Humanity Lost In The Mist

Rating: Null/10 (30 April 2011)

Frank Darabont's surprisingly layered science fiction horror film 'The Mist' is one of the most impressive of its in recent times. Now I say surprising because most of the film adaptations that I have seen of King's novels haven't translated well on screen (with the exception of a few like 'Christine').
Grabbing the viewer's attention from the very beginning, 'The Mist' starts off as a tribute to the many cult classic monster flicks. An unidentified object threatens a small town who keep themselves locked in a supermarket. As the object reveals itself, panic builds. Many of the characters are clichéd caricatures that one has so often witnessed in the cult classics. As the monster begins to show itself and the characters and as entertaining as the movie is, I thought it would be just another monster attacks the city flick. But just at that moment 'The Mist' plunges into new and deeper depths.
I think one reason why this movie received so little recognition is because it gave the impression of being just another typical genre film. It's a shame that this wasn't given much of a chance because it raises some profound questions about humanity that one would rather ignore than confront. After the final scene, one is left with an unsettling feeling as it has one of the most depressing (but least predictable) endings (and I couldn't think of a better one as a happy ending would have been less impactive).
The only flip side was theme of religion. The Marcia Gay Harden track is obviously crucial and raises issues that are parallel to today's world conflicts especially religious fanaticism. However, it also gives the impression that all religious people feel that way or a vulnerable to such manipulation. I wish there was some focus on at least one religious character who opposed Mrs. Carmody's ways. There is only one sentence with a biker where he delivers a line to Mrs. Carmody...and is then disposed of. What I'm saying is that I would have liked to see some conflict within the religious context and point out why being religious isn't a bad thing and that fanaticism is.
I'll stop here as the issues the film raises are best discovered by the viewer. Now, on the technical side, 'The Mist' is exceptionally well made. While some argue that the special effects weren't anything amazing amazing, I couldn't disagree more. The film is a tribute and thus it isn't meant to look like another 'Avatar' but even otherwise, I thought it looked very good. The cinematography is remarkable and the minimal use of a background score is very effective. Darabont highly succeeds in creating an atmosphere of danger, fear, isolation and despair.
All the actors perform superbly. Even those who were given roles that are clichés, play them well and succeed in evoking frustration. But of course, the ones that shine are Thomas Jane (as the dad in despair), Laurie Holden (this kind of cinema isn't anything new to her- cough cough - 'The X Files', 'Silent Hills' and now 'The Living Dead'), Marcia Gay Harden (see for yourself to know what I mean) and Toby Jones (the mediator).
Don't be fooled by the trailer, the premise or poster. 'The Mist' is far more than what one would expect it to be. It won't bring a smile to your face after the hopeless final scene following the rolling closing credits, but you'll have had the experience of something much better than what this genre of films usually has to offer.