BOOKS 2 FILM >> The Mist
In 1985, when I was a 14, all I wanted for Christmas was Stephen King’s SKELETON CREW, then fresh in hardback. I got it, and the cold winter nights were perfect for reading “The Mist,” the eerie first of 22 stories in the collection.
But really, what were the Weinstein brothers thinking in realizing Frank Darabont’s THE MIST movie over Thanksgiving weekend? While it is mostly faithful to King’s original, 100ish-page story, its drastically different ending doesn’t exactly scream “holiday family motion-picture experience.”
Thomas Jane (THE PUNISHER) stars as David Drayton, an artist and all-around family man living the quiet life in coastal Maine until the night a freak storm tears the outdoors to hell. The next day, facing no electricity, he and his little boy head to town to pick up food and supplies at the Food House grocery store, leaving his wife back at the house.
Given the storm, the store is packed with people of all backgrounds, which will make for a real pressure cooker (mostly thanks to apocalyptic religious zealot Marcia Gay Harden) once the eerie fog envelopes the place and traps them inside. Despite attempts at escape, gooey tentacles and oversized insects from the mist thwart those desperate plans. But what’s really in there? And will anyone who sees live to tell?
It’s the third go-round for Darabont in King features, having written and directed THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION and THE GREEN MILE prior. Hey, at least this one gets out of prison … or does it? People trapped in a grocery store – may as well be San Quentin.
Although this film is faithful, there are differences, but they are mostly subtle; trimmed from King’s text are a lot of fiddling around with the radio and a scene in which Drayton cheats on his wife with the Amanda character, played by Laurie Holden (SILENT HILL).
And then there’s the biggest change of all: the ending. I won’t spoil it for you, but it brings to mind a point Jeffery Deaver made in the introduction to his TWISTED anthology: “Authors have a contract with their readers and I think too much of mine to have them invest their time, money and emotion in a full-length novel, only to leave them disappointed by a grim, cynical ending. With a thirty-page short story, however, all bets are off.”
True, this is a movie, not a book, but its extended running time makes it the equivalent of a novel. And it’s worth noting that King didn’t take the cynical route in his coda. Darabont, however, crosses the line. Up until that point, I was with it all the way — a suspenseful, purposely paced thriller that delivers some old-school, B-movie scares. —Rod Lott
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Rod,
I am with you there. I thoroughly enjoyed The Mist up until the ending. Even now, on the other side of it, intellectually, as a ‘Twilight Zone’ type of thing…I still don’t like it. Yeah, sure, the ending fit with the bulk of the film…but I still don’t like it. I’m a father. It made me sick. ‘Nuff said.
I absolutely *loved* the ending. And I thought it worked very well, considering the earlier dialogue between Thomas Jane’s character and his son.
Flash–I am glad I’m not the only one. I thought the ending was extremely appropriate and one of the best “shock” endings of all time. The deaths, caused by the utter lack of hope in a situation with no way out was realistically brave. When I saw the tank peer through the fog after the shots the wind was literally knocked out of me. It was emotionally effective.
I gotta side with Rod on this one. I was enjoying the hell out of the movie and the ending felt like a mean-spirited and cruel way out. Not only that… I just don’t buy it.
Chris, I disagree.
SPOILER ALERT!!!
Earlier in the film, David and his son have a conversation in what is one of the more powerful and well-acted scenes in a horror movie I can remember. His son makes David promise him not to let the monsters get him. He makes him make his “best promise.” Later in the car, as the gas is running out, they’ve obviously driven a long ways because the man in the back seat wakes up as the car stalls. I totally bought what happened next. I thought it was textbook option-lock done to perfection.
Scott Parker mentioned the ‘Twilight Zone’ and it reminded me that “The Mist” reminded me of one of my favorite episodes, called “Long Distance Call.” Only “LDC” was drastically dis-serviced, in my opinion, by its cheery ending. I thought it would have been much more powerful if the kid had died. He also said the ending of “The Mist” made him sick, to which I immediately thought, “mission accomplished!”
More SPOILER: Except that when Thomas Jane did what he did, he did so prematurely. The monsters weren’t coming; our protagonists were sitting in silence, just waiting, assuming an onslaught. I didn’t want a tidy, happy ending, but I didn’t want one dipped in nihilism, either. I admire the bravery there, but I think even Darabont knew he was crossing a line; note how he won’t show you the pretty lady or the cute kid, but the two old people? Fair game.
MORE SPOILER: Listen to the soundtrack. They were in danger. Whether the sound was the monsters or the army is irrelevant. If they sit there any longer, he’s risking breaking his “best promise” to his son. Maybe it’s just me, but the kid pulled off the earlier dialogue scene so well, it’s almost as if he knew a lesser-of-two-evils alternative might be in store.
Incidentally, I was 14 when the book came out, too. And guess who was with me when my parents took me to Quail Springs to buy it?
Argh, it just makes me angrier to think about it! At any rate, I think using that ending resulted in pissing away about $30 million. Otherwise, it would’ve been a nice word-of-mouth sleeper hit like 1408.
You’re right about that. Didn’t help that it came out, what, within a week of I AM LEGEND? I thought THE MIST was far superior, but the hype machine was definitely working for IAL.
Honestly, the ending wouldn’t have bothered me as much if it were in smaller scale movie (for example NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD.
But this was a mainstream Hollywood event type movie. I actually saw it on Thanksgiving and the audience was totally with it - you could feel it. But you could feel the hate for the movie as everybody filed out.
I appreciate the fact he was able to pull it off, but it’s not like THE MIST is SCHINDLER’S LIST or anything. It’s a giant monster bug movie. It’s set up to entertain and scare. I also thought the way they integrated the social commentary was great.
And while your points are good that the ending was set up, it still felt like a cheap fuck-you to the audience.
Man, I didn’t get that feel at all. And I thought it was a social commentary of a movie integrated with giant monster bug scares, not the other way around. Though certainly no SCHINDLER’S LIST as you said.
BTW it was you who was with me, Chris, when my parents bought me that one so long ago.
I, too, thought the end was a big, extended middle finger. It’s weird, but this is the first time I’ve ever been so offended by an ending (as far as I can remember). Normally, I’d be into that sort of thing.