What Is Wrong With Darabont?

Rating: 1/10 (23 November 2007)

I would not recommend this film to any friend or family member I can think of. Having read the written version of "The Mist" in Stephen King's _Skeleton Crew_ and listened to the ZBS Foundation's audio dramatization, I was at first disappointed and then sickened by what Mr. Darabont did with the story. In all honesty, I believe that this was the first time that I've heard almost the entire audience (and the theatre was full) "boo" a film when the credits appeared. If you haven't read the book or heard the audio version of this story, I highly recommend either. I do not, however, recommend you pay to see this film. If you are determined to see it for yourself, then I recommend that you wait for the DVD. I would have been able to stomach wasting $1.50 on a rental than the $16.00 I paid for my wife and I to suffer through this film in the theatre. Moreover, there are no dazzling effects or incredible sounds in the theatrical release that you'd miss out on by waiting, and you can always turn your television off.
Since you don't know me, I really don't expect you to avoid the film just because I said to. I'll try to give you some concrete reasons without actually giving away the storyline now. The strongest reason to avoid this film is the pointless and rather twisted ending that Mr. Darabont decided to tack onto it. While I admit that Stephen King's original ending left me wanting more, this certainly was not it. I probably could have forgiven some of the other major shortcomings, such as the laughably obvious computer-generated tentacles and the horribly played Mrs. Carmody, were it not for the ridiculous ending. If you've never read (or heard) the story, then stop here. For those of you who know the storyline, here's why I call Darabont's work a gross mutilation of King's story. I was initially encouraged by the opening, as it depicted the character David Drayton working on a portrait that bore a striking resemblance to the gunslinger from King's "Dark Tower" anthology. This clever opening, however, turned out to be a prelude to a very disappointing film. Darabont raced through the initial part of the storyline, reducing the entire opening (prior to leaving for the store) to perhaps five or six lines of actual dialogue (that count includes Drayton's "reconciliation" with Norton). I initially thought that Darabont was trying to prevent the audience from connecting too strongly with Mrs. Drayton, but the ending eliminated that possibility rather quickly. The other major problem with the story prior to the ending was the aimless nature of Mrs. Carmody's religious fanaticism. I don't know whether to blame Marcia Harden for a virtually lifeless performance or Frank Darabont for writing her an impossible role. Wherever the fault lies, the product was a completely artificial character. She didn't appear crazy, scared or angry, just fake. This is particularly unfortunate, as Darabont turned Carmody's rants into an even more central part of the film than the original story. Harden's lifeless performance, however, pales in comparison to the ending of the film.
If you still want to see this film, and if you don't want to know how it ends, then stop here. As you know, the original ending is very open. David fails to reach his home because of a downed tree and (as described in the book) the survivors go to an abandoned hotel where David writes down everything that happened and the story ends. The reasons for the mist and the fate of Stephanie Drayton are left to the reader's imagination. Mr. Darabont, however, apparently decided that our imaginations weren't qualified to fill in these gaps. Shortly before the desperate run from the store, the one surviving soldier (there were three in the film) spills what he knows just before he is stabbed in the gut and thrown outside by Carmody's followers. Darabont evidently liked the "extradimensional window" theory the best, so that's what he went with. The escape from the supermarket was faithful, with Carmody meeting her demise at the hands of Ollie's competent marksmanship. The giant arthropod still appears, although the film version is much smaller (and much dumber looking) than the creature described in the book. In the trip to the Drayton household, however, there are no downed trees, and the audience is treated to a lovely scene where the Land Rover pulls up to Stephanie's dessicated corpse, which is inexplicably pasted to the side of the house (don't ask, because I really don't understand myself). Darabont takes the gore one step further however, when the Land Rover finally runs out of fuel (evidently, they didn't try to refill at a station or siphon from any of the several abandoned vehicles). After fighting to make it this far, everyone suddenly decides to give up at once. They saved Ollie's gun, but it only has four bullets. So, we get to watch (from outside the car) as David shoots his son, Amanda, and the two elderly folks in the back seat. He then jumps out of the car (with blood everywhere of course) in hopes of being killed quickly, only to find that the U.S. Military has effectively eliminated the creatures and is now driving truckloads of civilians out of the area (including the women who went to get her kids at the very beginning). Then came the credits, and the "boos" from the audience. As I said, I could have forgiven the other faults, but this ending was both needlessly violent and completely absurd. This is why I recommend you spare yourself the pain, and stick to the book or the very well-done audio dramatization.