The Mist

Amanda: "You don't have much faith in humanity, do you?"
David: "None whatsoever."
Amanda: "I can't accept that. People are basically good; decent. My god, David, we're a civilized society."
David: "Sure, as long as the machines are working and you can dial 911. But you take those things away, you throw people in the dark, you scare the shit out of them...no more rules."

release year: 2008
genre: horror/drama
viewing setting: home Bluray 10/29/16 and home DVD, 4/3/08

synopsis: A small New England town is overtaken by a thick mist, in which deadly monsters lurk; a bunch of people trapped in a supermarket must figure out what to do.

impressions: This was a pretty good adaptation of the novella. The focus of the plot is twofold: the real monsters in the mist, and the mental monster that hides inside some people and comes out when things get bad. I found it hard to believe that a certain character was allowed to live as long as she did. The monsters were good and spooky and dangerous, and the variety of trapped humans was realistic. I will say that the ending was different than the novella's and I wasn't happy with it.

something this movie has that no other movie has: A spidery monster so big that it doesn't even notice an SUV.

acting: Thomas Jane was the main hero; I only wish he had been in Punisher mode here. Marcia Gay Harden was the religious zealot who went way too far. A number of often-seen actors appeared here too, including Andre Braugher, Frances Sternhagen, Bill Sadler, and Brian Libby (the killer in 1982's Silent Rage.)

final word: Good adaptation, very entertaining.

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