Stephen King.Love him or loathe him, you can't argue that he's one of the greatest authors of modern times.
The latest King novella to hit the big screen is 'The Mist', which featured in the 1980 short story collection 'Dark Forces', and it's an absolute cracker.
Here's the basic outline. A strange mist descends on a small lakeside town. Within the mist all manner of bizarre and lethal creatures live and they all would like a piece of the survivors who are holed up in the town's supermarket.
It's got everything you could ask for, a great cast of relatively unknown actors, excellent plot development, and a cracking good ending. Sure it has tons of CGI creatures, but they are almost incidental to the main story, the gradual psychological breakdown of the survivors in the store.
But . . .
It's bloody bleak.
Oh, it's dark alright. It exposes the horror that is humanity for all to see.
If you are suffering from post natal depression, if you have recently started self-harming, or if you are Chris Martin from Coldplay, DO NOT see this movie, it might just send you over the edge.
Me? I bloody loved it!
9/10
11 comments:
I'm making a film based roughly on the same plot. Its to be called "The Harr". It will not be as poofy as this film and will feature real horror like 1/ dripping vinegar into your eyeballs 2/ pulling your arse-hairs out one by one with tweezers 3/ drilling into your ear with a blunt drill very very slowly.
"The Mist" for poofs "The Harr" for real men!!
Reminds me of The Fog...
I remember this short story Inchy, and am looking forward to seeing it on the big screen. I am heartened by your rating for the movie as not every King adaptation for film in the past has been a good result.
By the way I have seen 'Wanted' now and enjoyed it.
Next up for after 'The Mist' is 'Dark Knight' and then 'Hellboy 2'
Jimmy - King films are a bit of a lottery. On the one hand you have The Shawshank Redemption, The Shining, and Stand By Me, and on the other hand you have some real shite like Sleepwalkers, The Lawnmower Man, and Maximum Overdrive (minus the AC/DC soundtrack of course).
It all boils down to how good an adaptation of his work the screenplay ends up being.
Next up is the new Woody Allen movie 'Cassandra's Dream' tomorrow night.
A lottery indeed. I'll go with your shite list and add in Graveyard Shift, considering it was a fantastic short story the movie adaptation stank more so than that horrid basement ever could. On top of your list of good King film adaptations I'd add The Dead Zone and Misery. By the way did you ever see 'The Stand' mini-series?
For some bizarre reason I never did.
The most powerful of books, it would be hard to put this down on film I'd have thought?
Enjoy the Woody Allen movie tomorrow night.
Why don't you find the time to watch the big lebowski? You've had it for long enough!
Inchy, I have ready everything that King has ever written, except for The Dark Tower series, (I want to read it all at once & Danse Macabre) and I LOVED this movie. I hadn't read the short story in years so that made it better I think, but WOW.
I don't review a lot (cause I don't go see a lot), but I actually reviewed it here.
http://leftleaninglady-mymusings.blogspot.com/2007/11/movie-review-mist.html.
Thanks for stopping by my blog.
I thought "The Stand" was pretty good overall, but for the horrible casting of Rob Lowe as a deaf/mute when he so obviously thought preparation for the role involved not speaking.
Haven't seen the Mist yet just because I'm a tight bastard who hates to spend $5 on 10c worth of diet coke and another $6 on 10c worth of popcorn. I'd rather spend the same cash on a good Chianti and watch in HD on my 60" tv at home.
Ron, Ron, Ron, you were doing SOOO well!
Movies are meant for the BIG screen. I know I sound like an anti-piracy advert, but it's true. TV is only good for things like TJ Hooker and Overhaulin'.
I enjoyed it too - especially that bleak ending. I reckon that's obviously why it bombed in the States.
The CGI tentacles were rubbish though... but the Lovecraftian creatures half-seen in the mist itself were very effective.
Seen this ages ago on DVD from the US, never thought it would get a UK cinema release otherwise I might have waited if I'd have known how brilliant it was going to be !! I'd give this 9/10
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