7.5 | / 10 |
Users | 3.8 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 3.8 |
David Drayton and his young son Billy are among a large group of terrified townspeople trapped in a local grocery store by a strange, otherworldly mist. David is the first to realize that there are things lurking in the mist... deadly, horrifying things... creatures not of this world. Survival depends on everybody in the store pulling together... but is that possible, given human nature? As reason crumbles in the face of fear and panic, David begins to wonder what terrifies him more: the monsters in the mist — or the ones inside the store, the human kind, the people that until now had been his friends and neighbors?
Starring: Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Laurie Holden, Andre Braugher, Toby JonesHorror | 100% |
Thriller | 72% |
Sci-Fi | 9% |
Melodrama | 7% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English SDH, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Region free
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
It appears we may have a problem of some magnitude here.
The Mist works on several levels to create a picture that represents the pinnacle of the
Horror genre, the most obvious level of success
the film achieves being its ambiguous nature. We learn more about the film's title matter and its
effects throughout the movie, and the idea behind it isn't all that new (but it is a little-tapped
concept that definitely needs more exploration in the future, and hopefully in movies that come
close to the quality of The Mist), but we never learn independently from the characters
what it is that we are to fear.
Instead, we the audience become something of a background character, an involved bystander in
the film, and are privy to not one ounce of
information the characters don't know, and we're genuinely shocked, saddened, and frustrated
several times throughout the movie, again as if we had a life and death stake in the story and
were
experiencing the events of the film first-hand with the characters who, always in the forefront,
were possessed of the nerve, the raw courage, to explore the unknown environment created by
the mist. Second, the originality of the
film goes undisputed. No doubt, viewers can see elements of other Horror movies scattered
throughout the film, from Invasion of the Body Snatchers to Aliens, and fans
might even see a few shots that may remind them of one of this film's contemporaries, Cloverfield, but under
the expert craftsmanship of director Frank Darabont (The Shawshank
Redemption), the film is as fresh as any I've seen, particularly with regard to the Horror
genre. Third, The Mist benefits from an excellent cast of characters who don't act
-- they become you and me: average, everyday people who are as lost, scared, untrusting,
unsure,
and even sometimes as stupid as we might be in such a situation. The movie rarely feels scripted
and never feels forced. Instead, it exudes a natural, lifelike element that draws its audience in
and emotionally and psychologically invests them like few other pictures of this nature before it.
Shoppers at the Food House cannot believe that they missed the sale on Pepsi.
The Mist drifts onto Blu-ray with a very good 1080p, 1.85:1-framed transfer. This package features both a color version and a black and white version of the film. I'll begin with the color version. At the beginning of the film, colors are bright and maybe just a bit over-saturated with a minor red tint. It looks very clean, though, and offers viewers a vibrant, deep, and satisfying experience to start off the movie. Flesh tones creep up towards the red side, too, both during this opening segment and at other times throughout the movie. Once in the store, the transfer takes on a slightly more natural look. Colors are well-rendered, and there is a nice variety of objects to see in the store, from red boxes of crackers to the golden tint of vegetable oil in its large, clear containers. Detail is solid, too. There is no shortage of things to look at in the background, and even though the camera doesn't always focus on it, we can make out plenty of interesting objects and fine details that add to the realism of the movie. Black levels leave a bit to be desired, favoring a more dark gray or blue rather than true black, and grain is most visible in the film's darkest scenes, though it is definitely present over the whole of the image. Scenes featuring characters surrounded by the mist hold up well. I noted no problems in such scenes. The black and white version of the film also looks good. The image is crisp with nice detail and depth, a little more noticeable grain in some scenes, and deeper and truer blacks. The look of the mist itself translates very well to black and white imagery, creating greater drama, though viewing the film on back-to-back nights, some of the tension was reduced due to the film being so fresh in my mind. Still, this version looks great, and seeing that it is Frank Darabont's "preferred" version, I'd recommend watching the black and white first.
The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack accompanying The Mist sets a great tone and atmosphere for the film, but features a few annoying shortcomings. Fantastic ambience featuring a thunderstorm that envelopes the entire soundstage is heard to begin the movie, and the track moves on to the powerful sound of a tree crashing through a window with a thud from the subwoofer. Dialogue sounds a bit inconsistent and uneven at the beginning of the movie, coming across a bit processed and unnatural. The track does a first-rate job of creating a nice, realistic atmosphere, however, and a spooky one at that once we become ensnared in the mist. Listen to the scene near the beginning of the film when our characters are in line to check out in the store. Chatter fills the soundstage, and as emergency vehicles drive past outside, we hear them panning from left to right, seamlessly. The subwoofer also gets to work in chapter two as a strange force shakes the grocery store, although the sound does come off as rather weak in some of the action scenes. Not to give anything away, but an action sequence in chapter 10 is noticeably underplayed, and we hear two gunshots that sound more like a cap gun than the .38 or .357 rounds the revolver is firing. It's the great atmosphere of the track, as mentioned above, that makes this one a winner overall. It's not just the sounds of horror that make it so realistic, it's the way the track so precisely handles everything asked of it, from that distant dialogue heard in the store, to, yes, the more action-oriented sequences in the film. The Mist does not offer a perfect soundtrack, but aside from a few minor quibbles, it's fine.
In addition to containing two editions of the movie (color and black-and-white), The Mist
debuts on Blu-ray with a nice selection of additional extras. First up is a commentary track with
writer/director
Frank Darabont and producer Denise Huth (who appears only intermittently). The director delves
straight
into commenting on the film, speaking fast and to the point. He spends plenty of time discussing
how the film was created on a shoestring budget. He also discusses at length the methods he
employed to lend the film a documentary feel. There is some fascinating discussion about the
CGI effects,
in-camera effects, and
the creation of the mist. He also discusses the changes in the ending from the original Stephen
King novella and how it ties in with a few lines found in that work, Stephen King's approval of
the ending, and the influence of Rod Serling's "The Twilight Zone." This is an excellent
commentary
track, one that took four days to record, and should be required listening for anyone who
enjoyed this film.
Eight deleted and extended scenes (1080i, 14:47) with optional commentary with Frank
Darabont are included. A Conversation With Stephen King and Writer/Director Frank
Darabont (1080i, 12:17) is a nice piece featuring the director of the film and writer of the
story discussing the themes of the story, the ending, and more. It's generally a love-fest
between the two stars, but is worth checking out anyway. When Darkness Came: The
Making of the Mist (1080i, 37:27) is next. This is an in-depth piece that features plenty of
interviews with the cast and crew (and Stephen King), behind-the-scenes footage, and more.
The piece begins with Darabont reviewing his career and how he's come back to make The
Mist. Darabont recaps quite a bit of information here that we learned in the commentary,
but the visuals and behind-the-scenes footage lend a fresh edge to the information. There is also
plenty of discussion about the film's visual effects, set creation, casting, the cast discussing their
roles, and plenty more.
Taming the Beast: The Making of Scene 35 (1080i, 12:10) takes a closer look at the
making of the film's most action-packed and biggest sequence, and how Darabont was "making it
up as [he] went along." Monsters Among Us: A Look at the Creature FX (1080i, 12:44)
is next. By now, information is becoming superfluous, but this feature takes the basic
information we've heard already and fleshes it out nicely. The Horror of it All: The Visual FX
of 'The Mist' (1080i, 16:02) takes viewers behind-the-scenes of the special effects, the
contributions of CafeFX, how the effects were rendered and implemented into the film, and more.
Drew Struzan: An Appreciation of an Artist (1080i, 7:31) is a nice look at this artist who
has created some of the most famous movie posters of all time with special attention paid to his
contributions to The Mist. Three "webisodes" (1080i, 10:13) are included. These brief
pieces look at the making of three scenes -- Earthquake, Burn Man, and
Franny,
the Flamethrower. Concluding this set of special features are three trailers for the film,
presented in 1080i.
The Mist is a fantastic Horror movie with just the right combination of elements, not to mention directorial style, that make it a standout in the genre. The movie is bold in its ending and plays out with a different sort of dramatic flair that we don't see all that often in movies, and it comes across almost as unscripted and therefore very real. The throwback style of the film, hearkening back to some Monster Movie classics and featuring dialogue delivery in-line with such classics give the film a traditional feel in a world of contemporary cheap, uninteresting, and repetitious horror. Fans are even given the option, through this set, to experience the film in color or in Frank Darabont's preferred black and white version, which he calls his "director's cut." He had always envisioned shooting in black and white, and the inclusion of both versions is most welcome. Weinstein's Blu-ray release is a great one. Both the color and black and white version look good in high definition. The soundtrack features great atmospherics and imaging, but lacks punch in several scenes. The supplements are entertaining and informative, with the director's commentary being one of the better I've heard. The Mist is a different style of Horror movie than we're used to, and it's most refreshing; fantastically tense and bold in its direction, story, and ending. The Mist is highly recommended!
1982
2007
2007
2013
2002
2018
2001
2013
2018
[•REC]⁴: Apocalypse / [•REC]⁴: Apocalipsis
2014
2016
Collector's Edition
1985
2012
Original Unrated Cut
2005
2010
2004
Collector's Edition
1988
70th Anniversary
1953
2016
2000