The Birds + Lord of the Flies + The Giant Claw = The Mist

Rating: 1/10 (2 November 2008)

I won't beat around the bush here, THE MIST is a terrible film, terrible on EVERY level. The fact that this was released on the big screen in 2007 is a testament on how Hollywood doesn't know how to make good movies anymore.
What's bad about THE MIST?
Bad story. We've seen this storyline a million times already: people stranded in a single setting with something evil out there terrorizing them. THE BIRDS is a classic example. Other examples include stuff from Stephen King himself. Remember THE LANGOLIERS or MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE? Then again, maybe one shouldn't. The characters try to cope with the menacing threat outside while dealing with their own demons between themselves. How profound. The characters behave ONLY in clichéd or boneheaded ways which sets off a continuous stream of forced confrontations and suddenly the film felt like an adult version of LORD OF THE FLIES, with people splitting into two camps and one trying to control the other.
Bad special effects. I've seen more convincing FX on MIGHTY MORPHING POWER RANGERS. If you're going to make a movie about scary creatures you better make sure those creatures are convincing. None of the CGI monsters were convincing. The whole thing reminded me of THE GIANT CLAW, with the cast in that movie acting with straight faces even though the monster was basically a silly Muppet. Here, the effects looked rushed and ill-defined and yet everyone was crying, dying, fighting, praying over these funny CGI monsters. The end result is not a very effective drama but more of an unintentional comedy, such as THE GIANT CLAW.
Bad editing and lighting. The lighting was so bad. In many scenes, actors are seen carrying flashlights or candles to illuminate their surrounding even though everything around them is clearly visible to us. And for a big budgeted movie, the editing was sloppy. It's almost as if they didn't give a damn.
But worst of all is the acting. The acting from everyone was woeful, with Thomas Jane being the worst. Jane, who started his career in beefcake roles, is no actor and this film shows it in spades. The acting from everyone is so embarrassing that I wondered if Ed Wood directed this movie.
The controversial ending is equally laughable with the army coming to save the day from these inter-dimensional creatures, with just tanks and flamethrowers. That's it? I mean, even Japanese monster movies made 40 years ago were more creative than this.
The title for this film shouldn't be THE MIST but THE MISS.