The Mist (2007)

continued...

... at times. The ending is one that I found to be unflinchingly true. After all, the "bad guys" aren't the only ones who find themselves trapped in the rhetoric of fear, are they? In fact, if the bad guys are the ones spewing forth the rhetoric, who picks it up? Those who are willing to listen. And sometimes, even the people you think would have never listened have no place else to turn. They get tired and give in to the rhetoric, forgetting that words are, after all, just words. That's when the giant smack on the forehead at the end of the film comes in, and Frank Darabont's script doesn't shy away from exposing the demons in all of us. "Fear is a terrible drug," as Rick James might say...

Darabont's script and direction stay true to King, and then take it all one step further. The lead actors are excellent, including child actor Nathan Gamble, who does a great job freakin' out as any real kid would. Extra points to Marcia Gay Harding's Church Lady, who could have easily taken it over-the-top but didn't, and Toby Jones, who played Ollie Weeks, the gun-wielding grocer. Not so crazy about random blond chick Laurie Holden (his wife just died, lady, okay?) or why she's even there, but Frances Sternhagen's great can-tossing scene canceled her out. Biggest casting complaint: WHY does Andre Braugher get such a big credit in the film when he's in about 20 minutes of it? Not right.

Inspired critters (that's right, you heard me) in the pharmacy. I'm divided on some of the others; some were quite good, while others were slipshod and lazy-looking.

Extra warm and fuzzy feeling for use of Dead Can Dance in the soundtrack.

Rating: A rare four of five. Nice going, Frank 'n Steve!

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