THE MIST

Director: Frank Darabont
Stars: Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Andre Braugher, William Sadler, Laurie Holden, Toby Jones, Jeffrey DeMunn
Year: 2007
Rating: R

Director Frank Darabont is well-versed in bringing Stephen King material to life - he directed both The Green Mile and The Shawshank Redemption, the latter being maybe King's most beloved filmwork after Stand By Me. Here, Darabont turns his attention to a more horrific tale by King - his novella The Mist, about a group of townspeople caught in a supermarket when a thick white fog (and the creatures hunting within it) cut them and their town off from the outside world.

Thomas Jane (The Punisher, Deep Blue Sea) plays David Drayton, a Maine illustrator/artist who's come into town with his six-year-old son Billy to do some shopping, after a storm the night before puts a tree through the front window of his lakeside home. He's running errands, and ends up in one of the checkout lines at the crowded local supermarket when a local, Dan Miller (played by the excellent Jeffrey DeMunn, who's also familiar with King territory via The Green Mile and the mini-series "Storm of the Century"), rushes into the store with a bloody nose, screaming that the mist has turned into town - and that something in it has just grabbed and taken away his friend. Naturally, those in the market are skeptical ... but it's soon proven that something deadly does indeed lurk in the mist - and it's hungry.

The film is expertly cast, with William Sadler, Frances Sternhagen, Andrew Braugher, and Laurie Holden all adding exactly the right touches, as locals caught up in the store and in the horror. Even Chris Owen and Sam Witwer, as (respectively) an ill-fated bag boy and military cadet, are perfect. But special kudos have to go to Marcia Gay Harden and Toby Jones, without whom the film just wouldn't have been anywhere near as effective. Harden is Oscar-worthy as Mrs. Carmody, a religious nutcase who's convinced that what's going on is the Final Judgement (and, sadly, she's able to convince others of the same); at times she's nothing short of chilling, almost creeepier than anything you'll find out in the mist. And Jones, as middle-aged bag boy Ollie Weeks, has maybe the most heart in the film; his meek and timid character turns into a regular Rambo as the tension builds.

The creatures in the mist are seen, and are damned frightening; the special effects in the film are top-notch and believable, and give the film its creepiness. The claustrophobic setting of the barricaded supermarket only adds to the tension - as do the plate-glass windows of the building, becuase you never know what could come through them. But this is a Darabont film, and what he's done here that's special is that he makes the inside of the market equally horrifying and tense, as Mrs. Carmody spews the Old Testament and gains power within the store. It's amazing how fast and harsh the breakdown of society is here, and though it's understated beautifully by Darabont, you'll still be squirming in your seat by how quickly "good" people can turn very, very bad. Jane's character tries to hold it all together, but between the creatures outside the store AND the creatures inside the store, you'll wonder if he really even stands a chance.

The film has moments of both real brilliance and real horror. It's well-written (Darabont also wrote the screenplay), well-acted, and beautifully made. I had read the novella years ago, was wondering how Darabont would handle the faily downbeat ending - and didn't know until I finally saw the film that Darabont wrote his own ending - and that's my biggest problem with the film. Without giving anything anyway, the ending is one of those that will have you standing up and yelling, "NOOOOO!!!!" - an ending that I guess is fitting in its way, but also one that just made me plain angry, initially - probably because I didn't fully buy into the character's motivation for what he or she did. In fact, when a good friend asked me the next day if I liked the film, I answered truthfully with an "I don't know" - because I didn't. I had to let the film sort of gel in my system first, in order to think about it as a whole instead of just skewing my view based on its ending.

In the end, I loved it. What happened, happened, and that's that. It was a thrilling ride to get there, though, and for that alone the film really, really works. **** - Reel Awesome