Thomas Jane stars as David – a movie poster artist, husband and father living in Maine when a storm hits his small lakeside town.  After a scary night, most of the townsfolk head to the local supermarket to pick up the supplies they will need to repair their homes as well as stock up on food ruined when the electricity went out.  However, a strange mist (a.k.a. Stephen King's The Mist) slowly is rolling down from the mountains, where the local military base is located, and it brings something so frightening everyone in the store starts to react as if the end is near.  With nowhere else to go, they board themselves up in the supermarket and try to figure out what to do.   

What is in the mist (a.k.a. Stephen King's The Mist)?  Can the people of this small town survive? 

When the action is rocking, The Mist (a.k.a. Stephen King's The Mist) is an interesting and sometimes thrilling movie.  However, writer/director Frank Darabont (based on the novella by Stephen King) needs to punch up the dialogue. 

I like what he has done to bring King’s characters to life with each one representing some sort of segment of the society – the local Ollie (Toby Jones), the outsider from the big city Norton (Andre Braugher), the religious zealot Mrs. Carmody (Marcia Gay Harden) and more.  Each one makes their case for what needs to be done based on their own perspective, which helps build some tension between the group of survivors, but needs to be better written to go from OK or mediocre to compelling. 

Darabont sometimes gives us too much talking without much meaning behind it all.  He stuffs The Mist (a.k.a. Stephen King's The Mist) with plenty of filler, takes a bit too long to get to the main plot and action, and provides an ending that I like very much, but takes a bit too long to get there as well.  It’s the ending that will determine if you love or hate The Mist (a.k.a. Stephen King's The Mist).    

Put me in the category of loving the ending.  A friend suggested to me Darabont and King gave us a Twilight Zone-type movie and ending, which I think makes The Mist (a.k.a. Stephen King's The Mist) more challenging, interesting, different and memorable.  It’s one of the most daring endings I have seen all year, which wins Darabont and King plenty of points from me for courageously going against the grain.  

2 ½ Waffles (Out of 4)

The Mist (a.k.a. Stephen King's The Mist) is rated R for violence, terror and gore, and language. 

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