(2007) **** 1/2
Impeccably-timed terror and chemistry between characters shapes one of my newly-discovered favorite horror movies: The Mist. My sister loaned this to me about two years ago when she was cleaning out her DVD collection to make room for more. I love my sis for a lot of reasons, but DVD hand-me-downs is probably in my top five. :-D
JPX and 50P have reviewed this one in the past, both of which are insightful – and 50P's comment about “Government's got better things to spend our money on [than education]” makes me chuckle every time. I don't want to spend too much time summarizing since it's been reviewed twice, and very thoroughly.
The thing that I love about cookie-cutter stories involving “a bunch o' people trapped in a large, enclosed space” is the fact that it doesn't really matter if there's a threatening force outside or not – because once personal relationships put one person against another, we've got a great story about humanity. It doesn't matter if the supermarket were surrounded by mist or by deadly bunnies.
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| Also available to put on your feet! |
The computer effects of the evil nasty things range from absolutely terrifying to absolutely breathtaking. I'm one of a few people I know who will complain to no end about the abundance of CG-animation and effects in movies (in short, they suck! Bring back Muppets/Jim Henson stuff), but it brought a fantastic element to The Mist that I really enjoyed.
My main critique of the movie is the kid: some movie kids know-it-all, some are jackasses and get theirs in the end. But this one? This one's like a LOG.
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| carrying kid in movie poster |
He gets carried everywhere! C'mon, the kid's like what, seven years old? He can help loot for supplies! Or sing and dance and baby-talk in short, simple sentences when morale is low!
But nooooooooooooooooo. He gets carried around everywhere like he's got pipe-cleaners for legs:
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| carrying kid away from danger |
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| carrying kid in supermarket |
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| carrying kid away from danger IN supermarket |
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| Do the right thing . . . do the COMMUNIST thing. |
The ending didn't leave me feeling optimistic (not that it's supposed to), but rather unsettled, desperate, and full of sorrow. Then I saw that Stephen King wrote it and got pissed – I swear, that man's got a way with constructing stories that, for some reason, really get under my skin.
I give it such a high rating because of the story of survival it depicts, peeling away the superficial worries we face day-to-day and seeing what lies underneath and to what lengths would we go to survive. If you were faced with the same challenges, would you do the same thing?
9 comments:
"This one's like a LOG." My god, everything you said after that was hilarious.
I also watched this, but I didn't review it until almost a year later (right before Horrorthon 2010). That's why it's not in the Monster List. But don't read it if you don't want to hear one of your favorite horror movies trashed. I kind of hated it.
The King story is great but that was NOT the ending. (That's only one of my problems with it). To be fair, King endorsed it.
Great review.
Caught up on comments again, going back to Werewolf Hunter on Thursday.
Stephen King is phenominal at character building. He makes each person a unique character, we really get to know them. I believe that's why he gets to so many of us.
@Octo~ King has a habit of switching things up from story to film adaptation. It simultaneously pisses me off and makes me appreciate him more. Like changing the ending of Cujo, I really appreciate that he gives us a chance to pick whichever way we like it best.
Crystal I think this is your funniest review yet! I can't believe I didn't notice the "log".
Octo - I thought I captured all of the "off season" reviews but apparently I "mist" yours. Have no fear, I'll find it!
Great review! I love the photpgraphic "evidence" of that kid being carried everywhere. Now every time I watch that movie that's all I'm going to think about, thanks a lot.
Wait, Johnny! I added it last night. I meant to say that but obviously spaced.
"I 'mist' yours."
You're a genius, and also terrible to know.
I had to rebuy that movie after you raided my collection! Granted I was one of the few who actually LIKED the ending...but that's because I thought it was both realistic and horribly hilarious (my sense of humor was a bit more gallows then, and it wasn't quite Hollywood ending).
I will admit that was great..."This one's like a LOG" XD It's like the guy who writes kids fighting a cosmic evil can't write a kid doing anything but going into shock. At least you didn't play the Stephen King Drinking Game
I'm glad everyone else recognizes that this kid's useless. It reminded me of the Ren & Stimpy fake ad. Log, Log, it's better than bad, it's good!
JSP your puns remind me of the worst road trip that I took in high school.
Octo & Catfreeek I also read that King endorsed the alternate ending, but I also can't think of many movies that end the way the original story did. At least I can't think of any that were successful that didn't have a sequel.
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