Before we get started let me make this clear, I’ve scrutinised all the links and they are spoiler free for the film itself although some links to other movies do have some reveals and are tagged as such. Anything less would require cinematic seppuko on my part.
Well, after my feeble attempts to rectify my public persona what do I do? Go and see another horror film of course. I’ve been waiting to see ‘The Mist‘ since last year and I think we’re lucky that it got a cinema release at all in Europe given its failure in the States – there was talk of it simply going straight to DVD such was its critical reception and poor box office takings. Wiser sense has prevailed due to its praise amongst the genre fan press on the web who have all reveled in the films winning combination of solid B-Movie monster genre trappings and a quite remarkable finale which has to be the most distressing and jaw dropping conclusion to any mainstream film I’ve seen since (Spoilers) Se7en.
The film is based on Stephen King’s short story of the same name and unfolds in his frequently utilised native Maine. After a brutal overnight storm David Drayton and his son Nathan make a trip into town to acquire some materials to repair their damaged home, leaving his wife to begin patching up the tumultuous damage. An ominous, unexplained mist swiftly envelops the town’s convenience store severing all communications with the authorities, with family, friends and the trappings of the outside world. It soon becomes apparent that the mist harbours a Lovecraftian coterie of terrifying creatures who mercilessly devour any souls foolish enough to abandon the fragile safety of the building. As the hours pass the tension and body count escalates, straining the veneer of civilised society as some of the more unhinged victims begin to speak of the end of days, a final Armageddon that has finally materialised upon the earth…
As the man says, civilisation is only three square meals from anarchy and barbarism. Director Frank Darabont wastes no time getting into things and augments the action and hostility throughout the films two hour running time, a duration quite unusual for what is essentially an old-school creature feature. There’s some able support from talent in the form of Toby Jones, Francis Sternhagen, a chilling Marcia Gay Harden as the movies fundamentalist troublemaker and most exciting for me, Homicide’s Lt. Pembleton who is always a strong presence.
I think its quite telling that someone who could deliver one of the most loved films in the past twenty years, with its final affirmation of (Spoiler) redemption and hope could turn and say something quite so spectacularly bleak and shocking. I read that Darabont was offered twice the money to do the film with an alternative ending but he stuck to his guns and you have to admire him for that. Treading carefully, it follows the short story 100% faithfully and I quite smugly thought I had worked out what was going to happen next when the film continued past the source material – boy was I wrong. It has all the requisite jumpy moments which are perfectly executed and even the criticised monster CGI wasn’t honestly that bad and fits the films B movie inspiration (there’s also talk of a Universal inspired black & white cut on the DVD) considering Darabont’s early pedigree. Shot on the fly with the same crew that Darabont employed for his recent ‘Shield‘ episodes the film is a very intelligent, contemporary horror picture with another incidental attack on the religious fundamentalists which like ‘Teeth’ blasts all the American horror genres recent tiresome ironic and ‘torture porn‘ pictures out of the water.
Finally, a couple of exciting pieces of film news. Firstly, missing reels of the incredible ‘Metropolis‘ have been unearthed in Brazil. This is a major, major find and will result in the full restoration of one of the indisputably most influential dozen or so films ever made, regardless of genre. Lang is one of my most admired old-school directors (this is probably my favorite film noir) and without ‘Metropolis‘ there would be no ‘Blade Runner’ let alone all the other cinema spectaculars made since 1927. Yes that’s 1927 for fucks sake – Outstanding.
Can you imagine my excitement at the prospect of a new Kubrick documentary, especially one made by long time Kubrick aficionado Jon Ronson who was one of the few journalists granted access to the Chidwickbury estate following Stan’s death in 1999? A rarity these days, Channel 4 have actually produced something worthwhile in the form of a season trailer emulating the making of ‘The Shining’ including very specific fan boy references not only to the film itself, but also the seminal ‘Making Of‘ documentary directed by his daughter Vivian which is the only historical evidence of the great man at work. Can’t wait.
