The Mist---Barely Forgiveable

The Mist (2007)
Director: Frank Darabont
Writers: Screenplay by Frank Darabont, adapted from a short story by Stephen King.
Starring: Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Andre Braugher, Laurie Holden, William Sadler.

Review by Junior

I once convinced some friends of mine to watch The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai: Across the Eighth Dimension. Fortunately, they were good friends of mine, some of them relatives, so they eventually forgave me. Hell, I thought it was funny. I still think it's funny. I found myself in the reverse situation when my good buddy and neighbor (who will remain nameless) entrapped me into watching the Stephen King adaptation The Mist. I love my neighbors, and in time, the wounds will heal.

The Mist is of a type with some of King's previous works, such as The Stand and It! where he puts ordinary people in extraordinary situations as a kind of character study, or an examination of group dynamics, masquerading as a horror film. I have enjoyed this sub-genre of King's in the past, The Stand in particular, as I have always felt he has a terrific grasp on the Everyman, and occasionally, on a real whacko. That being said, I have to point out that that's about as far as it goes. King has no great insight into the human condition. He is incapable of creating a truly original character, and his insights into group dynamics could be found in the standard undergraduate textbook.

But it's not a King novel, it's a film, so let's look at the writer/director, Frank Darbont. This film proves that Frank, who previously directed The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, both King-based movies critically acclaimed and commercially successful, finally needs to look elsewhere for inspiration for his films.

Andre Braugher, an actor whose work I have enjoyed since he starred in Homicide: Life on the Streets, is the most interesting thing to watch in this film. Unfortunately, his character disappears a third of the way in. This film also proves that winning an Academy award does not necessarily mean that you suddenly get offered great parts, as evidenced by the two-dimensional harpy played here by Marcia Gay Harden. And if your lead actor, here Thomas (The Punisher) Jane, causes viewers to query each other as to whom they would rather see playing the role ("Nathan Fillion would have read than line better...How about Christopher Lambert?...") while watching the film, you may have cast the wrong actor.

Finally, something that I usually like---the downer ending. I have always admired films which, for instance, killed the main character at the end. Movies in the 70s often ended this way. Just look at Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid or Bonnie and Clyde. These endings were satisfying because they were really the only honest way the story could end. (Never mind the fact that those were both based on true stories... ;) Now, in the age of the blockbuster, I admire even more the occasional downer ending because I know it runs contrary to audience expectations and studio desires. But here, this ending just seems mean and unjustified. It requires the characters to act stupidly, for one thing. And the "gotcha!" right after that final, drastic decision---well, it wasn't funny or clever. The film hadn't earned a moment of true sadness, because it hadn't developed the characters to point where I cared about them. So the ending was not half as clever as it thought it was, gratuitous, and just cruel, like pulling the legs off a bug. And I didn't really care about the bug to begin with.

Story: 3
Look: 3
Acting: 4