The Mist (Two-Disc Collector's Edition) [Blu-ray] Reviews

• A Movie with Many Problems

  
  By A328S9RN3U5M68 on 2008-03-29
  THE MIST has the full panorama of responses, from those who find it 'the best of the Stephen King story adaptations' to those who find it a feeble attempt to wed science fiction with biblical predictions. Frank Darabont has consistently brought King's popular horror stories to the screen with great success. For this film he's gathered a substantial cast, used computer generated graphics well, but in the end the result is a confusing mishmash of story versus sermon versus actors being overwhelmed by some really strange upstaging creatures.
  
  David Drayton (Thomas Jane) is a graphic artist who manages to weather a freak storm only to discover a mysterious mist hovering over his backyard lake. Going to town with his young son to get supplies at a Food Store he joins the other townsfolk in the gossip about the mist which now engulfs the town: could it be due to some experiment at the military post lab in the mountains? The store's generator sounds like it is fumbling, and while brave David tries to fix it (mind you, in this town with no electricity, the lights in the main store remain on....), he sees the back wall buckling and hears a bizarre noise. Returning to the storefront, David informs the crowd of his findings, but his descriptions are not believed - especially by the town psycho Mrs. Carmody (Marcia Gay Harden) who sees all things in relation to her channeling of God via her knowledge of the Book of Revelations, and the pessimistic out-of-towner Brent Norton (Andre Braugher), who has a running disagreement with David. But gradually David gathers some sensible folk (Toby Jones, Chris Owen, et al) to accompany him to the generator room and against David's warning, the back door is opened by the young stock boy and huge tentacles enter from the mist and consume the lad. Thus we have two factions: those who side with Mrs. Carmody's religious zealot need to sacrifice people to the outdoor monsters now flying about the store and those who are convinced they must fight the offenders with force and escape. The mess of a story is further confused with overlay of father/son devotion, mass hysteria, mob rule, revenge on the military for loosing these 'other world monsters' on the public, and 'what do we do if this is the end of the earth'. How it all winds down may satisfy some and may irritate others.
  
  So why rate this film with two stars instead of one? Marcia Gay Harden gives a bravura performance as the crazy Mrs. Carmody and Toby Jones offers a solid representation of the stable man as a clerk in the store who keeps his wits about him. Thomas Jane is Thomas Jane, and for an action hero, he seems to melt with the circumstances. The movie is long, silly, not scary, and suffers from a weak script. For those who are entertained by this sort of story it may be worthwhile. For those who are fatigued by the same old line of good versus evil in the form of gooey huge monsters, pass on this film. Grady Harp, March 08
  
  

• Entertaining

  
  By ANEDXRFDZDL18 on 2007-11-30
  After an artist has his window broken in a freak storm, he and his son travel to town to purchase supplies accompanied by his white-collar neighbor. Once in town they discover everyone is making a run for groceries at the local market. When a strange fog rolls in, most people remain calm until an old man arrives battered and bruised claiming something 'in the fog' killed his friend.
  
  I really like suspenseful horror and I found the mist to be the best horror film I've seen all year. The characters were engaging, the plot riveting and the monsters interesting. Andre Braugher was excellent as the neighbor, and I almost wish he had been the main lead rather than Thomas James who was okay but not great.
  
  I felt the character of Mrs. Carmody was a tad over the top. I would've toned it down a little.
  
  The ending was very surprising and quite a zinger. I was quite surprised the main character did not wait until the very last minute before doing what he did.
  
  Overall, a great film. 5 stars.
  
  

• A King-sized thriller!

  
  By AZCDCO6KK2T81 on 2008-04-09
  Director Frank Darabont successfully adapts yet another King tale. He had done a great job with King's prison tales The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, but is equally good at working on King's thrillers.
  
  ***This may contain some spoilers. I think I'm vague enough, but some like to be warned of any potential spoilers within a review. So, here's your warning***
  
  This film is based on a novella, a short novel that is usually less than 150 pages, which helps to keep this film tightly focused on a small band of people trapped in a supermarket as a strange mists surrounds an entire town. Within this mist are incredible monsters that are very effectively produced as part CGI and part puppets. They do look frighteningly real and not as obvious special effects. As with any of these "band of survivors" kind of films there are an odd collection of characters, but I can't label them as stereotypes and that is a welcome change for this genre of film.
  
  All the actors bring a real and human quality to their characters. Thomas Jane, of Deep Blue Sea, King's Dreamcatcher, and husband to Patricia Arquette of NBC's Medium for which he had a role on two episodes, has always been something of an action actor with passing acting abilities, but here the director gets a sincere and highly emotional performance out of him. Andre Braugher as the initially hostile out-of-towner, turned nice guy, turned angry guy, turned determine guy is performed quite well considering the complexity of the actual role. You see the tension with him all the time, but you also see a "nice guy" trying to come out and get along with others who struggles with insecurities. In addition, there is Toby Jones, The Painted Veil and Infamous, as a shift manager who is keenly insightful about people in general, but believably so. The supermarket is rounded out with the likes of Frances Sternhagen who graces any film she's in, William Sadler who is great at playing semi-villains, and the ever reliable Jeffrey DuMunn who is no stranger to starring in King films. Lauren Holden as a kind of a stand-in wife/son to Thomas Jane's character and his son while trapped at the supermarket and is good in her role. She may be best known as the macho cop in the horror film Silent Hill.
  
  I would be remiss if I didn't note the Oscar-winning actress Marcia Gay Harden's role as the sick, sadistic, Bible thumping, I'm against the world, bitter religious zealot Mrs. Carmody. In the Stephen King world this is the Christian stereotype as it was in his Carrie novel. King himself admits that he has had a very negative view of Christians prior to his near fatal car accident, and often painted them with the same brush he painted Mrs. Carmody. Even prior to his accident he was beginning to lighten up on his view of Christians and his The Green Mile - Six Volume Box Setis a good example to that softening of King's views. Having said this, Harden plays this role a bit over-the-top at times, but is still convincing. She does eventually become a caricature of sorts, but she is very compelling to watch and I give her kudos for that kind of performance.
  
  As much as the actors make this a very enjoyable film, much credit for the success of this highly effective horror film is the writing and directing by Danabont who just knows how to handle King's stories. King often fought with his publishers when he had downer endings. Publisher hate it when an author kills off the heroes in a story or evil appears to win, but King, to his credit, never flinched and has had numerous stories in which his main characters die and evil won. I admire that with King and some of his most effective stories have been the ones with downer endings. I'm not saying who dies in this story and who doesn't in this story or if the evil in the mist wins as I don't believe in spoiling someone else's enjoyment of a film, but this adaptation is very faithful to the novella and it does have a strong ending. In fact, the ending is quite shocking, moving, harrowing, and just plain jaw-dropping. I doubt anyone would see it coming which makes it all that much more effective.
  
  This is an outstanding horror film that is worthy of a place in your DVD collection.
  
  

• Michael Jackson Was Wrong, It Does Matter if The Mist is Black or White. (dvd features below)

  
  By AN8M401S8Y6DA on 2008-04-28
  On the two disc edition of The Mist, on disc 2 there is a glorious Black and White version of the film, with an introduction by the director Frank Darabont. Darabont says he originally wanted The Mist to be in B&W and be a throwback to the 50's and 60's horror movies such as Night of the Living Dead, which I felt it had a lot in common with. Darabont says this can be considered his director's cut. I knew he directed two other King favorites The Shawshank Redemption (Two-Disc Special Edition) and The Green Mile, but I didn't realize his other contributions to the horror genre, until I checked out IMDB. Starting in 1980 as a production assistant on Hell Night and going on to write the screenplays for A Nightmare on Elm Street 3 - Dream Warriors, The Blob, The Fly II (Collector's Edition), and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.
  
  The Mist is an entertaining, at times infuriating, tragic horror film filled with fun scares in the form of 50s and 60s era monsters lurking in the mist outside and the uglier monsters inside that apply to our present day, a true creature double feature.
  
  Darabont reminded me of Romero and his use of horror and social commentary. Here he makes an atmospheric horror movie, our main character, David Drayton, played by, Thomas Jane, (Deep Blue Sea) designs posters for horror movies, followed by a big storm, and ultimately has David and his son (mom at home) trapped in a supermarket with the towns people. Similar to the mall in Dawn of the Dead [Blu-ray] evil lurks outside the market, not in the form of zombies that can be seen, but old school monsters that lurk out in the mist. That's the surface of the film, but as we go through the layers we find much more, such as the monsters that lurk inside the supermarket. Human nature, when afraid and backed into a corner and the role the military plays once the smoke clears are some of the movie's other factors.
  
  The Black and White Version is the way to go, to get that old school feel the director intended, even the way the title on the dvd is written is like an old monster movie. Highly Recommended, one of King's best film adaptations.
  
  2 DISC DVD FEATURES (FROM BACK OF DVD)
  DISC I Features Commentary by Writer/Director Frank Darabont - Deleted Scenes with optional commentary - Drew Struzan: An appreciation of an artist - Behind the scenes webisodes - Trailer Gallery Dolby Dig 5.1
  DISC II - Frank Darabont introduces The Mist in Black & White - The Director's Vision: The Complete Feature Film in Black & White - When Darkness came : The Making of the mist - Taming the beast - The making of scene 35 - Monsters among us: A look at the creature FX - The Horror of it all: The visual FX of the mist. Dolby Dig 5.1
  
  

• The Mist

  
  By AW99SBGWEXP0J on 2007-12-04
  After a bad storm that puts a tree through his studio window, David Drayton (Jane), his son Billy (Gamble), and neighbor Brent (Braugher) head into town to get some supplies from the supermarket. Once there, the mist that they saw rolling across the lake has made it into town and engulfs the store. The terror level is upped when a man runs into the store with blood on his face, screaming that there is something out there. Indeed, there is, and soon those trapped in the store see what it is. To make matters worse, a religious fanatic by the name of Mrs. Carmody (Harden) is stirring up some of the customers with her talk of the end of the world. David finds himself looked to for guidance, and when things seem to be as bad as they can be, things get worse.
  
  Director Frank Darabont takes another stab at a Stephen King story, this time a horror story, and succeeds quite well. Like "The Shawshank Redemprion" and "The Green Mile", "The Mist" is a faithful adaptation of the source material, with an added on ending that may or may not work for viewers. I, for one, enjoy endings of this nature, but am not sure that it was the right ending to tack on the end of this particular story. The acting is solid all around, especially Marcia Gay Harden as the disturbing Mrs. Carmody. The film has its share of monsters, but the scariest ones are inside the store, not outside it. "The Mist" works because it is a smart thriller, directed by an excellent director. I recommend this film.
  
  
  
• Be afraid of what's in The Mist, the movie not the actual mist.
  By AT6IUB0EG0DH6 on 2008-03-20
  Almost 19 years ago I first read "The Mist". I immediately thought it would make a terrific movie. So it was with great excitement that I went to see this movie on Thanksgiving Day with my family. When we left the theater we heard everyone else saying how disgusted they were by the ending so we knew we were not alone in this sentiment. If you are a fan of the book and absolutely HAVE to see this movie, watch it and turn it off before the end. You will come away from the movie thinking that they did a great adaptation of King's novella. If you watch it all you will be horrified by the new ending that has been added. I wish I could forget I ever saw this abomination, it has ruined the memory of a great Stephen King story.
  
  
• Doublebind
  By A3NH7PYU4AD5GA on 2008-07-21
  This is of course not your standard dumb monster horror flick, not with a King novella as material and Darabont doing the movie. But it is also not quite satisfactory.
  There is too much being in two minds going on here! Just look at the reviews, so many of them: so many are absolutely enchanted, so many others are totally put off. That must mean something.
  The reviewers' split mirrors quite appropriately the film's own schizophrenia: it is about important issues of the American society of today, about its separation in camps, about the split of modern and scientific rationalism versus the spirit of biblical literalism. Pragmatism versus Old Testament is the main message. But the plot is based on the horror vision of science gone wrong, of monsters born out of the hubris of military scientists.
  How can one get disentangled from that spiderweb? One can't easily, and the ending has a nice touch of futility. Don't get too logical about the ending, many will be frustrated by it, one can even argue that it is not logical, but it is certainly a powerful message.
  Before watching the film, I knew little about it and somehow hoped that it would be creative with using mist for horror. Then the fact that the mist is actually just hiding monsters came as a bit of disappointment, it somehow cheapened the film. On the other hand, the monsters are quite good, with a distinct Boschian quality. Finally, the main monster is of course good old M.G.Harden who preaches the fear of an apocalyptic kind of god very effectively. Sort of a Lady of the Flies.
  
  
• Glimmer Free
  By A1RJXO99BU5ZU5 on 2008-03-29
  This is one of my favorite Stephen King stories. I have the radio play from ZBS Media, which is quite good. This film version is a huge disappointment. It was very good up until the ridiculous ending. The original version had an excellent conclusion, which kept things open-ended and mysterious. This director decided to tack on a ham-fisted attempt at irony, which sinks the entire concept. Not only does he ruin the subtle sense of mystery and glimmer of hope in the original conclusion with an army-to-the-rescue scene; he puts the protagonist into a fate-worse-than-death scenario (that he didn't deserve), creating a "Dagwood sandwich" of jarring unpleasantness. It's also too bad that the fabulous music of Dead Can Dance was part of this dreadful sandwich-of-doom. Why do directors and screenwriters feel compelled to wreck decent source material?
  A redeeming element to the disc is a brief overview of the poster artist.
  
  
• Brutal Monstrosity!
  By A3ROE64EVHDTTV on 2008-08-08
  The Good Things:
  *This set includes both the original color version and the black-and-white version.
  *Both versions of the film have pretty good video quality. It is sharp, has good color, and for the b/w version, has high contrast. However, it does have a fair amount of grain to it (could be bad if you're expecting a crystal-clear transfer; could be good because it adds to the visceral nature of the film).
  *Contains deleted scenes, several fascinating featurettes, webisodes, and trailers (same stuff as from the 2-disc DVD set). It's all contained on disc one. Disc two has only the black-and-white version of the movie (with an introduction).
  *The movie itself seems to be influenced by HP Lovecraft; the monsters are all otherworldly bugs and shapeless monsters. Definitely some of the freakiest monsters ever put on the screen.
  *Also, special effects are pretty good. Maybe not the best, but better than most other Stephen King based movies.
  *There are only a few bad scenes of violence, but they are exceptionally brutal and quite scary!
  *Even scarier than the monsters are the people. Most of the movie focuses on how everybody reacts to the situation, and there are many mixed and wild reactions. Many people act dumb and irrationaly, and few are sensible. This makes for very realistic and intense drama.
  *As a whole, it is a deep, brutal exploration of human nature in an extreme apocalyptic situation. The whole film is very thought-provoking.
  *Most of the story is close to the original novella by Stephen King; only the ending is different (see below).
  *It's not as corny or cliched as some of the other Stephen King works.
  
  The Bad Things
  *The ending was exceptionally brutal, and can be seen as either good or bad. I think it could have had a happier ending, but as it is in the film, it does leave you thinking and feeling bitter.
  *On the minus side, the ending is radically different from the original novella.
  *Sometimes, you just want to punch these stupid characters in the face (then again, this could be a good thing too, because the drama really absorbs the audience).
  
  This definitely goes above and beyond my expectations. It's not the typical horror flick; it's an intense thought-provoking study of people under pressure. The result is explosive, and unfortunately, highly believable. Even though it is stylistically similar to "Dreamcatcher," or "The Thing," it is more akin to "Children of Men" or "Pan's Labyrinth." Because of this, it is frightening on all levels, and I would consider this to be one of the best Stephen King-inspired films ever made.
  
  
• FILICIDE
  By AXRTCLRR8LJA4 on 2008-03-27
  A:Hey lets a make a movie full of murder and suicide!
  
  B:No, that's so common, everyone does that.
  
  A:Yeah, you're right. Let's add a sadistic scene of wanton child murder by his dad. Oh, and for a great effect let's have that same dad promise to protect his child.
  
  B:You are so right. That's insane; everyone will love that and its at least a little different. But what do they call that?
  
  As the suicide pact began to form, I started to squirm. Once all in the car were dead and dear old dad was looking for his personal vehicle to destruction, I was enraged. How could I have watched this so-so sci-fi action flick for over an hour and find myself ready to cry. It was horrible and I had trouble enjoying the rest of the night.
  
  Here's another under the radar meaning that I took from this team (and I honestly don't know whose viewpoint we were living through but here it is); they find the value and power of a human life insignificant. From the swinging soldiers to the murdered son, when times get tough, "hey you can always kill yourself or someone else".
  
  Maybe the folks that wrote, produced and directed this film have never been exposed to severe depression or mental disease/disorder. Maybe that would explain their cruelty and lack of consideration for the audiences potential reaction. Naw, I'm actually, pretty sure its all about dollars and no form of consideration, care or compassion ever came to their way of thinking or obviously into the picture.
  
  Suicide and murder are never the answer. There is purpose for your life! Each of us is an awesome created human being. Your life was planned and purposed. You can overcome your present trouble.
  
  
  
  
• You don't want to know what lurks in the mist...
  By AIIR8E34EDKCQ on 2008-04-28
  I thought that this movie was a lot of fun! There was the usual mayhem that arises very quickly when people are trapped in one place together, within a day or two in books and movies they start acting crazy and give aliens and monsters reasons to mock us, for trying to end our lives when things go wrong or there is no way out. Well this was no exception, when a small Maine town ( hey it's a King story, of course it's in Maine) gets enveloped in a thick, cloying mist, those fortunate enough who have escaped early can wave goodbye to their friends and family members because something strange is happening and the chances of any survivors are glum.
  
  When David Drayton and his son make a quick trip to the supermarket for supplies after an electrical storm, they have no idea that the store will be their salvation and damnation at the same time. Once the store door closes and the fog closes in, screams in the distance tell everyone that this is no ordinary case of bad weather, not only is it mysterious but it houses creepy creatures that honestly scared and shocked me. The first time David encounters the blood hungry things in the mist is an unforgettable experience, paranoia adds another layer of terror as people who don't believe him need to see it for themselves and that is the beginning of the end. This horror flick was a lot of fun but also kept me in great suspense for almost the entire time, a little draining but worth it except I don't recommend getting too attached to any characters....some of them didn't last very long, and the ways their last moments ended were truly excruciating.
  
  The movie was pretty fast paced; the acting realistic enough and the creatures were not all CG, so that was refreshing. Highly recommended for lovers of suspense and terror and of course banging endings, this one was shocking and quite honestly very raw, almost painful in a strange way when no amount of relief the ending brought could erase the events that perspired before the last minutes.
  
  - Kasia S.
  
  
  
  
  
• Why change the ending so much?
  By A2YALLK1XG52FS on 2007-11-30
  I am a King fan, and unapologetically so. Having said that, I recognize that there are times that the tomes he writes don't translate well directly to the screen. An excellent example is 1408. The screenwriter mades some changes which were genuinely excellent and seemed more "King" than Stephen himself.
  I have been keenly anticipating the movie version of The Mist since first reading the story. The short format and essentially single setting seemed perfectly suited to movie making. When I heard that Darabont was going to direct, I couldn't think of anyone better than the director of The Green Mile and Shawshank Redemption. For the vast majority of the movie, it was very much as I expected. The movie was nearly a virtualization of the story, and I mean that in the BEST possible way. I was very impressed with the acting, and direction etc.
  And the there was the ENDING.....
  As I noted, I have been reading King since the start in the 70s. Unrestrictedly happy endings are just not on in Steve's world, yet basic honesty and effort are usually rewarded in King land. The original ending in The Mist was stark and uncompromising, but left open some hope and future. The group that escaped from the store did the "right" thing and had a future having been rewarded for thier actions. The peope who stayed in the store were never commented on again in the story but were pretty clearly lost as a result of thier lack of personal fortitude- they didn't have that "something" that allowed them to challenge wildly intimidating odds. In the movie, however, the ending showed that the hero and his group had, of course made all the wrong decisions. Had they stayed put, they would have done fine, been rescued, and lived happily ever after- or at least as happily ever after as you could in such a situation.
  The movie lost the feeling for individual achievement and integrity that are such a large part of Kings' stories. The movie ending was, depending on your viewpoint; twisted, tragic, aggrivating, inconsistent, cruel, heartbreaking, unnecessary, etc.
  
  Words I didn't hear anyone outside the theater apply to the ending? Good or Great. I can't explain better than that. Maybe there will be one of the famous "alternate endings" on the DVD. I sure hope so. The rest of the movie really deserves it.
  
  
• Cheap Shot!
  By A3BEZMGX29I6W on 2008-03-26
  I often read the reviews on Amazon when I am unfamiliar with a product, cd or dvd and I want to get a consensus of how good it is. I've never felt compelled to write one myself until now.
  
  SPOILER ALERT-stop reading now if you don't want to know the ending!
  
  The Mist was a great movie and followed the book pretty faithfully up until the unbelievably horrible re-working of the ending. I won't go into much detail about the movie. Suffice it to say that it was brilliantly shot, acted very well and pretty much looked exactly like I've pictured it since I first read it nearly 20 years ago. It was such a great job and SK movies are usually pretty bad.
  
  The change on the ending completely alters what the original story was about. I listened to the commentary and evidently King liked the new ending. The book version ends with the line "The other is hope." The movie ends with a father shooting his son(to protect him from the monsters) literally minutes before the army drives up to the rescue. The father lives to no doubt be tortured for the rest of his life by what he's done.
  
  My problem isn't necessarily with what the father does. It's hinted at in the book that it could come to this, but making him survive is just cruel. I think seeing his wife's body strung up by giant spiders and having to kill his son would've been plenty to put this guy through.
  
  It's a bad joke and an example of shock for shock's sake. If there was no written story of this prior to the movie, I'd have been slightly more okay with the ending. I loved the Departed and No Country For Old Men, two movies where there is no happy ending. This ending was a complete reworking of one of King's best stories.
  
  The book version is about survival and HOPE. The human spirit's will to survive and that there is another opportunity tomorrow, however slim the odds. The movie ends up being about a guy having his existence completely tortured so that a director can have a provocative ending.
  
  The book ending would have been a great movie ending. It certainly wouldn't have been a "Hollywood" ending. It's pretty clear that the odds are stacked against them and that survival is a fool's hope at best, but that leaves it up to us to figure what happens... or not. I've never decided for myself whether or not they survive, but I never thought that they all die minutes before the army arrives.
  
  That's the other thing that the director screwed up. The army shouldn't arrive at all. It makes for a better story that this thing that has happened is beyond the capability of an army to fix. At least during the movie anyway. Maybe mankind gets the upper hand eventually, but I don't think we need to see it happening.
  
  This director really screwed up an otherwise excellent effort. What a shame! I will always consider the book ending to be the real ending. I don't care what King says as he is much better at writing stories than he is at bringing them to the big screen.
  
  CHEAP SHOT!
  
  
• Typical formula that borders on propaganda
  By A2HG6LSZHWJR8D on 2008-04-07
  I found the movie off to a good start that quickly melted into stereotypical movies that Hollywood churns out in droves in the hopes we don't notice.
  
  A black man is seen as a protagonist, and then goes out under the guise of "educated bravado" to be killed with his group that consists of many of the black extras seen in the movie. Why didn't any black people make it to the final minutes of the movie? Hmmm. I think I know.
  
  Mrs. Cormody is a typical Hollywood canned intolerant Christian who curses a filthy streak and then claims to be a messenger of God. Sorry, seen this one too many times. The only reason anyone would say this performance is riveting would be because it aligned with they're prejudice. If 85% of Americans are Christians, why can't Hollywood get it right?
  
  The military is portrayed as they have been in many recent movies, negatively. Oops, what a surprise! And then as cowards. Fortunately, by the end of the movie this was set to rights. Go, Troops!
  
  The little guy, though he is brave and determined, still gets it in a way that shows through exaggeration that he is small. He deserved better.
  
  The child actor was wonderful and was the true standout performance. His father attempt to protect him against overwhelming odds was what appealed to me to finish watching this formula to the end, and as it turned out, nothing new under the sun!
  
  This was not intended as a family movie, got it! But I can't help feeling that I spent two hours with a curmudgeon who only complained about how bad the world was. Thank goodness this is not reality!
  
  Oh, yes, there were suspenseful moments, but generally, it was overshadowed by stereotypes and indoctrination.
  
  
  
• Why Re-write The Classic
  By A2NSEHGMUSE2U2 on 2007-11-25
  Stephen King's The Mist was probably the most requested story-to-film project of all of King's books and stories, so says his publicist. No one could've been more excited about this picture finally being made than I, an avid fan of King's novels and short stories since his beginning. I believe that a lot of fans breathed a sigh of "finally" when they heard the project was under way. And Frank Darabont has had a decent track record with King movies, if a short track for sure. Still, they had a great ensemble cast, lead by Thomas Jane, and with cgi in full swing these days, this film had the potential of becoming a modern day science-fiction classic, in the same way that B-films like "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", and "The Quatermass X-periment" have become undeniable classics over the years.
  
  I asked my teenage daughter to go with me, for she too is a Stephen King fan, and I knew we were going to see something special. About halfway through the film, I was marveling at how Darabont had gotten it down right, how good it felt, dark and frightening, otherwordly and atmospheric. I knew the story, I'd read it so many times, because I frankly love this sci-fi/horror adventure, like I love Bradbury's Fahrenheit-451, or John Cambell's "Who Goes There", so I knew there were no surprises that a fifteen year old shouldn't see. I was enjoying myself so much, that I was already planning to ask other people to go to it, just so I had an excuse to see it again. And even acknowledged that I'd be buying this movie on DVD as soon as it was available.
  
  And then when it happened in the last seven minutes of the film, when all the preceding story was mocked and destroyed in a kind of low-blow, cosmic joke, in which the main characters all decided to act against character, to step out of the classic story arc, and destroy a wonderfully paced film by turning it into a cynical existencial joke on mankind, I kept thinking, 'No way, they are not going to do this. They can't.' But they did, and I sat there stunned, muttering, "I can't believe they did this. They've ruined it." I'd waited all these years, since I first read the novella in 1983, for this film, and they ruined it. My daughter looked at me and said exactly what I was thinking, "I thought he would wake up and it would be a nightmare, but he didn't".
  
  I won't spoil the ending for you, because it can't be spoiled any more so than watching does on its own. If you want to know before you go to see the film, it's all over the place now, written in movie reviews and on blogs.
  
  I've read many comments from film goers that liked or 'loved' the new twist ending, but my feeling is they never read or appriciated the original story. There are just as many, and maybe a little bit more, of us who absolutely hated the ending. And we know it's because that's not how it ended in the novella. We know that David Drayton's character would not have ended the story that way. There just is absolutely no indication that he had that character attribute at any time in the preceding story. Not one hint. You just don't do that in good story-telling.
  
  I read somewhere that Darabont sent that change in the script to Stephen King and he said something like, "I wish I'd thought of that ending". I can tell you that it is my experience that fiction editors do not like dark, cynical endings unless they are hinted at in the preceding story, and if King had written The Mist with the ending that is now in the film version forever, The Mist in novella form would most likely never have seen print. I kind of wish it hadn't now, then I wouldn't have wanted a film version so badly. In any case, I went from wanting to see The Mist again and again, and to wanting to buy the DVD, to never wanting to see the movie again. What a drag.
  
  
• HORRIBLE ENDING
  By A3B57R9SERR6UY on 2008-03-26
  This is one of my favorite Stephen King stories and I was excited that it finally came to the screen. I must address the ending because that's what you leave the theatre with. It's not King's ending and there's nothing wrong with that. However, the ending was gratuitously mean and dark and totally out of character with the rest of the movie. It's a Saturday matinee monster popcorn movie (it aint gonna be mentioned alongside The Godfather) with a little religious fervor thrown in. It's NOT the kind of the movie that ends with a father putting a bullet in his son's head and then minutes later having the cavalry show up. The ending was cruel, mean-spirited and unearned and that's why it was a complete flop at the box office. People left with a bad taste in their mouth (I saw it opening night and the ENTIRE audience booed) and people told their friends to avoid it. What a waste.
  
  
• Why can't there be less than one star?
  By AYBUBJKVTM35B on 2008-03-27
  Despite cool visualization for the creatures, this has to be the worst movie that I have ever seen. One could try to say that this was a story of "what would you do in a situation like this?", but that explaination is hardly plausable. No character reacted smartly or realistcally, even Thomas Jane's character is not excused. Also, I am really tired of Hollywood portraying belief in God as something meant for extremists and radical zealots. I'm also no fan of twisting the Bible to fit the storyline. The characters and dialogue moved at a snail's pace. Two hours was way too long to sit through a movie with an ending like that. The omninous "MIST" dissapates in seconds? The giant creatures taken down so simply? It all just doesn't add up. Either the screen writer changed some things or Stephen King has definitely lost something. As you can guess...I will never recommend this movie to anyone.
  
  
• Watch out for The Mist!...................
  By APCHVFMSQZVY4 on 2008-04-03
  The Mist is the latest film adaptation from Stephen King's short story, the film was directed by Frank Darabont who is such a fantastic director having done such great films like The Shawshunk Redemption and The Green Mile he would have obviously been the perfect choice for another Stephen King adaptation so I wasn't disappointed and this film turned out to be quite impressive. Taken from his 1985 collection Skeleton Crew the story held a simple premise one that we've seen before in many horror films but the film adds enough great characterization and thrills to make it work, its something that Darabont manages to bring to the screen perfectly with standout performances from Thomas Jane and Marcia Gay Harden as well as the other cast who do a great job. The only problem is that the ending was quite sad and depressing and was certainly different, it seems like alot of people were complaining about the ending which I could understand why but I don't think it changed my enjoyment of this film I mean sure it was a bad ending but I can think of endings of other movies that are much worse.
  
  The story's about David Drayton played by Thomas Jane an artist who is hired by various companies to paint movie posters (check out 'The Thing' poster in the background nice!). Hes living a quite life along the coast with his wife and young son but all that is about to change when a huge storm rolls in damaging massive amounts of property as well as covering the area in a thick fog, so Drayton decides to head into town with his neighbor Brent Norton (Andre Braugher) and his son to get some supplies from the local supermarket.
  
  Brent Norton and David Drayton obviously don't like each other but soon become good friends, as soon as they arrive at the supermarket they realise that half the town is there to stock up on supplies but its immediately clear that something really bad is about to happen. A bleeding man comes out of the incoming mist screaming about how some creatures came out and took another guy, so the town's people decide to lock all the doors and barricade themselves inside the supermarket. As soon as the mist rolled in we get to see some stunning visuals and is quite spectacular, I think that the special fx were excellent. They used both make up fx and animatronics mixed with CGI which perfectly compliments the action, there were all kinds of creatures that attack the people inside the supermarket from huge tentacle beasts to flying creatures and other weird stuff. There was some gore and a few bloody scenes but it wasn't a total gorefest which is a good thing cause it probably wouldn't have worked and some people would have complained. The film wasn't just about more than a bunch of terrified and frightened people defending they're supermarket trapped in from monsters which happen to appear along with the mist, its also about struggling and how someone can handle this kind of extreme situation and how the human mind can cope with stress, some people who couldn't handle this situation would either get killed or find an easier way out and try to survive by trying to escape while others try to defend themselves by using weapons to fight these creatures. The group of people are obviously not going to get along with each other and this creates some conflicts within the group with some one always disagreeing with another person and then some fights happen.
  
  This film was quite original and had some great moments in it that were dark and creepy as well as having an intelligent script instead of being a typical and dumb hollywood movie, O.K. so maybe some parts were corny and CGI is not that scary and can be abit laughable some times but still it was a good and enjoyable film. There is also a nutty religious woman brilliantly played by Marcia Gay Harden who believes that the horrifying attacks are a sign from god and her constant preaching which was a bit annoying soon convinces some people that she might be right as they soon form they're own cult, this obviously turns into total chaos and insanity. Just as you think that things couldn't get any worse the few remaining survivors have a difficult decision that might be the only way out, this shocking ending is obviously not going to appeal to some viewers but still I thought it was a very good and entertaining film. It's got some suspense, thrills, good special fx and some seriously freaky psychological stuff and the music was quite good too, the only problem I had with the film was that ending if it was different then maybe I would have liked it even better but overall I definitely recommend this to horror fans its worth watching and I consider it to be one of Stephen King's better films, its like an old school sci/fi monster film done with modern filmmaking thats the best way I would describe it.
  
  
• Beware If You Hate Bad Endings
  By A3ARQ5AWQ3U3PZ on 2007-11-24
  For the first 2 hours or so, The Mist is a decent movie. Then comes one of the most shocking, depressing, and frustrating endings in a long time. It ranks right up there with the conclusion of Arlington Road, if not worse. I don't expect every movie I see to have a happy ending. Sometimes a downer ending, when done right, works very well (3:10 to Yuma comes to mind). The ending of The Mist is stupid and makes no sense at all, serving only to annoy the viewer. If you thought the end of Storm of the Century was disappointing, you ain't seen nothing yet. Again, stay away from this movie if you can't stand to have your time wasted and intelligence insulted.
  
  
• One I Wish I'd Have "Mist"
  By A6J7UPYUI96XO on 2007-11-27
  This movie is a poor attempt by Frank Darabont to comment on faith in humanity, religion, and sociology. At times it is painful to watch the poor character development (Andre Braugher's character is so underdeveloped as gifted an actor as he is he can not hide the fact that he is stretching credibility here) with no history given on the characters, particularly Mrs. Carmody. There are some great moments, but the Green Mile this is not. Characters are introduced that seemingly have nothing to do with the plot, the 'aliens' look fake, and the whole idea that a store glass window would protect people from a monster is absurd to a fault. I would compare this unfavorably to 'Storm of the Century,' which is an underrated gem of a film and book, especially when compared to this one. The ending is not only dark, dreadful, and unlikely, it is just plain bad. Bad writing, bad script. Between "the Mist" and "The Fog" and all the natural disaster films of the last decade I have had enough to last five lifetimes. This movie was painful to watch and several people walked out in the middle of the film. It is really a poor film, redeemed only by sparse humorous moments, and many of those were not even intended to be humorous.
  
  
• A solid fright flick with some major shortcomings
  By A3AAK33K3BUUTM on 2008-01-09
  "The Mist" is the latest Stephen King adaptation to hit the big screen and I have to say it is one of the better recent attempts. The monsters are cool, particularly the ones you never really get to see (more on that later), and the characters make up your usual bunch of hateful idiots, hapless victims, and relatable protagonists. And then there's the ever-popular religious zealot; every town has at least one, but what happens when all hell breaks loose and people start believing them? Now THAT is scarier than any monster! The story is classic King through-and-through with splashes of George Romero (Night of the Living Dead and the like) and an awful ending that will baffle you in it's sudden abandonment of any and all logic in an attempt to be dark and ironic. There's much good, but there's some major bad in there that soured the brew for me.
  
  As the mysterious mist rolls over the small town and shoppers are trapped in the store, the tension builds exceptionally well. As usual, it doesn't take long for the masses to begin to fragment into opposing factions: the obnoxiously intellectual pig-headed sorts who refuse to admit that anything is wrong, the rednecks (gotta have the rednecks!), the aforementioned religious fanatics assuring us that the End of Days has come, and the sensible folk who keep their heads about them and take it as it comes. Not so many of them it turns out. There is a satisfying amount of mystery about what exactly is in the mist and that tension works well, but once night falls and the beasties arrive in force, it's mostly gung-ho from there. The monsters themselves are creepy and otherworldy enough, but -like I said before- the ones that really worked for me are the ones you never get a clear shot of. It's been said over and over again that less is more, but with the advent of CG, filmmakers tend to forget that.
  
  Like Romero's classics, this isn't really a film about man versus monsters; it's about man versus man. No matter the situation, humans will always be petty, selfish, and ultimately violent creatures in need of control. Like Lord of the Flies and many others before and since, "The Mist" assures us that civility will only last so long we are surrounded by civilization. As one character infers: turn off the lights, take away life's little necessities, put some people in an enclosed space, then scare them and you've got a recipe for violent insanity. It's been said through film over and over, but that message always rises above the happy-ending, everybody sticks together, sugar-coated garbage that is so often rammed down our throats by Hollywood. This is probably the film's best quality once the mysteries are exposed.
  
  "The Mist" is a good film that settles in as a solid Stephen King adaptation that is diminished by a few bad decisions. The worst decision of all is the changing of the original ending which was left open to audience interpretation in the novella. That's what brings this otherwise solid fright flick down more than anything: a lazy, poorly thought out "eff you" to the audience that is supposed to bring closure, but only manages to abandon all logic and make the entire film seem less good than it is. Why, oh why do so many horror films stumble in the final act trying to be cute with the ending, especially when a workable finale reminiscent of "The Thing" was present in the source material? As it stands I rate it 3 1/2 stars, rounded down for making me leave the theater depressed that this had happened yet again.
  
  
• This movie could have been a 5+++++
  By A2Q6ILJ2R3X4W6 on 2008-04-09
  This could have been one of the greats. The story is suspenseful and atmospheric and the action is wonderful. Some of the characters actions are debatable, but this is a fantasy movie, don't look too much into them. However, the movie only gets 1 star because the ENDING SUCKED!!!!!!!!!! The whole movie followed King's short novella perfectly until the Jackass 'powers that be' changed the ending and ruined everything. The whole movie was exactly like the book except for that. Please watch the 1st 90% of the movie, save yourself anguish and turn it off, and then read the novella.
  
  
• It Takes A Lot To Scare Me..."The Mist" TERRIFIED Me!
  By A199SWIHX0F1IO on 2007-12-25
  I am beginning my overall review by saying that yes, the monsters are scary as hell, but the people trapped in the supermarket by the monsters are even scarier. A religious nut, Mrs. Carmody (Marcia Gay Harden) persuades the unfortuneate trapped people that the mist is an act of god, and they basically go absolutely crazy, paying sacrifices.
  
  The scariest scene is when the brain-washed religious people are attacking Amanda (Laurie Holden) and the young boy (Nathan Gamble). It is so terrifying and incredibly scary and gut-wrenchingly sad at the same time.
  
  The effects are so great and scary. The monsters are wonderfully terrifying, and the scenes with the monsters are really scary, especially in the back of the store in the loading dock. It is so terrifying, and you will be on the edge of your seat, screaming in terror the entire time.
  
  What I loved most about this movie is that there were so many terrifying scenes that I actually didn't believe that there could be that many in a single horror flick. It was really great and scary, and they were actually really, really terrifying.
  
  Along with horror and bloody brilliant scenes, there are humurous scenes, like when an old woman, Irene (Frances Sternhagen) combines bug spray and fire to kill a horde of spiders. It's brilliant and very, very humurous in so many aspects.
  
  The only (yes, ONLY) flaw with this movie is that the ending was terrible. It was unexpected, didn't explain anything, yet it was so heart-breakingly sad at the same time. It basically left you hanging, and still had you guessing, which is what should happen during the movie, not in the final scene.
  
  Otherwise, Stephen King's The Mist is a terrifying, edge-of-your-seat thrill ride that will leave you thrilled, terrified, shocked and engaged throughout the entire time. It is a must-see movie, and is easily the scariest movie of 2007 so far.
  
  
• Worst ending ever!
  By A11SPSEM08VIXX on 2008-03-25
  This was one of the worst endings ever in cinema. Also as a parent I can say it was unrealistic beyond belief. Any normal parent, no matter what the circumstances, would never do what that guy did. NEVER! I'd have sat and played tick tac toe with my son and died of dehydration in that car.
  
  open ended is fine. This ending however was one of the worst in cinema history. Downer endings need to be done so that the viewer is still left feeling satisfied. Usually protagonist characters are sacrificed in a way that lets the viewer feel it was justified under the circumstances. Even in "The Thing", which I can tell from the lame use of the poster in the beginning, that this film hopes to align itself with, the two characters are still alive when the film ends. Speculation can occur with us the viewers as to what happened after the credits roll. SPOILER ALTERT!!! STOP READING!!!!! Killing your own son is nonsense. I am a father with a boy right about the age of the boy in the film. I would have sat in that car till I dehydrated with my son. There is no way any normal parent, which they made this guy out to be, would ever do that. Also it was in contradiction to what they had showed us all along. No matter how wild a film it has to at least adhere to the rules it sets up for us as we watch it. The film showed us a caring father,and no caring parent would ever do what this guy did. I don't care what horrible death from some beast from another dimension might be awaiting us. A parents job on this planet is not to take the life of their children. Anyone who enjoyed this ending must not be a parent yet. And if you are a parent and you did like this ending, God help you.
  
  Also: I can not believe this film was made by the same guy who did Shawshank and Green Mile. Those films have the most satisfying endings ever and this film has one of the least satisfying ending ever. I'm actually dumfounded. It's like he went nuts and wants to ruin his career. Scratch him from directors who's careers I will follow carefully.
  
  
• ABANDON SUPERMARKET
  By A234H4HFNHIOHM on 2008-03-27
  This film vaguely reminded me of the 1957 production "Abandon Ship" with Tyrone Power. Totally different locale and genre, but still a character study of people in distress.
  The irony is that the ending was changed from the original story by Stephen King.
  Not good.
  You don't put the audience through 2 hours of suspense and end it all with pure drek. Unless, of course, you wish to emulate a Hitchcockian twist which in this case is severely lacking in style and format.
  Sir Alfred had a knack of dividing the good guys and the bad guys
  with "just dues" set accordingly.
  Sorry, this is a waste of time.
  
  
• People Behaving Like ... Idiots
  By A3QJU4FEN8PQSZ on 2008-03-27
  Tried to like it, but this movie lost me pretty early on with a totally unrealistic scenario. The townsfolk are trapped in a supermarket, with some unknown killer mist outside. One woman wants to go out to find her kids who she left at home. Others respond that the mist might be poison gas. She self-righteously asks if anyone will escort her. The men silently refuse - and the film makes it clear that they're to be ashamed of themselves!
  
  Not only that, THEY LET HER OPEN THE DOOR AND LEAVE! That's right, she might be dooming them all to poison gas, but not only is she "the good mother" in this movie, they don't even try to stop her from possibly killing them all! Now that's not normal human behavior.
  
  There are many other scenes that just don't make sense at all. Some men cut off a tentacle and later try to convince the others that there's a horrible monster outside ... without showing them the tentacle. Why not just BRING IT AND SHOW THEM? I was getting really annoyed by this time. And there are many other scenes where people just STAND STILL to be killed, rather than running away.
  
  There is the stereotypical religious (Christian, what else?) nut calling for human sacrifice and spewing vulgarities and hatred, but that's OK, because, you know, Christian viewers are not going to bomb your building or anything, so it's totally OK to offend them. And it's "brave" and "edgy", too. And everyone knows that's what they're really like, right? But Christophobes will be totally satisfied, if you know what I mean, wink wink. (There is a mention that she is "unstable", but the whole religious-people-are-scum aspect will make a big impression upon ignorant viewers.)
  
  The ending was somewhat disgusting (not visually, but logically). You could see it coming a mile off. Again, a scenario where people are not behaving like real people at all, just to score a cheap ... something.
  
  Most of the monster effects are neat, especially a behemoth near the end - a real H.P. Lovecraft vibe.
  
  
• Don't Waste Your Time
  By A1I52468BOU2LF on 2008-03-29
  "The Mist" has got to be one of the worst movies I have ever seen. Thank goodness we didn't pay to go see it in the theaters. My teenagers found the ending disturbing and we were horrified. How a father shooting his own son and then getting rescued is a "fantastic plot twist" is beyond any scope of my imagination. Isn't there enough crud in the world without putting out trash like this?
  
  
• Buyer Beware
  By A38SO41CXP29V1 on 2008-03-30
  Please know what you are getting yourself into when you watch this movie. It has one the most horrific endings that I have ever seen in my life. I really wish I had known.
  
  
• I'll rate the DVD, not the movie--
  By A1J75JJ0Q2OEJN on 2008-03-28
  I get really sick of the reviews for DVDs on Amazon, because all I see are a lot of Roger Ebert wannabes posting their opinion of the movie as it was shown in theaters. Sometimes, it looks as if these people are dropping reviews all over Amazon in some vain hope that the New York Times editor-in-chief, in their search for the newest film critic, will browse Amazon and say, "Gosh! Look at that great review, right there! I want that person on my staff, pronto!"
  
  I digress. My point is that reviews here on Amazon have taken on a life outside of actually reviewing the product being offered, like this movie on DVD. A lot of us saw "The Mist" in theaters when it was released and there were scads of reviews offered at that time. Adding to those seems ridiculous, when the product at hand is a different thing altogether.
  
  A tip for my fellow DVD reviewers: People come here wanting to know about the DVD's quality, the extra features, the additional footage, and the alternate version on the disc. They don't come here wanting to know what all you mini-Eberts thought of the movie. Please, for the love of all things decent, review the DVD on the page, NOT the movie you saw in the theater!
  
  That being said, this is a nice DVD set and it offers quite a few reasons why you want to go with the 2-disc set over getting the cheaper 1-disc version. The primary bonus is getting the film that Frank Darabont wanted to release in the first place: A black-and-white version of the movie. This isn't just a "turned off the color" version, either, but a well-made, contrast-balanced, tweaked and specially designed for black-and-white version of the film. The effect this has on the movie is astounding. The monsters are more frightening- Probably because you really can't tell they're CGI when they're not in color. Something about computer color makes CGI look "more fake" than it is, and this version of the movie makes a strong argument for releasing more CGI effects-heavy movies in black-and-white. Perhaps if "I Am Legend" had been designed for black-and-white, it wouldn't have ended up with such cheesy-looking monsters.
  
  The quality of the DVD is excellent. Both versions of the film look great when upscaled for HDTVs, and they hold up well in the absence of a Blu-Ray or other HD version. The special features are pretty standard fare, but they're done well if you're into that sort of thing. The "controversial" ending (which I loved) remains intact, and I applaud them for not wimping out. Not all movies need to be happy-happy at the end.
  
  All in all, if you liked it in the theater, then this is the (current) definitive version to own on DVD. If you haven't seen it yet, and you're not one of those losers who "won't watch black-and-white movies", then I recommend watching the black-and-white version of this FIRST. It's what the director wanted in the first place, and the studio talked him out of it, but it really does make the movie all the more frightening and effective.
  
  
• Not even worth one star
  By A1YHT70SEZ56L8 on 2008-04-06
  This movie is sick! The ending still makes my stomach and whole body churn! What ever you do, dont watch this! If you do, you can't say you have not been warned! I do have other comments, but why waste more of my time? I already wasted plenty watching this movie.
  
  

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