Journal 1 The Mist

Link to Critic Review
“The Mist”, a Stephen King based movie, is a movie you shouldn’t miss. If you haven’t seen “The Mist” it is a horror film that captures both the emotions of the characters and viewers alike. What truly sets “The Mist” apart from other horror films is its style. The director, Frank Darabont, focuses more on the interaction between terrified customers than that between customer and monster. This in turn makes the movie become much more relatable and powerful. “The Mist” also shifted from real to surreal in a matter of minutes as what seemed to be an innocent and normal town was covered in terror. When the surreal then slowly became a reality to all the characters, they were all mentally and physically challenged to survive. In the end, what seemed to be a valid resolution turned out to be a crucial mistake.
According to the Rotten Tomatoes top critic James Berardinelli, “The Mist” far exceeded his expectations and he gave it a 3.5 out of a possible 4. For the most part I am in agreement with James on his review of the film, but I have a few disagreements. First off I will start with my disagreements of his critiques. James states that the most intense scenes occur when characters actually leave the somewhat safe supermarket and venture into the mist. Although I do agree that the scenes in which characters venture out into the mist are tense I do not agree that they are more intense than some of the human to human disputes within the store. For example, after the shoppers have separated into groups and blame starts to be distributed, the store becomes less of a sanctuary for everyone. I am also willing to argue on this point because multiple people were murdered by other customers in the store as the plot thickened and the story became more of a mental game for survival. Secondly, I disagree with James’s reasoning behind the special effects. In my opinion, to the average viewer, the special effects were flawless and very realistic. Every form of monster and wound was very believable and more shocking than I can remember in any other movie I have seen. My last disagreement with this critic is that he stated that the movie told us too much about the reasoning for the mist and creatures. I disagree with this because the movie wouldn’t have been the same had there been no one to blame for the whole ordeal. Also it is my personal preference to know as much information to connect the confusion and unknowns in movies.
On the other hand, I am in complete agreement with James’s film grade of 3.5, but as stated, for a couple different reasons. First off I agree with James’s point that the movie is extremely well done from a mental aspect. All the scenes are very chilling and you can really see fear within each character. I also agree with James’s opinion on the conclusion of the film when he stated, “Using ingredients supplied by King, the director brews a potent stew that concludes with a scene tinged with the most bitter irony imaginable.”( Berardinelli). The fact that the director chose to change Stephen King’s written version of the ending for his own makes the movie that much better. It also brings a huge element of surprise and the twist leads the movie away from a more traditional/predictable ending.

Berardinelli, James. "The Mist." A Film Review by James Berardinelli. 11 Feb, 2008. 27 Nov. 2007.