mist opportunity

Rating: 3/10 (11 March 2008)

There's something very wrong in "The Mist". And I don't mean the weird not scary CGI beasties that pop out exactly as expected to gobble up the supporting cast of Frank Darabont's terrible adaptation of Stephen King's novella. No, I'm referring more to the unsure, sub-B-level acting and unintentional-laugh-filled script.
Too bad none of the characters is remotely...well, a character, let alone believable. About forty minutes into the film (which, at two hours, takes longer to watch than the original novel does to read), right around the time someone trips over the bucket of kerosene, it becomes painfully clear that there's no one to root for in the film. Sadly, Mr. Darabont has a surprise of an ending lined up, but the film doesn't come close to earning it. "We're in the middle of a disaster", one character notes midway through the mayhem. This is the one moment in "The Mist" that the audience is likely to identify with.