CINEMA : THE MIST

2007

Cert: UK

Dir(s): Frank Darabont

Starring: Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Toby Jones

What You Need To Know: Evil mist arrives. Everyone goes ape-shit.

'The Mist' has taken it's time getting here. The film premiered in the US last Autumn and we've had to wait the best part of 8 months to see it on the big screen. Frank Darabont's latest Stephen King adaption is a radical departure from his last double wammy of 'The Shawshank Redemption' and 'The Green Mile'.

Tension and a sense of impending doom courses throughout the plot as things go from bad to worse. Darabont's creature flick takes a unique look at the tried and tested monster movie formula by considering the human characters as the real monsters of the piece. Having said this, 'The Mist' is a full on B-movie. The gruesome beasts terrorising our protaganists are made up of all the right ingredients to ensure they will both thrill and amaze the audience.

The film also benefits from some solid performances from the likes of Toby Jones and Marcia Gay Harden. The intense, pressure cooker atmosphere builds towards a climax that perhaps doesn't quite ring true. This, along with the unlikely actions of a number of characters throughout the film occasionally proves to be discordant with the over-all experience.

Conclusion

The Mist suffers from a massive step in the wrong direction but still manages to entertain and thrill in equal measure. Seek it out.

7