Stephen King’s novella is the basis for this creepy, introspective monster movie adapted for the big screen by King friend and fan, Frank Darabont. Unlike Darabont’s prior King adaptations “The Green Mile” and “The Shawshank Redemption,” which were ultimately uplifting dramas with only a hint of a supernatural element, “The Mist” is the real horror deal. Darabont and King have a lesson hidden behind their scares about just how close our civilization might be to total anarchy if given the appropriate pressure. “The Mist” cranks the heat up to high, creating a real pressure cooker of tension and excitement for the viewer.
King’s fictional small town of Castle Rock, Maine, is the setting for the story. A true Maine-ah will appreciate the detail put into making it look like a small town in Maine. A mysterious fog quickly rolls into the town after a big storm, catching people unprepared and vulnerable. A cross section of the town’s residents and “out-of-staters” are trapped inside a grocery store when they learn there is something dangerous inside the mist.
The gifted character actors Marcia Gay Harden (“Into the Wild”), Andre Braugher (“Poseidon”), and William Sadler (“The Green Mile”) provide radically different views on the proper response to the emergency. Thomas Jane (“Dreamcatcher”) plays a wealthy artist, family man and generally likable and rational person - ultimately a good main character. The director’s alternating use of intense music, utter silence, soft creature sounds and a whirring siren keeps the audience ill at ease throughout the film.
There are a couple problematic story elements, as the characters fall prey to some poor decision making, but oftentimes Darabont is a step ahead with an explanation for his character’s behaviors. The ending may be a bit too dark for some viewers, especially with the underlying current of hope that runs throughout the rest of the story. However, the minor quibbles do little to take away from the true focus of the movie: to unnerve its audience.
Rated R for violence, terror and gore, and language.
