A Decent Adaptation Of The Amazing Novella

Rating: 7/10 (14 January 2018)

Stephen King's novella of the same title gets a decent adaptation in "The Mist." After a strong storm, a large mist quickly surrounds a town, trapping dozens of people in a supermarket. Terrifying creatures roam within the mist, hunting and killing anyone who ventures outside. But danger also lurks within the refuge of the supermarket. As the hours slowly tick by, the people form opinions on what is happening and how to survive it. Three separate groups start to form, and one will overpower the others, ushering in a new level of violence and bloodshed that will rival the horrors within the mist.
My most memorable, movie moment of "The Mist" is the scene when 5 survivors trapped in a vehicle make a shocking decision. More on this below.
I have read the novella and thought it a brilliant piece of writing. But the movie version is...far from brilliant. Two things prevented it from being great. First: Thomas Jane is completely wrong for the part of the main character. His superhero looks had no place in this story. The main character was a regular person forced to do extraordinary things under a tremendous amount of pressure and fear. Jane was completely out of his element as he wasn't believable at all when he tried to look afraid. I was expecting him to suddenly walk around with his Punisher shirt on, blasting the creatures with a large, automatic rifle and saving the whole world. Second: the ending. I understand some of the logic that went to the decision that was made in the vehicle; but there was another option. And the aftermath of that decision? Depending on your values and point of view, you will either be horrified and stunned, or start to laugh. And the fact that the ending can produce laughter tells me that it was the wrong ending to put in this movie.
The creatures were great though.
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