An original movie that works on many dimensions.

Rating: 9/10 (18 February 2008)

This movie is being praised basically everywhere, which made me all the more skeptic about watching it of course. I mean, how could a movie set in a supermarket, surrounded by fog, could ever be an exciting or tense horror flick? Well, you better believe it that this movie is a exciting and tense one to watch and it's all being presented in a very original way as well.
The fact that the movie is directed by Frank Darabont should had already given away that this is a great movie. Darabont made the 2 successful Stephen King adaptations "The Shawshank Redemption" and "The Green Mile" prior to this movie. Suddenly I am also less worried about Darabont making a "Fahrenheit 451" remake, which is in the works. "The Mist" is his third movie based on a Stephen King story and it's the first horror based one. Now, I never have been a too big King for but his story for "The Mist" seems like a genuine well written one because it's an horror movie in an unexpected way.
What makes "The Mist" such a great and already almost classic movie is because of its approach. What "The Mist" does very well is that perhaps the biggest danger and horror doesn't come from outside, in the mist but from inside the people in the supermarket. This movie is a perfect study of human nature and it's not afraid to show the dark side of mankind. It's an highly original and approach of an horror story. Finally a real clever made horror movie, that also makes you think. This however all doesn't mean that the movie also isn't effective on its more generic horror elements, such as scare moments and 'monsters'. Also on that level the movie knows to impress and is it just as effective.
It chooses a realistic approach of things and therefore also picks a realistic visual approach, with sort of hand held looking quick shots and by showing things only from the perspective of the main characters. It throws you right in the middle of things, which of course also really adds to the overall effectiveness and power of the movie. In that regard the movie is also truly original. Because the movie tries to remain as realistic and 'small' as possible, the movie also doesn't a cast with big selling names in it. Because of this, you also don't know who will survive in the end. Normally you know this already when a movie has some big famous names in it. It keeps the characters all more real. It makes the story totally not predictable and far from just another generic piece of horror. The movie also really doesn't end in a generic kind of way.
The movie also features some good looking special effects. Normally special effects and horror are a bad combination but in this case the movie truly benefits from its special effects. There are all, again, featured in a realistic and they are obviously not put into the movie to impress its viewers but to help to tell the movie its story.
Yes, the movie is really as good as everyone makes you believe it is!
9/10
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