DVD Mini Review - The Mist

The Mist is directed by Frank Darabont from a novella by Stephen King. I guess you could call it a horror film. I really had to think about whether or not I liked this film. I came to the conclusion that while I liked the film it is really a B movie - but a good one.

Thomas Jane plays David Drayton. He is an artist who lives in a small town in Maine with his wife and son. There is a ferocious storm in which a tree crashes into one of the windows of his house. After things appear to settle down he and his neighbor (Andre Braugher) and his son go to town to stock up on supplies. That is when some strange things start to happen. A mist envelops the area and people who go out into it die. Drayton is shopping in a supermarket when things start to get wild. He and everyone in there decide to stay put, at least for a while. That is all I will tell you about the plot. Jane is good in his role. Marcia Gay Harden is a terrific actress and at the beginning I thought that her portrayal of Mrs. Carmody was quite interesting. But as time on I found shrill as a religious fanatic who whipped most of the people in the store into a frenzy. The rest of the acting is okay but this is not an actor's film. Ronn Schmitt's cinematography is amazing. I must warn you that there are some very bloody scenes.

The Mist is good but it is not nearly as good as some of Darabont's other films (The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile). And it is not as good at The Twilight Zone.
But if you like intelligent horror films that might have a message (I've been toying with a few messages myself until I come up with the one that I think might actually be the right one) then you will like this film.