Not some ordinary monster movie.

Rating: 10/10 (10 January 2010)

My Take: It's King done right. A first-rate and riveting adaptation.
If you describe THE MIST in your own words, it would be nothing more than a big-budget B-movie. The setup is there: Strange creature began to come out of a mysterious mist, caused by a military cover-up gone awry, that covers up an entire town, sending a few lucky townsfolk to take refuge in a small grocery store. And yet, there lies he question: Who are the real monsters? The creatures outside, who grab and kill anyone who dare come outside, or the people inside who have their own different agendas and beliefs, and are growing sick of each other? THE MIST is unlike any monster movie I've seen in years. In fact, it's actually pretty frightening.
If taken in its own B-movie merits, THE MIST works pretty well. There are ample amounts of scare and gore, and the special effects have their way of jumping out of the dark and scare you. But director Frank Darabont, who has since made a career out of making superb adaptations of Stephen King novels, wanted more out of the thing and comes up with arguably the best in its genre in years. The thrills are effective, but they are more psychological than visual, as the effectiveness of the frightening moments don't really rely on the special effects, but one the effectiveness of its performers. Thomas Jane (his second time out in a King adaptation) plays David Drayton, the hero-of-sorts of the movie, who leads the sane (or more accurately, stable) side of the trapped townsfolk who must find a way to save their skins, whilst the rest of the group as domineered by the fanatical Mrs. Carmody (Marcia Gay Harden), who believes God has made her His vessel.
Darabont and his effects crew use some relatively low-tech effects than the typical horror/monster fare, which means the CGI monsters here are not as effectively real as in other mainstream efforts. But this proves that the technology doesn't always have to be up-to-date as long as you utilize them well on screen. Besides, there are other elements of the story worth talking about than the effects. While other movies of this sort tell about how humanity will struggle as one in the face of danger, THE MIST does the opposite. It theorizes that, if disaster strikes, the rules are thrown out the window and the law of the jungle applies (According to one character, humanity as a species is fundamentally insane). Even the ending, which will downright turn off a few number of audiences expecting the typical Hollywood fare. The dark, twisted ending doesn't really symbolize anything per se, it's there to close what already was a dark and twisted movie; it intends to stay long in you long after the screen goes black.
Not everyone will like the ending, or perhaps even the entire movie for its often negative view of humanity in peril (yet on that side, it portrays it with frightening speculation). Even the negative view of religion in times of peril (which, shown here, is not too different from pagan sacrifice) will shock believers to the core. But rest assured, everyone will be talking about THE MIST afterward.
Rating: ***** out of 5.