Customer Reviews

The Mist (Two-Disc Collector's Edition) [Blu-ray]

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On the two disc edition of The Mist, on disc 2 there is a glorious Black and White version of the film, with an introduction by the director Frank Darabont. Darabont says he originally wanted The Mist to be in B&W and be a throwback to the 50's and 60's horror movies such as Night of the Living Dead, which I felt it had a lot in common with. Darabont says this can be considered his director's cut. I knew he directed two other King favorites The Shawshank Redemption (Two-Disc Special Edition) and The Green Mile, but I didn't realize his other contributions to the horror genre, until I checked out IMDB. Starting in 1980 as a production assistant on Hell Night and going on to write the screenplays for A Nightmare on Elm Street 3 - Dream Warriors, The Blob, The Fly II (Collector's Edition), and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.

The Mist is an entertaining, at times infuriating, tragic horror film filled with fun scares in the form of 50s and 60s era monsters lurking in the mist outside and the uglier monsters inside that apply to our present day, a true creature double feature.

Darabont reminded me of Romero and his use of horror and social commentary. Here he makes an atmospheric horror movie, our main character, David Drayton, played by, Thomas Jane, (Deep Blue Sea) designs posters for horror movies, followed by a big storm, and ultimately has David and his son (mom at home) trapped in a supermarket with the towns people. Similar to the mall in Dawn of the Dead [Blu-ray] evil lurks outside the market, not in the form of zombies that can be seen, but old school monsters that lurk out in the mist. That's the surface of the film, but as we go through the layers we find much more, such as the monsters that lurk inside the supermarket. Human nature, when afraid and backed into a corner and the role the military plays once the smoke clears are some of the movie's other factors.

The Black and White Version is the way to go, to get that old school feel the director intended, even the way the title on the dvd is written is like an old monster movie. Highly Recommended, one of King's best film adaptations.

2 DISC DVD FEATURES (FROM BACK OF DVD)
DISC I Features Commentary by Writer/Director Frank Darabont - Deleted Scenes with optional commentary - Drew Struzan: An appreciation of an artist - Behind the scenes webisodes - Trailer Gallery Dolby Dig 5.1
DISC II - Frank Darabont introduces The Mist in Black & White - The Director's Vision: The Complete Feature Film in Black & White - When Darkness came : The Making of the mist - Taming the beast - The making of scene 35 - Monsters among us: A look at the creature FX - The Horror of it all: The visual FX of the mist. Dolby Dig 5.1

Director Frank Darabont successfully adapts yet another King tale. He had done a great job with King's prison tales The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, but is equally good at working on King's thrillers.

***This may contain some spoilers. I think I'm vague enough, but some like to be warned of any potential spoilers within a review. So, here's your warning***

This film is based on a novella, a short novel that is usually less than 150 pages, which helps to keep this film tightly focused on a small band of people trapped in a supermarket as a strange mists surrounds an entire town. Within this mist are incredible monsters that are very effectively produced as part CGI and part puppets. They do look frighteningly real and not as obvious special effects. As with any of these "band of survivors" kind of films there are an odd collection of characters, but I can't label them as stereotypes and that is a welcome change for this genre of film.

All the actors bring a real and human quality to their characters. Thomas Jane, of Deep Blue Sea, King's Dreamcatcher, and husband to Patricia Arquette of NBC's Medium for which he had a role on two episodes, has always been something of an action actor with passing acting abilities, but here the director gets a sincere and highly emotional performance out of him. Andre Braugher as the initially hostile out-of-towner, turned nice guy, turned angry guy, turned determine guy is performed quite well considering the complexity of the actual role. You see the tension with him all the time, but you also see a "nice guy" trying to come out and get along with others who struggles with insecurities. In addition, there is Toby Jones, The Painted Veil and Infamous, as a shift manager who is keenly insightful about people in general, but believably so. The supermarket is rounded out with the likes of Frances Sternhagen who graces any film she's in, William Sadler who is great at playing semi-villains, and the ever reliable Jeffrey DuMunn who is no stranger to starring in King films. Lauren Holden as a kind of a stand-in wife/son to Thomas Jane's character and his son while trapped at the supermarket and is good in her role. She may be best known as the macho cop in the horror film Silent Hill.

I would be remiss if I didn't note the Oscar-winning actress Marcia Gay Harden's role as the sick, sadistic, Bible thumping, I'm against the world, bitter religious zealot Mrs. Carmody. In the Stephen King world this is the Christian stereotype as it was in his Carrie novel. King himself admits that he has had a very negative view of Christians prior to his near fatal car accident, and often painted them with the same brush he painted Mrs. Carmody. Even prior to his accident he was beginning to lighten up on his view of Christians and his The Green Mile - Six Volume Box Setis a good example to that softening of King's views. Having said this, Harden plays this role a bit over-the-top at times, but is still convincing. She does eventually become a caricature of sorts, but she is very compelling to watch and I give her kudos for that kind of performance.

As much as the actors make this a very enjoyable film, much credit for the success of this highly effective horror film is the writing and directing by Danabont who just knows how to handle King's stories. King often fought with his publishers when he had downer endings. Publisher hate it when an author kills off the heroes in a story or evil appears to win, but King, to his credit, never flinched and has had numerous stories in which his main characters die and evil won. I admire that with King and some of his most effective stories have been the ones with downer endings. I'm not saying who dies in this story and who doesn't in this story or if the evil in the mist wins as I don't believe in spoiling someone else's enjoyment of a film, but this adaptation is very faithful to the novella and it does have a strong ending. In fact, the ending is quite shocking, moving, harrowing, and just plain jaw-dropping. I doubt anyone would see it coming which makes it all that much more effective.

This is an outstanding horror film that is worthy of a place in your DVD collection.

Frank Darabont's "The Mist" would have made Howard Phillips Lovecraft proud, even if he would have had to leave the house to watch it.

Bank on it: when you see a Stephen King film that does NOT INVOLVE direction by Stephen King and the material is excellent in the first place, you're in for a terrifying ride: ("Salem's Lot", "Pet Cemetery", "The Shining" all attest to this) this film is a case in point. Thomas Jane gives the same performance he always does but it works as the befuddled, terrified and courageous Everyman David Drayton
makes a simple decision with tremendous consequences: he goes to the grocery store.

The sheer mystery and grotesque nature of what goes on is convincing by virtue of the relatively banal, provincial setting: relations between annoying townsfolk and the "artist" (Drayton) escalate when the fantastic is finally introduced into their own lives. The scene in which the teenage boy makes an unwise decision to be a tough guy in front of the other locals lets you know what you're in for. Andre Braugher is in this movie for about five seconds and I have no idea why: he's such a great actor and I would have been curious as to how his character would have dealt with the situation if he hadn't denied it was happening, or thought it was an "inside joke" being played by the locals. Scarier than the things outside, though, is the religious fanatic played by Marcia Gay Harden, known as Mrs. Carmody to anyone who even skimmed the novella: the ultimate bad religious, the most irritating and horrifying phenomena in perhaps the entire tale, she takes full advantage of the situation to impose her blasphemous view of the Old Testament on the dumbstruck crowd, turning them into bloodthirsty monsters. When the young marine is offered up to the looming horror outside as "Food for the Gods", one can barely watch.

But the ending: this is key here. You will never see it coming and it is absolutely perfect. Great!

This is of course not your standard dumb monster horror flick, not with a King novella as material and Darabont doing the movie. But it is also not quite satisfactory.
There is too much being in two minds going on here! Just look at the reviews, so many of them: so many are absolutely enchanted, so many others are totally put off. That must mean something.
The reviewers' split mirrors quite appropriately the film's own schizophrenia: it is about important issues of the American society of today, about its separation in camps, about the split of modern and scientific rationalism versus the spirit of biblical literalism. Pragmatism versus Old Testament is the main message. But the plot is based on the horror vision of science gone wrong, of monsters born out of the hubris of military scientists.
How can one get disentangled from that spiderweb? One can't easily, and the ending has a nice touch of futility. Don't get too logical about the ending, many will be frustrated by it, one can even argue that it is not logical, but it is certainly a powerful message.
Before watching the film, I knew little about it and somehow hoped that it would be creative with using mist for horror. Then the fact that the mist is actually just hiding monsters came as a bit of disappointment, it somehow cheapened the film. On the other hand, the monsters are quite good, with a distinct Boschian quality. Finally, the main monster is of course good old M.G.Harden who preaches the fear of an apocalyptic kind of god very effectively. Sort of a Lady of the Flies.

In 1920, H. P. Lovecraft wrote a short story called From Beyond about an alien environment inhabited by horrific creatures that overlaps with our own environment. Stephen King often gives credit to Lovecraft as inspiration for his Horror writings (see Stephen King's Danse Macabre).

Therefore, it's no surprise--and perhaps not a coincidence--that King wrote a story circa 1980 called The Mist that explores what might happen if a window to that alien environment was inadvertently opened...wide...releasing a dense mist filled with monsters. (The Mist was later published in one of King's collection of short stories called Skeleton Crew {1985}.)

Fast forward to the late 2007 release of a feature film adaptation of The Mist. But what's really interesting is that the director of The Mist is the same guy that directed The Shawshank Redemption...Frank Darabont...so my expectations for The Mist were very high! (Darabont also directed King's The Green Mile.)

And my high expectations were met in the film adaptation of The Mist...mostly. The story in the movie is very loyal to the book (as I remember anyway...I read it more than 20 years ago!): A monster infested mist descends on a small lakeside town, and we follow the perils of a group of townspeople trapped in a grocery store when the mist hits. On screen, some of the actions and decisions by the terrified captives are a little hard to grasp, and the movie has a truly haunting and affecting ending that was much more depressing than the book's. Otherwise, the story from the book seems completely intact.

There's great suspense. Good acting. I was thoroughly entertained. And unlike too many film adaptations of King's Horror stuff...The Mist was very well done and preserved a lot of the prose, shock and character of the original story.

Any Horror fan should enjoy The Mist, and any fan of King and the original story shouldn't miss this DVD.

I thought that this movie was a lot of fun! There was the usual mayhem that arises very quickly when people are trapped in one place together, within a day or two in books and movies they start acting crazy and give aliens and monsters reasons to mock us, for trying to end our lives when things go wrong or there is no way out. Well this was no exception, when a small Maine town ( hey it's a King story, of course it's in Maine) gets enveloped in a thick, cloying mist, those fortunate enough who have escaped early can wave goodbye to their friends and family members because something strange is happening and the chances of any survivors are glum.

When David Drayton and his son make a quick trip to the supermarket for supplies after an electrical storm, they have no idea that the store will be their salvation and damnation at the same time. Once the store door closes and the fog closes in, screams in the distance tell everyone that this is no ordinary case of bad weather, not only is it mysterious but it houses creepy creatures that honestly scared and shocked me. The first time David encounters the blood hungry things in the mist is an unforgettable experience, paranoia adds another layer of terror as people who don't believe him need to see it for themselves and that is the beginning of the end. This horror flick was a lot of fun but also kept me in great suspense for almost the entire time, a little draining but worth it except I don't recommend getting too attached to any characters....some of them didn't last very long, and the ways their last moments ended were truly excruciating.

The movie was pretty fast paced; the acting realistic enough and the creatures were not all CG, so that was refreshing. Highly recommended for lovers of suspense and terror and of course banging endings, this one was shocking and quite honestly very raw, almost painful in a strange way when no amount of relief the ending brought could erase the events that perspired before the last minutes.

- Kasia S.

This was a very good horror. The people involved most definitely had loads to be scared of. Lots of tension. Great special effects. Most of the deaths appeared to be excruciating. I love when a group destabilizes into a mob. It's always fascinating for me to watch civility drop away and mob mentality kick in. Many Steven King movies are not worth your time but this one is. There were a handful of moments when I was practically screaming, "Why is nobody saying the clear truth?! Why aren't they already running?! What are they waiting for?! How are they failing to see the obvious?!" But I think that's the curse of most horror films. There are gaps in logic either in the plot or the characters themselves. But then, I've actually been in many very bad, crisis situations in life so I suppose I'm cursed to nitpick. You have to let that roll off so you can enjoy the show. As a father, I found the ending to be utterly horrific. It was a mental kick in the teeth for me as I tried to imagine myself in the hero's place. The music in the end credits was very haunting and soulful. I've never felt the need to rate the music before but this time it was suitable. This was a heavy story.

The Mist is the latest film adaptation from Stephen King's short story, the film was directed by Frank Darabont who is such a fantastic director having done such great films like The Shawshunk Redemption and The Green Mile he would have obviously been the perfect choice for another Stephen King adaptation so I wasn't disappointed and this film turned out to be quite impressive. Taken from his 1985 collection Skeleton Crew the story held a simple premise one that we've seen before in many horror films but the film adds enough great characterization and thrills to make it work, its something that Darabont manages to bring to the screen perfectly with standout performances from Thomas Jane and Marcia Gay Harden as well as the other cast who do a great job. The only problem is that the ending was quite sad and depressing and was certainly different, it seems like alot of people were complaining about the ending which I could understand why but I don't think it changed my enjoyment of this film I mean sure it was a bad ending but I can think of endings of other movies that are much worse.

The story's about David Drayton played by Thomas Jane an artist who is hired by various companies to paint movie posters (check out 'The Thing' poster in the background nice!). Hes living a quite life along the coast with his wife and young son but all that is about to change when a huge storm rolls in damaging massive amounts of property as well as covering the area in a thick fog, so Drayton decides to head into town with his neighbor Brent Norton (Andre Braugher) and his son to get some supplies from the local supermarket.

Brent Norton and David Drayton obviously don't like each other but soon become good friends, as soon as they arrive at the supermarket they realise that half the town is there to stock up on supplies but its immediately clear that something really bad is about to happen. A bleeding man comes out of the incoming mist screaming about how some creatures came out and took another guy, so the town's people decide to lock all the doors and barricade themselves inside the supermarket. As soon as the mist rolled in we get to see some stunning visuals and is quite spectacular, I think that the special fx were excellent. They used both make up fx and animatronics mixed with CGI which perfectly compliments the action, there were all kinds of creatures that attack the people inside the supermarket from huge tentacle beasts to flying creatures and other weird stuff. There was some gore and a few bloody scenes but it wasn't a total gorefest which is a good thing cause it probably wouldn't have worked and some people would have complained. The film wasn't just about more than a bunch of terrified and frightened people defending they're supermarket trapped in from monsters which happen to appear along with the mist, its also about struggling and how someone can handle this kind of extreme situation and how the human mind can cope with stress, some people who couldn't handle this situation would either get killed or find an easier way out and try to survive by trying to escape while others try to defend themselves by using weapons to fight these creatures. The group of people are obviously not going to get along with each other and this creates some conflicts within the group with some one always disagreeing with another person and then some fights happen.

This film was quite original and had some great moments in it that were dark and creepy as well as having an intelligent script instead of being a typical and dumb hollywood movie, O.K. so maybe some parts were corny and CGI is not that scary and can be abit laughable some times but still it was a good and enjoyable film. There is also a nutty religious woman brilliantly played by Marcia Gay Harden who believes that the horrifying attacks are a sign from god and her constant preaching which was a bit annoying soon convinces some people that she might be right as they soon form they're own cult, this obviously turns into total chaos and insanity. Just as you think that things couldn't get any worse the few remaining survivors have a difficult decision that might be the only way out, this shocking ending is obviously not going to appeal to some viewers but still I thought it was a very good and entertaining film. It's got some suspense, thrills, good special fx and some seriously freaky psychological stuff and the music was quite good too, the only problem I had with the film was that ending if it was different then maybe I would have liked it even better but overall I definitely recommend this to horror fans its worth watching and I consider it to be one of Stephen King's better films, its like an old school sci/fi monster film done with modern filmmaking thats the best way I would describe it.

Filmmaker Frank Darabont has a real affinity for Stephen King's stories having previously adapted two of the author's non-horror tales (The Shawshank Redemption (Two-Disc Special Edition) and The Green Mile (Two-Disc Special Edition)) and with his latest film he tackles another King story, The Mist, which comes from Skeleton Crew (Signet) collection of short stories. Darabont's film thankfully flies in the face of the two prevailing trends of gruesome torture porn horror films and lame J-horror remakes to deliver old school scares for a truly satisfying horror film.

Darabont does an excellent job establishing the characters, the dilemma they all face, and then pitting them against each other. Some critics had problems with the shrill, Bible-thumping character of Mrs. Carmody as being an easy caricature; however, by the end of the film, all of the things she has said come true. As anyone who has read any of Stephen King's fiction or seen one of his adaptations knows, a recurring motif is how the internal squabbling of a large group of people is as much of a threat as the horror that threatens them. King shows how fragile the trappings of society are and how it only takes one thing to trigger its collapse.

What is so refreshing about The Mist is how flawed the characters are as represented by David, a movie poster artist and the film's hero. He gets scared and makes mistakes but rises to the occasion when needed. Is he any less of a hero for doing what he does in the film? Darabont raises some fascinating questions about the notion of heroics and this is nicely realized by Thomas Jane's wonderfully layered performance. The filmmaker has created a clever, tension-filled apocalyptic monster movie that has the balls to go out on such a daring sucker-punch of an ending that really ticked off some fans of the original novella. Darabont's film remains true to the spirit and vibe of King's story despite the radical reworking of the ending.

The first disc features an audio commentary by writer/director Frank Darabont. He spends the bulk of the track pointing out how he cut costs on this modestly budgeted film and gives credit to the crew members who helped him make it, in particular, the effects people. Darabont goes into the nuts and bolts of filmmaking but the highlight is his explanation/justification of the film's controversial ending. As always, he delivers thoughtful observations and imparts loads of information.

Also included are eight deleted scenes with optional commentary by Darabont. One scene provides an interesting bit of insight into Brent's character. There is more of David and Ollie trying to convince the others early on about the outside threat. Also included is more of Mrs. Carmody's religious ramblings.

"Drew Struzan: An Appreciation of an Artist" is a profile of this prolific movie poster artist. He has done some of the most memorable posters of all time, including ones for the Star Wars films, E.T. (1982), Blade Runner (1982), and the Indiana Jones films to name but a few. Darabont points out that the introduction of David working in his studio in the film is a tribute to Struzan.

There are three Webisodes hosted by Darabont that provide a behind-the-scenes look at three scenes in the film and show what it looks like on the set juxtaposed with final product. We get to see how they did various practical effects in these scenes.

Also included are three trailers.

The second disc features a black and white version of the film that Darabont claims, in his introduction to it, is his preferred version because it was intended as an homage to classic horror films of the mid-1960s.

"When Darkness Came: The Making of The Mist" takes a look at the origins of the film. Stephen King sings Darabont's praises and talks about how he trusted the filmmaker with the material. There is plenty of on the set footage where we see the cast and crew in action. None of the major studios wanted to do it but Bob Weinstein gave it the greenlight so long as Darabont agreed to do it cheaply and in very little time. This is an excellent look at how this film came together.

"Taming the Beast: Shooting Scene 35" takes a look at the scene where the mutant bugs and birds invade the supermarket. It's the most action-packed scene in the film and was a challenge to shoot and coordinate because it involved a tricky combination practical and digital effects, lots of extras, and stunts.

"Monsters Among Us: A Look at the Creature FX" examines the designs for the various creatures in the film. He employed effects legend Greg Nicotero and illustrator extraordinaire Bernie Wrightson to design them and make them exotic-looking yet realistic enough so it seemed like they could really exist. It was a mix of CGI and practical mechanical creatures and puppetry.

Finally, there is "The Horror of It All: The Visual FX of The Mist" which takes a look at Café FX's work on the film's visual effects. Their main guy used to do prosthetic effects and so he had an idea of what would be practical and what would be CGI. His company had very little time and we see the various stages of the effects. We also see how various effects shots in the film were achieved.

The Mist
Directed by Frank Darabont
Starring Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Andre Braugher, Laurie Holden, Toby Jones

Weinstein Company | 2007 | 126 min | Rated R | Sep 16, 2008

Video:
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Audio:
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
English: Dolby Digital 5.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1

Subtitles:
English SDH, Spanish

Discs:
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Region free

Frank Darabont hasn't directed many movies, but three of them are in my collection. The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile are both adapted from Stephen King stories and so is The Mist. Despite its lower budget, The Mist is another strong entry from Darabont.

The thing I like about Stephen King is that most story elements are based in the real world. We can identify with the type of town and the characters who inhabit it. He usually changes one or two things to transport us into another world. In this instance, the other element is the mist. We learn that it has leaked through from an entrance to another dimension, along with some of the creatures from that reality.

The exposition is handled well and draws the viewer into the situation. After a brief description of David Drayton's (Jane) home life, he travels into town with his son Billy (Nathan Gamble) and neighbor Brent Norton (Braugher). While the three are shopping in the local supermarket, a man runs in with blood on his face warning that there's something in the mist.

Some of my favorite stories examine what happens when society breaks down. Stephen King seems to enjoy writing about it too. The Stand is one of the best novels dealing with the psychological effects of a catastrophe and The Mist delves into the same territory. Imagine the situation. You're in a store and a mist descends outside. A man runs in injured and shouts a warning. Do you listen, or do you ignore the warning and assume it's a natural phenomenon?

Some people are deeply rooted in routines. They know how much they earn and live one or two paychecks away from disaster. Their routine means that they rarely have to think about anything out of the ordinary. They may excel in one or two known situations, but be completely out of their depth when facing the unknown. That's when we see who the real leaders are. Who will crumble and who will adapt and remain calm under pressure? Will anyone lose touch with reality completely and start behaving in unpredictable ways? Would you steal to feed your family or kill to protect someone? The Mist shows what happens in just such a situation. The results are interesting to say the least.

My favorite character is Ollie (Jones), the assistant manager of the store. He's a great reminder of how people are not always what they seem. Looking like an older version of Radar O'Reilly, he's able to step up and make a difference in a crisis.

Darabont doesn't spend a fortune on special effects, but the result is convincing to me. As the story unfolds, we see a variety of creatures. Some of them are close to creatures we know while others are like nothing we have ever seen.

Another interesting choice from Darabont is the use of sound in the movie. Most entries in this genre would feature music heavily during every action scene. Darabont chooses to just show the events as they happen without trying to influence our mood with music. There are a few muted sound effects for most of the movie, but nothing more. The result is that we are drawn into the situation even more as if we are left alone to think about how we would handle the situation. The one exception is in the last few minutes of the story when The Host of Seraphim (Dead Can Dance) is played during a pivotal scene. Its impact is greatly enhanced due to the absence of music in the remainder of the movie.

Darabont changes King's original ending. It's a brave choice and will annoy a lot of people. King remarked that he wishes he had thought of it. It's a resolution of sorts and it's certainly not typical Hollywood fare.

Video Quality 4/5
The Mist Blu-ray package consists of two discs; one showing the movie in color and the other in black and white. Darabont is known to prefer the black and white version as it adds to the intended feel. While I like both, I slightly prefer the color version. Detail is good in both and there's nothing to complain about. It's not up there with the best the format has to offer, but it's more than adequate.

Audio Quality 4/5
The movie is driven by dialogue and is as much a character study as a monster movie. With no music for the vast majority of the running time, this is not the type of movie to show off your sound system. It handles everything it's supposed to without going over the top.

Special Features 4/5
The commentary track goes into considerable depth and is an excellent addition for those who want to know how everything was done. There are also 15 minutes of deleted scenes, a "making of" feature and a discussion with King and Darabont. There are several other features focusing on certain scenes or special effects. Overall, over two hours, and a good supplemental package that's worth seeing at least once.

The Mist is a fun world to visit for two hours. See it if you are a fan of horror or psychological drama and enjoy a decent Blu-ray presentation.

Overall 4.5/5