4/5
After a terrible storm a small town gets a mist all around them, and something about the mist just isn’t right. That is the basic outline of The Mist, to tell you anymore is a crime. I think the best way to see this one is to know the least about it possible (Unless you’ve read the novella). I went into this not knowing much about it, just that it was a film by Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption), based on material by Stephen King and starring Thomas Jane. As the film unfolded I found myself really drawn into what was happening, the strange mist appearing. They wind up at a grocery store, with a cast of characters both of whom you’ll either be supporting or be really against (you have the likes of Marcia Gay Harden, William Sadler, Andre Braugher, Toby Jones and Laurie Holden to name a few). As you see what goes on with the actual mist, you wonder is that the really scary thing or is it how the people end up reacting in the grocery store. The acting in this is top notch, everyone turns in great performances, Thomas Jane was great, especially at the end (an ending which was both shocking and truly bleak), and Marcia Gay Harden was as crazy as ever. Toby Jones was great too, always a welcome addition. I’d actually have a hard time recommending this, you’ll either think it was great or hate it.
