Delayed Reaction: The Mist

Premise: A potentially deadly mist comes to a remote lake town, trapping people inside a grocery store and forcing them to talk philosophy.

 

OK, so maybe the philosophy part wasn't in the pitch. It sure is a big part of the movie though.

 

Before The Mist, Frank Darabont's history with Stephen King adaptations was unimpeachable. The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile were both highly respected and got Oscar attention. The Mist was an attempt to move fully into King's more supernatural stories and that really didn't work. What's funny though is how much of The Mist Darabont took (including cast) to The Walking Dead. Both end up being discussions on what makes and breaks a society. It examines how people will unite to fight a common enemy or infight to spell their own doom. The Walking Dead just does it more entertainingly. And, don't forget that Darabont ended up leaving the show during that long stint on the farm in the second season. He has ideas for this kind of story but can't figure out how exactly to execute them.

 

I like the idea of the mist itself. It literalizes the threat of the unknown. On paper, I like of idea of people trapped in a place discussing their next action. Where it lost me was all the attempts to answer what's out there. It's a metaphor anyway, so go ahead and leave it that way. There's something in the mist that is dangerous. We don't know what happens when they go out there. Maybe some survive, but should you risk it? That's all way scarier than flying beasts being out there. The CGI on those have aged pretty poorly too. 2007 was around the peak of Hollywood thinking they didn't need to use any practical effects.

 

Also, the religion stuff is garbage. I didn't buy how quickly and strongly so many people were converted. The messaging wasn't at all subtle. This movie was over 2 hours. It would've been better served to cut all that stuff out, be 90 minutes long, and focus only on the mystery of what's out there and how to survive it.

 

The gut punch at the end was ugly. It was a much grimmer tone than the rest of the movie. The emotional response it got from me wasn't deserved.

 

I imagine a lot of my problems are with the source material, since Stephen King famously has trouble with endings. I don't care whose fault it is though. This movie drags in the middle and explains way too much.

 

Verdict: Strongly Don't Recommend