The Mist

THE MIST has been one of those Stephen King works that continually elude adaptations over the years. Well, it’s finally arrived in a theatre near you, courtesy of accomplished King adapter Frank Darabont (THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION and THE GREEN MILE). Since Darabont’s reputation with King’s work has been so praised, it’s only natural to assume that THE MIST is one of the better Stephen King films, right? Well, yes. But it’s still not a good movie. The clichés of the story are pulled off well, but when Darabont deviates from what King has created, most notably in the film’s finale, it becomes hokey, heavy-handed and nearly unbearable.

The plot is one that’s been told many times before. After a terrible storm, residents of a small Maine town descend upon the local supermarket to stock up on supplies. Little do they know that a dense and impenetrable mist is moving in on them. Before they know it, the store is surrounded by the mist and the people inside are all but stranded. Then the real trouble begins. A panicked man races into the store, screaming about something in the mist. A lowly bag boy (of course he’s the first victim) is pulled away by a creature with lots of tentacles. And as the survivors begin to realize exactly what surrounds them, the monsters inside the store begin to show their faces.

It’s all very typical horror movie conventions, especially the ones King has helped to create. There are echoes here of many of his other works, most notably STORM OF THE CENTURY. But for quite some time, the viewer goes along with it; it is a horror movie after all. These sorts of things are to be expected. But as the film goes on, these characters prescribe more and more to typical stupid people behavior that instantly spells doom. Instead of running away from the creatures, they stand and stare in terror for far too long. When a character makes a revelation that some creatures are attracted to light, what happens? A panicked person turns on all the lights. And let’s not forget the completely implausible explanations that do not mesh with the film at all. Yet when the film tries to depart from horror movie conventions, it takes an even worse turn. The film’s finale, drastically different from its source, is a risky undertaking. And one that proves completely pointless. Not only is it eye-rollingly, head-slappingly obvious, leaving the viewers thinking, “Well, it sucks to be you”, it is acted and designed in such an overtly melodramatic, heavy-handed way (with the most irritating use of movie music this year) that any latecomers will think the Sci-Fi channel has merged with the Lifetime network.

Darabont directs most of the movie with his typical sleek style, yet at times he feels the need to shake things up and bring the film into a 24-like setting. The graceful camera movements and slow changes of focus are shattered by quick zooms on characters and the occasional handheld shot. While the latter approach may have been effective if he wanted to create a documentary-like film, it really feels out of place when most of it is shot in typical Hollywood style. Not to mention that the rather spotty special effects (especially in the first attack) make the handheld shots seem even more off. He tries desperately to create a movie that’s above the typical horror on all levels, but he certainly isn’t being helped by much of the cast. While Marcia Gay Harden (as a half-crazed religious zealot) hams it up and makes a memorable villain, Thomas Jane (as the manly, heroic movie poster painter) falls short. Sure, he’s a strong figure and completely cut out for leading people, but when he is required to do dramatic scenes, he comes off as fake and unconvincing. He cannot hold a look of genuine despair for longer than five seconds, always cutting in with a blank look that strongly resembles boredom.

Darabont has taken what could have been an enjoyable, if predictable, horror movie and turned it into a beleagured, overlong and melodramatic trudge. Most of these faults lie with the new ending, which is much less effective and thought-provoking than the story’s original. While THE MIST is better than the lame efforts most of King’s work receives on screen, it is still far from a good movie. Sometimes we just want to be scared, you know? Just scared from what’s happening in a movie, not scared by how what’s happening in a movie relates to the real world. Many directors understand this, at the very least. Not Frank Darabont, it would seem.

*1/2/****