Lot's of mist but no fire...

Rating: 6/10 (8 December 2007)

Let's get something straight first: The Mist is supposed to be a horror movie. Horror movies are supposed to keep you thrilled. With that in mind, I believe the makers of The Mist didn't do a splendid job, as this movie wastes way too much precious filming tape on all the wrong things.
The storyline is not complicated. We're introduced into a small town that is being swallowed in thick mist after a storm the night before. People who get exposed to the outside get killed by strange life forms, and in these circumstances a group of people is locked inside a convenience store puzzled as to what they should do next.
It takes forever before the real action starts, about a half of the movie in fact. On its own this fact isn't necessarily a mood killer. A long and scary run up can be a good thing, but the first 50 minutes of this long (app 2 hours) movie you will spend on listening to the somewhat empty chat between the different characters.
Here's another problem that is within a problem. Conversation can be interesting even if lasts 50 minutes, but the conversation in The Mist isn't going anywhere. It consists out of cheesy and rather stupid dialogue. The actors do a fine job, but the script fails them. Much of the attention is given to a psychotic religious woman who keeps saying the same thing about the doomsday over and over. At some point what the characters say and do starts to irritate. After watching this movie one might get an impression that the majority of humans are complete morons with a single digit IQ, primitive superstitions, no will power and no logic. Of course that's true to some degree (definately in a horror movie), but the movie basically makes fun out of people and religion.
The Mist is mostly about the interactions between the survivors. The mysterious disaster at hand is given very little attention, which I should admit is quite realistic. The main characters do not try to solve the epic problem that they do not understand, and are instead concerned with their own safe being only. There are quite a few surprises in the plot, including a very unconventional ending. The movie keeps enforcing a very depressive mood.
The action itself is pretty interesting. Good special effects and design give the "bad guys" a very distinct look. Interaction with the non-virtual world is realistic. The camera work is solid. The idea of a thick mist is a nice one, as the mist substitutes for the night time and the unknown in general.
The Verdict
If you get through the first half of the movie without falling a sleep, you will be up for a cool encounter. The stupidity doesn't however stop once the action starts. This still is an interesting flick to see.