Mist, The (2007) d. Darabont, Frank (USA)
In the arc of Darabont’s screen treatments of Stephen King stories, this novella’s long-awaited cinematic incarnation falls somewhere in between the magnificence of The Shawshank Redemption and the not-badness of The Green Mile. Following a massive rainstorm, inhabitants of a small Maine village head to the local grocery store to stock up on supplies. Before their shocked eyes, they witness a strange fog enveloping their town and soon learn that there is something within the mist…something hungry.
With superbly designed CGI creatures and effects, King’s grand scale apocalyptic vision is well captured, and the scenes of mayhem – with gore and tentacles coming at the audience from all sides – work a treat. Unfortunately, the wannabe-gritty emotional scenes of mob mentality and scapegoat-seeking amongst the frightened inhabitants don’t succeed as well. While the capable performers (including Thomas Jane, Andre Braugher, Laurie Holden, Toby Jones, William Sadler, Frances Sternhagen and Jeffrey DeMunn) do their best, these episodes often ring a bit hollow, particularly Marcia Gay Harden’s religious zealot’s rantings.
Also detracting are Darabont’s attempts to integrate jagged jump-zooms and handheld techniques to provide a more realistic and edgy tone, which, amidst the rest of the film’s lyrical pans and crane shots, simply feel forced and artificial.
However, as a big budget creature feature and loyal King adaptation, the film more than satisfies, with an ending (not in the original story) that sucker punches viewers in the best possible way.
