Stephen King's The Mist: Review By moviegeek

Oct 29th, 2010 by moviegeek
Fear Changes Everything...as does execution
  • OVERALL
    4.0
    GREAT
  • Story
  • Acting
  • Directing
  • Visuals
Stephen King's short (and sometimes full-length) horror stories have been both wonderfully (The Shining, Misery) and abysmally (Pet Semetary, 1408) adapted. The Mist aims lower with its production values and takes its time in actually MAKING a film, rather than just producing one. The result is a chilling and entirely captivating B-movie experience.

A man (Thomas Jane) and his son become trapped in a local supermarket when a freak storm rolls into their small town. With the storm is a mysterious engulfing mist that is terrifying the patrons in the store. As the people begin to get restless, questions arise as to what is actually in the mist.

I encourage everyone who reads this review to look NO FURTHER into this film than what my above plot summary covered. I made the mistake of reading just the simple iMDB plot summary and it took away a lot of the surprise and mystery in this picture. I urge anyone who hasn't seen this to go in with minimal information; it's well worth the surprises.

I hinted earlier at the low production values in this film. The typical horror-genre fallbacks of special effects, blaring music, and frantic camerawork are all absent here. This proves to be one of the best things about this film. There is no music in this movie. Let me repeat, there is NO MUSIC in this movie! And, in what may prove to be a baffling result to most horror enthusiasts, the movie is STILL scary. The camerawork is smooth. The acting is reserved and not star-driven. The scares and terror is actually formed and created before its execution.

A lot of the credit goes to sharp director, Frank Darabount, whose work with two other King novels (The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile) prove him to be a meditative and precise director. Instead of shaping scenes as sketches to be colored in at post-production, he creates scenes of raw emotion and detailed scope that need no additional work.

That handiwork is what makes this B-movie so good. This isn't a state-of-the-art production. But The Mist is undoubtedly a fun, engrossing adventure. The film begins to meander and stray with the addition of the prophetic woman (Marcia Gay Harden) screeching nonsensically in every scene. Her character really brought the movie to a halt.

What you (referring to those who have yet to see this picture) must do is stray away from every spoiler you've heard about this movie. There is a twist in this movie that really beautifies its efforts. The best advice I can give you is to just grab some snacks, sit down, and just watch this film. It was the first time in a long time that I had no clue what to expect when I started; the result was remarkably beneficial and captivatingly enjoyable.

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Comments (28)

  1. moviegeek

    As long as it's long without just a bunch of rambling, then I can't wait :)

    2 years agoby @moviegeekFlag

  2. Jakn

    All I'm going to say that my 100th movie review is going to be the longest (and I mean LONGEST) review I'm ever going to write, but also trying really hard to make this the best of my work.

    2 years agoby @jaknFlag

  3. moviegeek

    @Supes ..eh? Lol

    2 years agoby @moviegeekFlag

  4. Jakn

    Sorry @Supes I'll read them shortly.

    2 years agoby @jaknFlag

  5. Dan

    So uh, Jake... I've posted a few new reviews.... :P

    2 years agoby @dan1Flag

  6. moviegeek

    Ahhhh, the dark knight it is :D. I don't even remember what my 100th review was.

    2 years agoby @moviegeekFlag

  7. Jakn

    I'll just give you a hit.

    Remember what I said at the end of my review of 'Batman Begins'?

    2 years agoby @jaknFlag

  8. moviegeek

    Of what?

    2 years agoby @moviegeekFlag

  9. Jakn

    I'll see it once I'm finished working on my 100th movie review.

    2 years agoby @jaknFlag

  10. moviegeek

    @Supes agreed ahaha.

    2 years agoby @moviegeekFlag

  11. Dan

    Haven't seen the Green Mile?! Blasphemy!

    2 years agoby @dan1Flag

  12. Jakn

    Alright. I'll see soon.

    2 years agoby @jaknFlag

  13. moviegeek

    WHAT! You need to see it. Its one of the most astounding movies I've watched. Great movie.

    2 years agoby @moviegeekFlag

  14. Jakn

    I haven't seen 'The Green Mile'.

    2 years agoby @jaknFlag

  15. moviegeek

    Well ANYY Stephen King story opens up a lot more :P I love The Green Mile, Shawshank Redemption, and Stand By Me. All of them are better than Misery and The Mist.

    2 years agoby @moviegeekFlag

  16. Jakn

    Well if you really want to know my best movie pick based on a Stephen King story (any story, not just a horror story) then it would have to be 'Stand By Me'. I was impressed and entertained by Misery, but I felt that it wasn't as terrifying or scary as it should have been. Geez it's been like two years since I've seen 'Misery'. I'm going to have to check 'Misery' out again.

    2 years agoby @jaknFlag

  17. moviegeek

    I didn't know they were remaking "It". Cool cool, I look forward to it! This is one of the better King adaptions, though I don't know about the VERY best since The Shining. I prefer Misery over this.

    2 years agoby @moviegeekFlag

  18. Jakn

    In my review the ending was the main part I brought up. Most shocking movie ending since Alfred Hitchc*ck's 'Psycho'. Plus I also think that this is the best movie based a Stephan King horror story since 'The Shining' and the made-for-TV 'Stephan King's IT'. Speaking of 'IT' I just want to say that I CAN NOT WAIT for the theaterical remake of 'IT' in 2011.

    2 years agoby @jaknFlag

  19. moviegeek

    Neat, thanks @Jake. Awesome closing scene, song and all.

    2 years agoby @moviegeekFlag

  20. Jakn

    Good-review, although I would like to point out that there was a beautiful song in the unexpectly jaw-dropping ending called 'The Host of Seraphim'. Yes no music, but a song.

    2 years agoby @jaknFlag

  21. Wichy

    Great review, great movie. A great horror film.

    2 years agoby @wichitagalzlFlag

  22. ed_wood

    Great movie. Well done review.

    2 years agoby @ed-woodFlag

  23. Jimthar

    man i still haven't seen this film. i guess i'm behind. i think i'll go rent it tonite. i remember reading the story when i was in high school, and i loved it. it was back when SK wrote stories that were actually thrilling.

    2 years agoby @jimtharFlag

  24. Dan

    :D I try.

    2 years agoby @dan1Flag

  25. moviegeek

    It's not a bad thing! I like immediate comments on my reviews haha. But you sure burn up that most active chart.

    2 years agoby @moviegeekFlag

  26. Dan

    Well........................ I got nothing, I'm on Movieweb a lot lol.

    2 years agoby @dan1Flag

  27. moviegeek

    Thank you. Are you never not on Movieweb? (apologies for the double negative)

    2 years agoby @moviegeekFlag

  28. Dan

    Nother' good one :D

    2 years agoby @dan1Flag