As Heard in the Film review by Clark Douglas: I’m a fan of director Frank Darabont. His adaptation of the Stephen King story ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ is one of the most beloved films of all time, frequently being mentioned in the same breath as ‘Casablanca’. Darabont turned to King again for his next film, ‘The Green Mile’, a moving drama with some good characters. Yet another Stephen King story is the basis for Darabont’s latest film, ‘The Mist′. Unlike the first two King stories, ‘The Mist′ is not an uplifting drama, but rather a straight-ahead horror story.
Based on a Stephen King novella and adapted for the screen by writer/director Frank Darabont (who has some experience with successful King adaptations), The Mist is the story of a small town that becomes shrouded in a mysterious and malevolent fog. The brunt of the film takes place in a claustrophobic grocery store (classic horror film convention) where a band of survivors barricade themselves in and (hopefully) out of harm’s way. Some doubters venture outside into the mist and are never heard from again. Some come back in pieces.
Yet, strangely enough Landscape in the Mist is not a film of visual contrasts. Most certainly not in terms of color use. On the contrary it very much feels as something Andrei Tarkovsky would direct. Gloomy, misty, almost hypnotic at times this is a story that pushes the viewer into a near state of lassitude. The only thing that keeps the senses aroused is the director’s striking gift to discover beauty where most would see boredom.
Star(s) to watch : Alexa Davalos (”The Chronicles of Riddick”) as Sally, & Thomas Jane (”The Punisher”, “Face/Off”, “Dreamcatcher”, “Original Sin”) as David Drayton.
Genre : Sci-Fi, Thriller, Adaptation.
Release date : November 21, 2007
Rating : 8/10
Official website : http://www.stephenking.com/
Poster : http://movies-update.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/the_mist-203𝗬.jpg
Trailer :
