Set in Maine, what a surprise

Rating: 7/10 (30 April 2010)

I haven't read the original novella by King. One of the few people who seems able to make the authors stuff work well on screen without dramatically altering it is Darabont, and for how much this is essentially a gross-out B-movie with monsters, he largely does do pretty well. Stephen is the literary equivalent to fast food; he even admits so, himself. Why he is so celebrated is an enigma I don't expect to find the answer to. Hey; this manages an isolation, "we're trapped!" kind of thing, and it does so without losing our attention. That deserves, nay, *demands*, props. There are a couple of good, fleshed out characters. It strives to show truths about humanity, though its chance at doing so gradually fades away in the face of the shrill tone of the sides in conflict. Not to mention the audience's exposure to an intolerable religious nut, who'll frustrate atheists and believers(well, Christian ones, at least) alike. The acting varies, particularly that of the kid, who goes back and forth between being natural and lacking credibility. Jane carries it nicely, and those that are given a lot to do usually live up to the challenge. This provides jump scares and a couple of exciting bits, and there is some decent tension here and there. The quality of the FX ranges, and the integration of CGI elements with live-action is hit and miss, too. Designs aren't bad, though obviously not everyone will consider these creatures to be intimidating(I didn't, to be honest). There is plenty of bloody, gory violence, a lot of disturbing content and infrequent strong language in this. I recommend this to fans of the writer. 7/10