The Mist (2007)

Score: 7/10

The movie is good throughout, but I just don’t like the ending. Let me start with the synopsis first. There is a small town located near a secret government project. Something is completely wrong with the project and soon the town is enveloped with mysterious mist.

David, a graphic artist played by Thomas Jane, and his son, Billy played by Nathan Gamble, are trapped in a grocery store with some town folks. People are unsure what to do because they also hear people are screaming from the mist. David and several people have witnessed a monster and they try to convey this message to others. Some do not believe and decide to leave the store and seek helps.

The remaining people decide to fortify the store and wait for help. They have to face various monsters attacking their fortification. The monsters are dangerous, but it is less dangerous than what a human being can do to others. One of the people, Mrs. Carmody played by Marcia Gay Harden, is a strong believer that the end of the world has come. She says that the monsters come from God’s wrath on human. People do not pay any attention to her in the beginning, but start believing as what she says seems to really happen.

The people are divided. The “believer” led by Mrs. Carmody and the “unbeliever” led by David. This division leads to conflicts between the two groups. This is an interesting aspect in the movie. You can observe how human acts under serious threats and it isn’t pretty. The movie delivers a message that human is a fragile being and it is easy to bring us to believe in something when the condition seems to be hopeless.

The acting from all casts is decent. Harden is captivating as Mrs. Carmody. It is very easy to hate her. Nathan Gamble is also worth to be mentioned as he performs greatly for such a young boy. You feel that you just want to hug and comfort him yourself in some scenes. There is nothing special about the CGI. Some of the monsters seem a bit unrealistic, the flying insects in particular.

Now let’s go back to my first sentence. The movie is intense throughout, but I feel the problem is at the end. The ending is indeed surprising, but I also cannot accept it as a reality. I cannot comprehend why after all the hard works that David has managed to do, he should do something like that to solve the last problem that he faces. It is disturbing, it means to be shocking, but for me it is just not believable. In general, it is still an entertaining horror movie.

Further information on the Mist is available on the following links:
- IMDB: The Mist
- The Mist Official Site

"Something is not good out there"