs to be abetter buildup to justify people going from peaceful, small-towndwellers into a mindless, bloodthirsty mob – considering that the filmdoes seem to approach the subject quite seriously.
The twist at the end also felt more like an attempt to be original thana well-thought ending to the story. The simple story in JohnCarpenter's The Mist worked much better.
August 18th, 2009
I read the Stephen King novella some 25 years ago and it was alreadygripping back then in its effective, "Dawn of the dead"-like simplicity(a large group of people gets trapped inside a supermarket as amysterious mist surrounds them with unspeakable terrors lurking insideit). But to actually expand, extend and IMPROVE it, was beyond mywildest expectations, as Darabont turns this horror-fantasy tale into avisceral, nerve-rattling apocalypse. The supernatural monsters arequite impressively scary (if a bit too CGI-graphic…), but they almostpale in comparison to its human counterparts as the panic mounts with areligious loony in the crowd. There is a truly terrifying humansacrifice scene which will haunt me for a long time… Knowing it waswritten in the 80's also answers some modern obvious plot questions(umm – anyone got a cell phone?).
A bit long, but thumbs up for really going for the throat and daring tobe merciless with its characters to the very end! Another tool is whatI've advocated for a long time: a very limited music score; it'sghastly enough as it is – and parents: be sure to keep your kids awayfrom this!
7 out of 10 from Ozjeppe