Good monsters, great ending, cartooney social commentary, truly thought-provoking

Rating: 8/10 (28 October 2011)

THE STORY: A strange mist falls upon a Maine village where numerous townspeople hold up in a supermarket. Within the mist lurks strange insect-like creatures, big and small. Two groups slowly develop within the market: 1.) The sane group who just want to work together and survive and 2.) The increasingly-lunatic apocalypse mongers.
Let me first address what doesn't work, and then we'll look at the film's many positives:
WHAT DOESN'T WORK: The initial set-up of the story is fine until about the 35-minute mark when I started rolling my eyes at the character stereotypes and their unbelievable actions. For instance, Thomas Jane's black neighbor is ridiculously paranoid of imagined slights and it's just not believable.
Then there's the clichéd self-righteous, hate-mongering, doomsday-obsessed "Christian" played by Marcia Gay Harden. I'm not saying people like this wacko don't exist (after all, Jesus plainly stated "There will be false prophets; you'll recognize them by their fruits"), it's just that she doesn't come off believable. She also lacks the charismatic flair necessary to convert half of the people to her lunatic fringe.
These are just two examples; there are more cartooney stereotypes that tempted me to tune out, the worst being when the wacko group attempts to sacrifice a guy. It was dumb, but I persevered on the grounds that the people in the store are a microcosm of the American melting pot. Hence, most of the people are TYPES rather than realistic individuals.
Another negative is that a full 90-minutes of the 2-hour runtime takes place IN the supermarket (or adjoining pharmacy), which gives the film a confined vibe. The good news is that the ending is truly worth the wait.
WHAT WORKS: The explanation given for the mist and the creatures is surprisingly plausible.
Some have criticized that all the characters are unlikable, but this simply isn't true. For instance, Thomas Jane is a good protagonist. All hell's literally breaking loose but he keeps his head at all times.
There are numerous other likable characters like the beautiful Laurie Holden who plays the schoolteacher Amanda. Amanda is truly spiritual, full of love, mercy and compassion. She's the antithesis of the Pharisaical Mrs. Carmody (Gay Harden). For instance, Carmody goes on and on with her religious blather and Amanda simply responds, "You're too Old Testament."
Amanda wouldn't say this unless she was familiar with the differences between the Old and New Testaments. This would indicate that she's likely a Christian of some sort, which is substantiated by her truly loving spirit (not that non-Christians can't be loving, just that agape love is the core fruit of the Christian faith, which is why Jesus taught that false prophets can be plainly recognized by their lack of this fruit ~ Matthew 7:15-23. Agape love is one-and-the-same as the "fruit of the spirit" detailed in Galations 5). Why do I point this out? Because it's tempting for Christians to write off "The Mist" due to the character of Mrs. Carmody, who doesn't paint Christianity in a very positive light, to say the least.
But, again, Jesus said there would be people like this, and there ARE. They're counterfeits. Notice during Mrs. Carmody's solo prayer in the bathroom where she essentially boasts of herself to God, a definite Pharisaical trait. Amanda then enters the restroom, full of love and understanding. Carmody responds with venomous, horribly insulting words, a clear indication that she's not truly what she claims to be.
I'm a Christian and am therefore in contact with believers all the time and I can honestly tell you that the majority of Christians don't even remotely resemble Mrs. Carmody. Most Christians in my social circles sincerely walk in love and try to serve God even while they're flawed human beings who have weaknesses and make mistakes. And, yet, there are some hateful legalistic zealots like Mrs. Carmody. One woman I know insists on being addressed as "Apostle Harris" at all times, even though she's not an apostle in the remotest sense. She's got to be one of the most joyless, unkind, hostile people I've ever met (she once "rebuked" me for not praying over a cupcake!!!), yet she masquerades as a supposed Christian leader. Nothing could be further from the truth. She's false, pure and simple.
As noted above, the story starts to feel overly confined due to the one-dimensional setting, but the climax is truly worth the wait (NO SPOILERS). At about the 1 hour and 45 minute mark the film takes on a truly mysterious and awe-inspiring vibe as a handful of people escape into the foreboding mist. The score at this point becomes equal parts ominous, beautiful and otherworldly.
The potent ending is controversial. Some hate it but it makes a powerful point: Never give up hope because you never know how close you are to the dawn.
FINAL ANALYSIS: I highly recommend seeing "The Mist." Even though it recalls other horror films, it possesses its own uniqueness. Yes, some of the characterizations are cartooney and contrived, but -- again -- the characters are a microcosm of multicultural society. Besides the ending is incredible (even if you oppose one certain aspect) and the story truly is thought-provoking. It successfully provokes the viewer to ponder long afterwards. My wife and I had a nice long discussion on the various social/religious issues and other points. This is a sign of a very worthwhile picture despite its obvious dumb elements.
GRADE: Borderline B+ or A-