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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Frank Darabont adapting Stephen King is always a must-see,
By
This review is from: The Mist [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)
The MistDirected by Frank Darabont Starring Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Andre Braugher, Laurie Holden, Toby Jones Weinstein Company | 2007 | 126 min | Rated R | Sep 16, 2008 Video: Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video resolution: 1080p Aspect ratio: 1.85:1 Audio: English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English: Dolby Digital 5.1 French: Dolby Digital 5.1 Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish Discs: 50GB Blu-ray Disc Two-disc set (2 BDs) Region free Frank Darabont hasn't directed many movies, but three of them are in my collection. The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile are both adapted from Stephen King stories and so is The Mist. Despite its lower budget, The Mist is another strong entry from Darabont. The thing I like about Stephen King is that most story elements are based in the real world. We can identify with the type of town and the characters who inhabit it. He usually changes one or two things to transport us into another world. In this instance, the other element is the mist. We learn that it has leaked through from an entrance to another dimension, along with some of the creatures from that reality. The exposition is handled well and draws the viewer into the situation. After a brief description of David Drayton's (Jane) home life, he travels into town with his son Billy (Nathan Gamble) and neighbor Brent Norton (Braugher). While the three are shopping in the local supermarket, a man runs in with blood on his face warning that there's something in the mist. Some of my favorite stories examine what happens when society breaks down. Stephen King seems to enjoy writing about it too. The Stand is one of the best novels dealing with the psychological effects of a catastrophe and The Mist delves into the same territory. Imagine the situation. You're in a store and a mist descends outside. A man runs in injured and shouts a warning. Do you listen, or do you ignore the warning and assume it's a natural phenomenon? Some people are deeply rooted in routines. They know how much they earn and live one or two paychecks away from disaster. Their routine means that they rarely have to think about anything out of the ordinary. They may excel in one or two known situations, but be completely out of their depth when facing the unknown. That's when we see who the real leaders are. Who will crumble and who will adapt and remain calm under pressure? Will anyone lose touch with reality completely and start behaving in unpredictable ways? Would you steal to feed your family or kill to protect someone? The Mist shows what happens in just such a situation. The results are interesting to say the least. My favorite character is Ollie (Jones), the assistant manager of the store. He's a great reminder of how people are not always what they seem. Looking like an older version of Radar O'Reilly, he's able to step up and make a difference in a crisis. Darabont doesn't spend a fortune on special effects, but the result is convincing to me. As the story unfolds, we see a variety of creatures. Some of them are close to creatures we know while others are like nothing we have ever seen. Another interesting choice from Darabont is the use of sound in the movie. Most entries in this genre would feature music heavily during every action scene. Darabont chooses to just show the events as they happen without trying to influence our mood with music. There are a few muted sound effects for most of the movie, but nothing more. The result is that we are drawn into the situation even more as if we are left alone to think about how we would handle the situation. The one exception is in the last few minutes of the story when The Host of Seraphim (Dead Can Dance) is played during a pivotal scene. Its impact is greatly enhanced due to the absence of music in the remainder of the movie. Darabont changes King's original ending. It's a brave choice and will annoy a lot of people. King remarked that he wishes he had thought of it. It's a resolution of sorts and it's certainly not typical Hollywood fare. Video Quality 4/5 The Mist Blu-ray package consists of two discs; one showing the movie in color and the other in black and white. Darabont is known to prefer the black and white version as it adds to the intended feel. While I like both, I slightly prefer the color version. Detail is good in both and there's nothing to complain about. It's not up there with the best the format has to offer, but it's more than adequate. Audio Quality 4/5 The movie is driven by dialogue and is as much a character study as a monster movie. With no music for the vast majority of the running time, this is not the type of movie to show off your sound system. It handles everything it's supposed to without going over the top. Special Features 4/5 The commentary track goes into considerable depth and is an excellent addition for those who want to know how everything was done. There are also 15 minutes of deleted scenes, a "making of" feature and a discussion with King and Darabont. There are several other features focusing on certain scenes or special effects. Overall, over two hours, and a good supplemental package that's worth seeing at least once. The Mist is a fun world to visit for two hours. See it if you are a fan of horror or psychological drama and enjoy a decent Blu-ray presentation. Overall 4.5/5
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Lacking that True Stephen King Punch,
By Ian Gordon Malcomson (Victoria, BC) - See all my reviews (HALL OF FAME) (TOP 10 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: The Mist (Widescreen) (2007) (DVD)
Why do I always expect more when I see a movie based on a story from Stephen King? There are approximately 50 movies and miniseries that are based on either novels or short stories written by King, and by my count, there are only three of them that should be considered either very good or classics. (The Shining, The Deadzone, and 1408). And yet, I still watch these movies with an air of excitement, hoping that I can experience the same enjoyment that I feel while reading his book, especially his earlier works. But inevitably, I come away disappointed. Whether this is because his material is not set up to be made into movies, I'm blind to how bad his books are, or movie companies don't find the right talent to develop the stories, I don't know. However, I do know that the Mist gets lost in its own fog of mediocrity.I had read the short story when I was younger, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Stories dealing with the apocalypse, the end of the world, had always captivated my imagination, and the Mist was no exception. I could picture a world where survivors would be holed up in a supermarket, fighting both the monsters outside and each other inside. A movie that followed the story would not depend on plot twists to keep the audience engaged, but would have to depend on character development and genuine scares. Horror movies that have those characteristics can overcome a lot of other problems. However, this movie did the exact opposite, eschewing character development and genuine scares, for an inane plot twist and monsters that would not scare an 8 year old. The director, Frank Darabont, avoids two of the common pitfalls found in most horror movies today. He doesn't rely on gore to gross out the audience, and the characters are reasonably believable, even if a lot of the dialogue is completely over the top. However, the quality of the CGI work detracts from the movie's ability to immerse the audience. I don't ask for the quality of monster found in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, but please give me something that doesn't scream fake to me. The strength of a movie depends on its ability to immerse the viewer into the world it creates. When I stop watching the movie, and start thinking about how phony the monsters are, the movie has failed. There is an over reliance on CGI work in Hollywood today, and the Mist falls into that trap. If you can't spend a significant amount of money on CGI, you might be better off creating your monsters the old fashioned way.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
The fog versus the giant mantis,
By
This review is from: The Mist (Two-Disc Collector's Edition) (DVD)
Sorry but this is one of those run-of-the-mill monsters in the dark or creeps in the fog movies. The monsters are not scarier. The victims are standard group. Some are heroes, some are rats, and some are just monster fillers. If nobody gets out alive, we will be better off.The miracle is how they can think of new deadly fog things for two hours and seven minutes without getting bored. It's a wonder that somebody can watch for two hours and seven minutes without using the fast-forward button. I suggest that you keep the fast-forward button handy right after the beginning credits. You can push it until the ending credits, and you will have saved two hours and nearly 7 minutes. Basic story Mist finds town, people hide in store, some people stick nose out, nose does not return. Both "The Blob" and the "Deadly Mantis." Have more structure, suspense, and social redeeming value.
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