DVD Review- The Mist - Page 2

Great review Alex.

Don't understand the 'backlash' against King's writing myself. The man is a genius. Has he written some suspect material? Sure but look at his output and his batting average, quality-wise.

His latest book, Duma Key, rocks!

I'm about to watch this for the fifth time. After that, I need a hiatus.

I thought the movie was pretty flawless. The tentacle scene threw me off a bit; they could've done a lot better. But the rest of the film more than made up for it. Even my husband, who doesn't do any kind of horror/suspense (he fell asleep during No Country but that's a whole other issue) dug it.

You should divorce him immediately. Unless it's an issue of narcolepsy. In which case you should wait till he passes out and pin the divorce papers to his shirt.

That is pretty depressing.

Metacritic's comment section is a pretty impressive congregation of mental defects. Read the one for No Country For Old Men if you ever need to raise your blood pressure.

Executive transvestites choke me up too.
That is horseshit.*


*The metacritic score, not your comment.

Just blind-bought this last night...

Jesus Christ.

I think I'll watch it again tonight.

Watched the B&W version last night - holy shit it's gorgeous. The shot at the beginning when you see nothing but the storm on the lake and then the camera pulls back to reveal David and his family watching the whole thing while framing the window is absolutely breathtaking. Really, really great stuff.

Also, I watched some of the extras and I was fascinated by how the camera crew operated. Straight from the hip all the time. It's really amazing to watch those guys work, and I loved hearing Darabont go on an on like an excited little kid. It seems as though his work on this really rejuvenated his love of making movies. I think I'll be watching the commentary tonight.

Oh yes - and I little tribute to Struzan as well. How great is that?

Oh.. so the same feeling I got after reading the post-release thread for this

Some people I tells ya..

And right below that a link to

I think not.

So I decided to give my regular edition copy to my best friend, and I'm going to snag the nice SE this weekend. I can't wait to check it out in black and white. After watching it last night my best friend told me that afterwards he and his wife sat there for about 5 minutes ruminating, then both went and hugged their kids. Both of them were pissed, saddened, and understanding of what he did at the end.

I imagine everyone with kids that appreciated this movie felt some combination of the three at the end.

I wish Drayton had taken this one out while he was at it.

Edit:

Nevermind.

Is more accurate.

I know it's the internet (and metacritic.. *gag*), but I'm still suprised at how many people are just not getting this on any level. Worthless cliches from every terrible horror movie? Worst movie of ALL TIME? Give me a fucking break. Most cliched moron poster response of all time.

Finally done watching all the extras (except for the feature commentary) and I just have to say that sitting through these 2 discs has been one of those "falling in love with movies again" experiences. I liked the movie a lot when I first saw it, now I can safely say I love it, and to see Darabont and co. have as much fun behind the camera as I did watching the results was just a really great thing. I had a big ol' sloppy grin on my mug while this was in the DVD player. I was planning on watching A Lizard in a Woman's Skin this evening, but I think I'll throw in The Mist and listen to the commentary. I could listen to Darabont talk all day about this movie and movies in general.

Terrific review, Alex! Just curious, which was the specific 'holy fuck' moment you refer to? there were a few for me.

Great review, Alex. Picked up the 2 discer earlier, and watched the b&w version, as I had already seen it in the theater. It looked fantastic. Can't wait to watch it again with the commentary.

Got my 2 disc edition yesterday and watched it with my girlfriend.
She loved it until the last 10 minutes and actually got angry with me over the ending.
Great film, but I'll probably have to watch the b&w version all alone.

Watched it today again during work. Loving project close outs and the free time.

This movie is just so damn beautiful. Still not had a chance to watch the B&W yet.

You best get on that stat.

I'm watching it again tonight with my pops, going to try and convince him to watch the B&W. I think he'll go for it.

Got the 2 disc tonight and will be watching both versions back to back and if I have the will the commentary right after that. Take that movie nerds*!!

*I'm well aware of the irony.


EDITED TO ADD: "Welcome to Sesame Street; Today's word is "expiation."

Also I'm a little pissed at Frank Darabont for even making the suggestion he does about Marcia Gay Harden's character at the end of the commentary. Fuck you, Darabont, Fuck you right in the ass. Oh and Frank, thanks for the gut punch of a movie, I needed that.

The look on Sadler's face after he converts fucking killed me. God he's great.

I loved this movie, although I wouldn’t compare it to “The Thing” greatest of all horror movies ever made.

Plus I really disliked the ending.

It seemed way out of character to actually go threw all that, just to have that type of ending, outrageously ironic too.

The Thing on the other hand as one of the best ending, both Mac and Childs are dead no matter what, and who knows if one of them is a thing or if a thing just got away and froze out there, and there nothing either one can do but wait until the freeze to death.

Anyway, I loved Mist, but that ending just didn’t sit right with me, it actually made my stomach churn, maybe because I have a 4 year old and I really related, but man, I don’t know… well enough said without spoiling it too much.

Btw great review,

Cheers!

Not much to say about this movie that hasn't been said already. I fucking loved it. And the Black and White version is fantastic.

I love this movie. Unfortunately, my sister wants to get it for me for my birthday, so I'm without a black & white version to call my own.

Just watched it in black and white, and yeah, it was better. Some of the scenes stood out so much more in the eerie black and white. When they drove away from the supermarket in the near total whiteness, it was like hope was truly leaving that place. The black and white fit the mood of the movie better than color could. Now when I show it to people, i got to convince them to watch it in black and white.

Love Frank in those special features. He's as giddy as a school boy, and when just trots off into the mist at the end, I couldn't help but laugh.

"Hey, who's this asshole messing around with our tentacles?"

"That's the director."

Watched the B&W version last night and I agree, it's even better that way.
Andre Braugher is amazing in this, they could not have cast a better Norton.

Wow. I was pretty much blown away by this flick. Having never read the book, I was pretty well creeped out by the entire thing, clear up until the gut punch of an ending. It's been awhile since a horror movie has actually given me the willies too. Loved it for that alone.

It did start off a little shakey for me though. The performances seemed overally theaterical or made-for-TV. The dialogue and camera-work as well. After the tentacle incident the film took a turn for the better though. For the next hour and a half I couldn't tear myself away from the screen (I was up until about 1:30 on a worknight watching this and up until probably 3 just thinking about it).

Having a child of my own, I can't say whether I'd go to the extreme the Jane did in the end. Honestly, having gone through all they did, my Land Cruiser would have to be under attack to lose all hope (to the point of killing my kid, at least). Of course, who's to say what one would do in a situation like that.

All I know is that if the ending had been any different, if the tank would have rolled in a minute earlier with Jane's finger still on the trigger, I don't think I'd be freaking out over the movie like I am. Even if Jane would have gotten out of the car and been eaten by a bat-thing-from-hell or shot up by the military, I don't think it would have had the same gut-punching effect.

Just, wow. I think I'll be picking up the SE today so I can catch this in black and white.

Absolutely agree about the isolation factor and the comparisons to The Thing. Also there are many good or great performances, but Tom Jane grabbed me by the scruff and proved his worth. I knew he was competent but this is a performance of which he should be proud. And if the end doesn't make you cry, and scream a while...check your fucking pulse.

If you think of all the possiblities of how to end the story, Darabont picked the most chilling/shocking:

Happy ending: the tanks roll up before he pulls the trigger
Ironic ending: Jane does gets killed by monster, then tanks pull up
Chilling ending: The one Darabont wrote and filmed.

Found a nit-picky fault with the 2-disc. The commentary only runs over the color version on disc one. Boo.

I agree with a lot of what is being said but I didn't like the movie. I don't know if it was just because I didn't like the way things go down or if the acting was too over the top. I really wished I had been able to get a copy of the black and white version. What the fog is and what is in it was really awesome. I do love the short story-- which the version I have (re-issued right before the movie came out) has that booklet art. I really like Thomas Jane, but not in this. So much of what happens between the people was hard to believe. Having watched this back to back with 30 days of night ( a movie I felt had more in common with The Thing than The Mist), I thought the mist did too many things wrong when it came to the script and plot. I also didn't like the ending--which I know all those things don't really have much to do with the movie being bad. I just didn't like it. Still, some elements were cool. Religion is the most terrifying thing I can imagine.

is this one of those times I'll watch a film again and really enjoy it? I don't know...I can't believe some of the praise being heaped on it. The ending is chilling or tear inducing? I thought it was a little unbelievable that you would choose that fate without a little investigation or maybe 5 minutes of wait and see since you know so little about how far it has spread.

They drove for miles in it with no end in sight. After holing up for several days and seeing and hearing no sign whatsoever of the outside world or any containment efforts, I'd be feeling pretty resigned too.

Uh-oh. This debate again.

There really is a debate about this? People are dumb.

Sorry, generally I say "fine" if the ending doesn't work for you, but when people say things like "they know so little about how far it's spread" I feel it's just factually incorrect. They've been for days and miles without seeing anything, anything at all but mist, monsters, and death. I think it's a fundamental misreading of the text to say they should've had any hope for rescue at that point.

Stay out of the CHUD Main post-release thread if you're easily frustrated (unless you've already been there).

Not to defend those opinions, but (some) people really seem to be confused (or disbelief) over the quick "montage" ending. The audience didn't give up hope yet (it's only been 2 hours of their time prior to the climax, and they only got to witness a few minutes of the desperate exploration/escape), so why should the characters give up so quickly? Despite the fact that the characters in the finale were experiencing something that the audience had the condensed version of. Maybe the pacing (the supermarket situation and tension was repeatedly hammered home, but the escape wasn't for some)? Inability for the viewer to fill in the gaps? Certain people's need for terror (creature attacks) to trigger the desperate measures? It worked fine (more than fine... I was obliterated by the flick) for me personally. David seeing his wife was all he really needed to tip into darkness, and I can understand that. The deleted scene of the conversation with the woman who then pops the pills may have helped this percentage of the audience, as it clearly addresses David's concerns, doubts, and fears for his wife's safety and how he's dealing with it inside, below the surface.

Seeing as the idiots over here in England don't appear to be bothering to release this at our cinemas anytime soon I stumped up for the 2 Discer a couple of weeks ago... and I fucking love it!

I have watched this 3 times on my own and sat with my mates through it and also with my mother. I think it works better in the B/W version, looks fantastically fifties and also helps the CGI sit in the picture alot more effectively.

My flatmate really disliked the ending, like alot of people it seems, he would have been happier if the final drive at the end had seemed longer or for them to have actually been under attack when the decision is made to use the gun. My mum, like myself thought the ending made sense and was very powerful.

I think that along with David seeing his wife dead, it is the very fact that the final monster in the movie does not attack them that hammers home to them the hopelessness of their situation... that the giant tentacled behemoth that stomps over them fails to even acknowledge them is devestating in that it clearly indicates to them their place in this new world... they are now fodder, at the bottom of the food chain; easy pickings for most of the creatures and nothing more than ants or parasites to the giants.

My only problem was that after seeing that moment and understanding the choice David makes, although the ending packs a helluva punch, I suppose I liked the idea that there really was no hope and that the world was fully enveloped by the mist and these creatures... of course the ending works because it is truly tragic for the main character; he's made the wrong choice but in doing this it also gives Humankind a glimmer of hope... I guess I couldn't have my cake and eat it in that respect!

Still think this is one of the finest Horror films in recent memory and it has the rewatch quality that few films from any genre can boast... fucking criminal that it has no U.K. release as yet as I would love to see what our critics make of it.

I finally saw it in black & white, it goes without saying that I agree that it's the preferable way of seeing the movie.

Also, I just noticed something, I guess you could say is ironic or something. When they're going off to the pharmacy the butcher is one that gives Pvt. Jessup a knife, then he ends up stabbing him with said knife.

Damn, that's crazy. I'd imagine it had the potential to be a modest hit in the UK, both for the scares and the 9-11/Iraq subtext. Did 28 Weeks Later bomb in the UK? Maybe that's why. It's a shame, as seeing it in a cinema with people gasping in shock all around you... that was a unique experience. Still, glad you got so much out of it.

Blind bought it tonight (can't seem to get a copy from Netflix or Hollywood). Just as good as I was hoping for, though I think the ending may've worked better for me if I got a better sense of desperation. Up until that point everyone reacted so realistically to everything that the last action seemed very hasty. It's a great ending, especially for a throw back to the darker B-movies of the '50s and '60s, but it still felt like a hasty choice.

I just started working at a grocery store and they put me on aisle 2 tonight. I bent down and much to my surprise there was actually a bag of groceries there underneath the till. I just about pissed myself.

So regarding the ending and the hoopla over it being too quick a reaction. I agree, but also agree with Darkmite8... we did get a condensed version of the whole affair and how long they'd been driving for. Hell, they may have even come across a gas station or two. Maybe playing that out a little more would've helped the ending sit better. I still "love" it though.

Also, I've never read the book, but talking with a co-worker the other day he said the last word in the text was "hope". Awesome considering that the final chapter of the dvd is "Hopelessness".

I watched the b&w version w/ my wife and a couple of friends and while I dug it (and it made the performances seem less theatrical and the cgi less... cgi-y), I didn't find it quite as creepy or unsettling. Probably because it was my 2nd viewing. My wife and friends said the same of it though. I was creeped out the first time, them, not so much. Then again, I screened "Inside" as an appetizer. Probably not the best choice.

Watch out man. Watch out. And don't give up hope!

I really don't get this argument (I'm not singling you out, many feel like you do). Is it because most are used to the Spielberg way of holding the hand of the viewer the whole way?

Considering what Drayton as been through in the supermarket, then seeing is wife dead and then seeing no sign of life except some huge lovecraftian creature, his reaction is totally in sync with the film.

People who don't get this just don't get the film.

Sorry, I didn't read the whole thread before I posted. I still like the ending, I think it was the right ending, but something was missing for me in regaurds to haste. That is all.

The longer I think about the movie the more I like it.

Plus, they were hearing those sounds in the car. After you see a six legged behemoth stride across the road, and you start to hear noise coming from behind you. I don't think your first thought would be, hmmm must be the army.