Rubbish, Rubbish, Rubbish

Rating: 3/10 (12 September 2009)

I'd like to put full blame on Frank Darabont for the rubbish I saw, but equal blame should go to Stephen King. This is the dumbest story I think he's ever created. Sci-fi is not his cup of tea. After I saw Dreamcatcher, I thought that was bad. The Mist makes it look award worthy. This film is to horror/sci-fi what the Stone Temple Pilots were to grunge music. The story pilfers from so many of its predecessors, including the Mummy, Dawn/Night of the living Dead, Aliens, you name it. Praise for this film is misleading. If it is fun you are looking for, stay away from the Mist.
Like all King stories, this one is set in a town in Maine. It begins in the living room of David Drayton a painter of movie artwork. It is a dark and stormy night, stormy enough to uproot a tree which crashes through the window. The next morning, after he and his wife inspect the damage and decide what to do, David goes grocery shopping at the local supermarket, taking his son with him. As it turns out, everybody at there is talking about the storm, and the damage it has done. But that is only a wrist slap compared to the disaster which is about to follow. All of a sudden, a strange mist engulfs the mall, and in runs a local with blood on his clothes. Shaken and panicking, he claims that there is something in the mist, and it has killed someone. The doors are shut and locked in a futile attempt to keep the unknown out. What follows is a boring series of creature attacks causing everyone to skriek, panic, argue, and point fingers at each other. David (eager to get his son to safety) must find a solution, before it is too late.
The whole movie is a gimmick: badly written, badly acted, unscary, and even incompetent with visual effects. Actually, the biggest problem I have with the Mist can be summarized in one word...subversive. The Mist has anti-religious/government themes which are perfectly fine, but the film takes it too far over the top, which interferes with good story telling. Representing religion is Marcia-Gay Harden, whose performance is the worst of the year. Thomas Jane in the lead role isn't so good either. Jane is the wrong actor for an emotional character like a struggling father. He works better as your basic all American hero, which he was in Deep Blue Sea.
It is kind of hard to figure out why people praise this movie. What I saw was disappointing and is not something I recommend to fans.