The Mist (2007)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Frank Darabont

Writers (WGA):

Frank Darabont (screenplay)
Stephen King (novel)

Release Date:

21 November 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Stephen King's Legendary Tale of Terror

Plot:

A freak storm unleashes a species of blood-thirsty creatures on a small town, where a small band of citizens hole-up in a supermarket and fight for their lives.

Plot Keywords:

Mist | Supermarket | Army | Tentacle | Neighbor

Awards:

1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Thomas Jane	...	David Drayton
Marcia Gay Harden	...	Mrs. Carmody
Laurie Holden	...	Amanda Dumfries / Dunfrey
Andre Braugher	...	Brent Norton
Toby Jones	...	Ollie Weeks
William Sadler	...	Jim
Jeffrey DeMunn	...	Dan Miller
Frances Sternhagen	...	Irene Reppler
Nathan Gamble	...	Billy Drayton
Alexa Davalos	...	Sally
Chris Owen	...	Norm
Sam Witwer	...	Private Jessup
Robert C. Treveiler	...	Bud Brown (as Robert Treveiler)
David Jensen	...	Myron
Melissa Suzanne McBride	...	Woman With Kids at Home (as Melissa McBride)

Also Known As:

Stephen King's The Mist (USA) (complete title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, terror and gore, and language.

Runtime:

126 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White (alternate DVD version) | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS | DTS

Certification:

USA:R | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:15 | Germany:16 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | Australia:MA | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | France:-12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Finland:K-15 | Portugal:M/16 | Japan:R-15 | UK:15 | Ireland:16 | Sweden:15 | Spain:18 | Argentina:13 | Brazil:16 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Peru:14 | Italy:VM14 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia)

Filming Locations:

Shreveport, Louisiana, USA

Company:

Darkwoods Productions

Trivia:

Director Frank Darabont originally wanted the film shown in black and white. The 2-disc DVD release contains Darabont's black and white version on the second disc.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Early in the movie, the child is sick. Someone suggests aspirin. However, nowadays, aspirin comes with a warning label not to give to children due to Reye's Syndrome. Children's Motrin or Children's Tylenol should have been recommended, instead.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Billy Drayton: Whoa!

Movie Connections:

References El laberinto del fauno (2006)

Soundtrack:

The Host of Seraphim

Wonderful, horrific, twisted and shocking

Pop quiz. Tell me, what do you consider to be the most successful Stephen King adaptation, made for film or television? "Carrie"? "The Dead Zone"? "Salem's Lot"? "Stand By Me"? No! Not "Maximum Overdrive"!! (And if that is your choice, may God forgive you, because I won't.)

All of the above, except "Maximium Overdrive" of course, are great pieces of work. But my choice as the benchmark Stephen King adaptation would probably be "The Shawshank Redemption", directed by Frank Darabont.

Stephen King has been very good for Frank Darabont. "The Shawshank Redemption" has become a modern classic and "The Green Mile" was nearly as good. I am glad to say that "The Mist" is nearly as good again.

"The Mist" is a great film, perfectly structured, but a film that requires patience. It is a film of the slow build and of a gradual getting to know the characters, their obsessions, their fears and prejudices. It was nice to see a King horror film where his great talent of touching on the reality of a small town, has been exploited. It makes it all the more horrific when all hell does break loose, because the people who are getting hurt are ones that you know.

Thomas Jane is faintly wooden. Personally I would not have cast him, but all of the other performances are top notch. Marcia Gay Harden's possibly psychotic, fundamental Christian, Toby Jones' short, pudgy, perfectly ordinary hero, Andre Braugher's uptight, big city lawyer and William Sadler's scared, malleable blue collar worker. All excellent.

"The Mist" is not "The Shawshank Redemption" in one crucial way. Whereas "The Shawshank Redemption" was about hope and life, "The Mist" is about hopelessness and death. One thing that they have in common is an astonishing ending. The ending of "The Mist" is wonderful, horrific, twisted and shocking. Not anything that I saw coming.

"The Mist" is marvellous. Must see.