I often talk about
the "reality based"
viewer and the "imaginative"
viewer. I just want
to clear some things
up about this before
I talk about The Mist.
There are, in my opinion,
two kinds of movie audiences.
One of these groups
are the "grounded"
- people who do not
believe in the fantastic
and are extremely hard
to convince if the supernatural
or hyper natural exist.
These people, however,
will suspend their disbelief
when it comes to ghosts
and serial killers.
My opinion is that these
people need to believe
that things "could
happen" in order
for them to enjoy a
film.
The other group, "the
imaginative," go
along for the ride and
can completely suspend
their disbelief when
it comes to the supernatural
or the unnatural. It's
not to say that these
people believe that
monsters exist, but
that they see the possibility
of a world where strange
things can happen even
if there is no "proof"
in the real world.
So with that being said,
I think that The Mist
offers reality and supernatural
in just enough doses
for the "imaginative"
and the "grounded"
audiences alike.
This is one of the better
adaptations of a Stephen
King story that I have
seen in a long while:
The Shawshank Redemption
and The Green Mile (both
directed by The Mist
director Frank Darabont)
and The Shining (directed
by Stanly Kubrick) among
the best.
I find that Stephen
King movies fall into
three categories: successful,
sometimes classic (The
Green Mile, The Shawshank
Redemption, The Shining,
Carrie), made for TV
movies or series (Kingdom
Hospital, It, The Stand)
and complete and utter
failures regardless
of its medium (Thinner,
Needful Things).
The Mist, I think borders
on "successful"
and "made for TV."
The film is entertaining
and suspenseful, but
there are times when
I think that its big
screen intention was
a bit too ambitious.
I felt the same way
about 1408 by the way.
The films (both 1408
and The Mist) are well-made,
scary and full of character,
but don't seem as suited
to the big screen as
The Shining or The Green
Mile. Surround sound
and audience participation
are irreplaceable in
the enjoyment The Mist,
but watching it in the
comfort of your own
home would be just as
enjoyable.
I will say this, it
has been a long while
since I have witnessed
an audience cheer and
yell at the screen the
way the audience did
at The Mist.
There is one other thing
I need to mention over
and that is the third
act of the film. I suspect
that there will be a
40/60 division within
the audience. Forty
percent of the people
who enjoyed the film
will enjoy "all
of the film." The
other sixty percent
will enjoy the film
until the last act,
and then they will hate
it. I am one of the
forty percent who enjoyed
all of the film.
I think in a few years,
maybe ten, this film
will go down as one
of the classic Stephen
King adaptations. It
doesn't pull any punches
and because of that,
audiences will either
hate the film or love
it. The film mixes the
supernatural and the
realistic, allowing
every audience to have
a fair chance at horror.
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