less than the usual king tripe

Rating: 1/10 (1 June 2008)

Bad filming (trying to make it look documentary with non-steadycam shooting, and daft angles)this story (unusual for king, whose style usually is a fair lead-in to a disappointing "well, i had no idea how they could win so the monster left" ending - and in the book they are just driving away with no conclusion: in this Frank Darabont installs an ironic {although telegraphed} ending) Maybe it does owe much to Carpenter's Fog; but the producers would have been wiser to spend the money ( a fraction of it) of an adaptation of James Herbert's Fog instead. What with the poor meta-narrative, the poor acting, the inconsistency of plot (they all stay in the supermarket for safety, then they seem to forget the threat when they need to unblock a vent! And they see the insectoids are attracted to the little lights in the window, so they turn them off and light floodlights! The main character predicts what will happen with the fire-and-brimstone-cliché preacher nutter, yet is surprised when it does happen! and they leave the supermarket with hand held lights; immediately after the bug attack!!{yet when they drive, the car is illuminated like Vegas, and not one bug comes to them then!} duh!!) and the amount of actors with incomprehensible lisps: this film is a dire and painful waste of time. Fine for yanks and others with mental-shortcomings. Shame King has so much money he can finance this crap.