Cool News
A few reviews have creeped in from last night's AICN premiere of THE MIST!!!
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here. The screening Harry arranged last night was pretty great, despite some last minute location changes. I've debated whether or not I'm going to write a review myself. It's tricky territory. Many involved with this film are people I'd consider friends and I spent so much time on the set that I don't know if I feel good about writing a review.
I will say that I ended up really enjoying the movie (surprise surprise), but I'm a Stephen King fanboy. To such a great degree that I even dug into my 35mm collection and lent that great MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE trailer to the Alamo for their Stephen King trailer reel that unspooled before the feature.
So, as I continue my internal (to review or not to review) struggle, here are a few reactions from last night's screening. If you have no idea what King's THE MIST is about, then you are in for some minor spoilers, but nobody ruins anything big or new! Enjoy!
Use this if you want...
SOME SPOILERS BEWARE
I was lucky enough to snag a ticket to the World Premiere of “The Mist” at the Alamo Drafthouse, Lamar this evening, and I must say I was extremely impressed.
Frank and co. are sitting on a real gem. I am a huge King and Darabont fan, love Thomas Jane, but had never read the novella, so I wasn’t really too sure what to expect. I was also a bit leery about the creatures, fearing how well they would integrate into the story, and whether they would present something that is accurate to the tone of the film, and not indulgent in a bad FX sort of way. Truth be told, the quality of the writing and performance could have been dragged down by the creatures and CG quality, but thankfully that was not the case. The beasts were fantastically realized and quite original, and really felt like they could have come from some lost primal, Lovecraftian universe where our worst nightmares tread. There was a nice variety and originality to their designs and personalities that really made the film even scarier, rather than intruding on the excellent tone Frank created between set pieces. I am amazed at how much they did with so little. Great, design, very solid CGI.
The writing/directing is excellent, very Frank obviously, and the ending which I will not give away, is very true to the tone, and the characters. Standouts include obviously Thomas Jane who can frankly, do anything. Marcia Gay Harden is fucking scary as hell, and made me hate her with a passion, I seriously wanted to throw my fucking burger at the screen at her. Will Sadler has a nice role, and really just everyone did solid, quality work.
The Mist is a very well done film, one of the best I have seen in a while, and new classic for horror. Frank has done an incredible job of pulling us into the reality of the characters and their situation, while creating an atmosphere of complete and utter terror and even hopelessness at times, allowing for the finer and fouler aspects of humanity to show through with great form. Great performance, high tension, gore galore, and kick-ass monsters. What else could you want from a horror flick? The audience ate this one up...check it out when it opens!
Truck Stop Commando
PS Had the opportunity to meet and speak with Greg Nicotero and Frank Darabont after the screening. What class acts, nice as hell, very personable, really made the night special with the care and attention they showed their fans. There are also some very cool easter eggs sprinkled throughout the film, geeks should spot them with ease...
The following review is a little more in-depth and I have to share in the below reviewer's props to Marcia Gay Harden and Toby Jones. From the moment I saw Jones as Ollie on the set I knew that Darabont had found the perfect actor and he, indeed, is my favorite character in the movie. Harden knocked it out of the park as Carmody, without a doubt, and was helped by an added scene of her praying in the toilet... an insight into her point of view that helps us to understand where she's coming from and gives her a little more depth as a character... Dammit! I'm going into review-phase... I will stop. Here's the next review!
I'm sure you'll receive plenty of these in the next day or so, but here's my pair of pennies...
Coming from someone unfamiliar with the Stephen King novella I'd have to say that THE MIST from the standpoint purely as a horror film is, at the very least, refreshing. I have no clue of its faithfulness to the source material (although with Darabont doing King I don't think that's ever really an issue), but as a film it's one of the more satisfying horror film experiences of recent memory.
For those that haven't read the novella, haven't seen the trailer, or just can't read the title and figure out what the movie's about, it's about a mysterious mist that sweeps over a small town the day after a devastating storm. The storm causes some ample structural damage and electrical failures to the neighborhood homes, which sends a good number of the townspeople, which includes Thomas Jane as a man with the most incredibly awesome film-geek profession ever put on screen, to the local supermarket to gather supplies in the instance of a long term power outage. While there a fellow townsperson panically comes running in shouting that there's something in the mist that killed his friend. The townspeople, not really knowing what to make of the man's story, shut the doors as a precaution as the mist creeps closer, and gradually throughout the next few hours become aware that there is indeed something(s) deadly inside the thick of the mist.
The first thing I'd like to comment on is how immediate the entire film is. Pretty much from the get-go the threat is evident, and the characters are thrown in to a crisis. There's little, if any, real character or relationship introduction. Within the first 2 minutes of the film the storm hits (and causes some painfully horrifying damage to an art room that is GUARANTEED to bring the film-geeks to perpetual tears), and within the following 10 minutes the mist begins to take over the town.
I have to say that I really liked this approach. Even though the events of the film are pretty extreme I thought it helped ground the movie into a more natural reality with the characters. It felt less motion picture and a bit more documentary. There seemed to be very little unnecessary, or unnatural conversations between the characters, meaning that we're not subject to listening to dialogue that's in place for no other reason than to say, "this is me, this is what I do...".
It's actually a credit to the story that I really connected with a good number of the characters without knowing much about who they were prior to the arrival of the mist. Usually I find it difficult to have sympathy for anyone if you know very little about them before they're dealing with the threat, but Darabont, and the actors for their part, do a great job in sort of defining these people on the go.
Speaking of which, the actors all do some very strong work across the board, which is fairly atypical of the horror genre as of late. Darabont did well in casting some primarily seasoned actors in the meaty roles, which served very well considering that a good amount of the horror material comes from within the supermarket shoppers, and not the things inhabiting the outside mist. Most notably, the two characters he got spot on for the roles he wrote were Marcia Gay Harden as the obsessive religious fanatic (a favorite of King's apparently), and Toby Jones as one of the supermarket employees. Even though the crowd spends the most time with Thomas Jane and his son, who make a very believable father/son pair with their interaction, Marcia Gay Harden and Toby Jones will undoubtedly elicit the most crowd reaction. As I said, though, it's strong work all the way around with the cast members. Andre Braugher, Bill Sadler, Laurie Holden, et al. You can go down just about the entire cast list and draw upon at least one moment that they give or do something memorable, but Jones and Harden just seem to have more of those moments available, and they take full advantage.
Also supplying some strong work were the make-up effects group. The movie is given an R-rating and it definitely makes it noticeable. There isn't necessarily an over-abundance of gore, but when it's needed they pull no punches.
On the flipside of that, the one major gripe I had with the film were actually the digital effects on the different creatures of the mist. It's not that they look bad, they just look...digital. In general, I'm opposed to digital effects in horror flicks anyway, because they hardly ever come across real enough, or non-cartoony enough. Typically, it almost always takes me right out of the experience and I'm back in my theater chair instead of in the movie. However, I do realize that you can't really make flying puppets look great either, and considering the minute budget that Darabont was working with I'd say that the effects probably exceed what a typical film with the same amount of money would normally generate. I will say that the focus on sound effects for the creatures really added a great amount of depth to help draw them out of their 2-D world and into the reality of the film. They don't exactly look real, but the good work on the different sound bytes for the creatures when they were moving helped give them some weight, and ultimately made them seem about as real as possible.
The only other problem I had with the film was that I really wished there wasn't an explanation for what the mist, and its inhabitants, was and where it came from. Sometimes I can appreciate, and want to know everything about the supernatural elements. Other times I like just a smidge of ambiguity. I would have preferred the latter in this instance, and maybe worked out the details as they were presented visually as opposed to one of the characters just saying what the thing really is and where it came from. Sometimes I like something just to be insinuated rather than outright told.
All in all, this is a real treat for horror fans. It's got everything you could ask for with some extremely tense sequences, excellent character work, gore, and an ending that spits in the face of convention and is downright daring by today's Hollywood standards. It's a very mature and professional piece of work in a genre that otherwise plays to the immature and fantastic parts of our likes and tastes.
They rarely make horror flicks like this anymore. When's the last time you can recall seeing an American-made horror film where the average age of the characters looks to be above 35? I hope Darabont chooses to revisit horror sometime in the future, because I could always go for an adult approach and execution to a genre that's been playing towards teenagers for far too long. Just no more opening sequences like what's in THE MIST. I can handle dismemberments, or scary religious extremists, but watching the destruction of that room....made me weep heavily.
Thanks,
THE BEEF
The Beef brought up some touchy subjects above, especially about the digital effects. I found myself pleasantly surprised, actually. I didn't like the digital work on some of the tentacles in the loading dock scene, but I really love what CafeFX did for the bugs and spiders and the rest of the creatures.
Our final review of this story is one of the best from the night. They say some very flattering things about the site and while I don't know if we deserve to be in the same category as Famous Monsters, I will say that Forry Ackerman was a huge influence on Harry's personality and I'd say if he tried to be anybody when he started the site it was probably Uncle Forry. You can see Forry's type of cheeseball humor all over Harry's stuff.
The Return of the Creature Feature
How do you end a story that never had an ending? Stephen King's The Mist was always one of his most cinematic stories. However it lacked a tidy closing moment. The readers were asked to create their own ending. The situation is bleak… you are out of gas, and surrounded by things that shouldn't be here. Frank Darabont says that not only was King happy with his new ending, but that he would have used it had he come up with it himself. I won't spoil anything here, but Frank came up with a fantastic way to end this story. It really is the ONLY way to end the story. Anything else would have been too Hollywood.
Stephen King will be very happy with this adaptation. Frank Darabont remains the best adapter of King's work. This film will have its haters – I've read enough people in the talkbacks to know that some people just want to have something to complain about. But this film offers up some great scares, some really cool creatures, and just a plain good time at the movies.
In a cinematic time where torture and human suffering sell tickets, we seem to have lost the good old creature movies that ultimately made scary movies so enjoyable. They don't make horror movies the way they used to. That is what made The Mist so much fun. It's a lot like an old school Horror movie – The Blob with tentacles.
The people on the screen are scared, and there is a reason. There are things in The Mist... They think you taste pretty good, and they don't seem to be as scared of you as you are of them. The cast does a great job of being believable in an unbelievable situation. This is really a disaster movie with monsters. Disaster movies generally have cliché's built in, but this one avoids most of them because the characters are believable. There was never a moment when I said to myself, "Now, come on… they wouldn't do that…" They might.
I read this story nearly 20 years ago… maybe longer. Stephen King is always a great choice when you are in the mood for something spooky. But his early short stories are some of the creepiest. It's hard to believe that of all of the King adaptations, this one never saw the big screen before now. That's a good thing though, because Frank Darabont and his cast and crew couldn't have gotten this one closer to the feel of Stephen King.
There isn't a whole lot of exposition, we are drawn into the story right away, and the film doesn't really let go until the end. It's got some great jump scares, but it is also very tense all the way though. The pharmacy scene had my wife squeezing my hand until it hurt… and I was squeezing right back.
Is it perfect? Maybe not. Mrs. Carmondy is just as annoying in the film as she was in the book. But that in itself is a testament to how faithful the film is to the story. There is a lot of Bible thumping on the screen. A lot of preaching, and that may turn some people off. But it serves her character. She believes she is doing the right thing, and what she does is horrible. She becomes just as much of a monster as the things in The Mist. Maybe she's even worse. The things that humans do to each other can be just as bad as the unthinkable monsters can do. Yet there are people like her out there. If the Mist hit the fan like it does in this story, who's to say we wouldn't start to believe what she's saying too? I know if I saw that shit coming under my garage door, I'd be thinking God took the day off - because that shit ain't right, man. Even though annoying, her character is accurate to King's story. She might turn off some viewers, though.
Extra credit goes out to the Creature people involved in The Mist. This film has some great Monsters in it. The FX work by Café FX and the physical FX by KNB are really well done. I read a lot about this film here on AICN along with the rest of you. I've heard some negative things said about the FX from recent test screenings, but I was pleasantly surprised, and I must say – CREEPED THE FUCK OUT. It all looked pretty seamless to me. Yes, you could tell there was CGI, but it was good CGI.
Some notes about the screening. I purchased tickets for the screening right after it was announced. I was excited about getting to see the NEW Alamo Drafthouse at The Ritz on 6th Street. I was a little bummed to find out that the screening was moved to another venue. And while I give The Alamo points for bring creative with the dinner selection; Linguini with Squid Ink Cream Sauce with Calamari and Muscles was a bit much for me. Yeah it's cool to have the audience chew on tentacles before the show, but a Cheese Burger would have been nice. We saw some really great previews for past Stephen King adaptations… awesome. Maximum Overdrive looked so damn cool.
After the film, Frank Darabont stayed around for a Q&A with Harry and the audience. He was joined onstage by Second Unit Director and KNB guru Greg Nicatero, and a cast member that had an unfortunate encounter with a pool of gasoline in the film (sorry, I didn't get his name).
There was a lot of discussion about the ending of the film, which Frank asked the online community to keep to themselves so as to allow other people to discover it for themselves. It's hard to discuss this flick without touching on the ending – it changes everything. With all the creatures and the havoc they bring – the monstrous things humans can do can be even more devastating. It brings to the story to a great Twilight Zone moment of realization. I loved the ending, and it made the rest of the film better.
Frank also discussed his love of Creature Features, of Famous Monsters of Filmland, and how that magazine drove so many people to want to make movies. He talked a bit about Indiana Jones… no details of course. He hasn't read the script so doesn't know what they held onto, but he says he is to thank for bringing Marion back. So from me, Frank – Thank You for that! Next up for Frank is a well deserved vacation in the Caribbean, and he hopes to get into Fahrenheit 451 next. A project he's been dreaming of doing since he was 9. If it's something that's been burning in him for that long – it's going to be a great movie. He also may be directing an episode of Battlestar Galactica – how cool is that?
Frank has wanted to make a monster movie for a long time, and I hope he gets a chance to do it again, because this was a lot of fun. He seemed to have had a lot of fun making it.
I want to thank Frank for allowing AICN to be a part of this movie. I read Quint's set visits eagerly, and to have this film come to Austin tonight was a fitting conclusion. If you read those reports, and were excited by what you read, you will love this movie - it's all on the screen. If you read the story and have fond memories of not being able to sleep at night, you won't be disappointed either.
Famous Monsters in Filmland isn't around anymore, and that's a shame. This is exactly the kind of movie that they would have featured in their pages. But AICN is, in a way, an extension of that great old magazine, so it is appropriate that The Mist be featured here at Aint It Cool News.
It was a great night out…
I am… The Brain Machine.
I'm happy that you had such a good time , Brain. Thanks to all of the readers who took the time to write in. If we get anymore thoughts we'll be sure to put them up!
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Good to hear the positive reviews of this. I really would like to see a good horror movie that is in no way like Saw, Hostel, etc. The previews that have been running on TV look...okay, but it sounds much better than what they are showing.
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The old Stephen King was all balls to the wall and kill'em all. The new Stephen King is a pussy. Sorry Stephen, but check your package if you don't believe me.
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These reviews really validate what we have all seen so far. In terms of the ending I am pretty sure it will seem plausible and right. I wait anxiously!!
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Mrs. Carmondy doesn't get shot in the film like the story? Or what? What does everyone mean by the ending of the movie? I hope they didn't fuck it up.
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Even in this talkback you've got all of those characters..guess which you are?
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Why is a movie based on a novel accused of ripping off a movie based on a video game, when the novel was written before the video game?
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OK, no, then.
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They pretty much say it in the trailer but from memory in the story they hint at a bunch of different reasons. One character said that the Arrowhead project experimented with stuff that grew huge vegetables. I always thought that's what created the huge bugs.
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jeeze.
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...I disliked the film quite a bit. The on-the-fly filming in Louisiana was visible in every scene - and not in a good way. The performances were poor. Suspense? No. And, man, that Austin AICN crowd seemed ecstatic that Darabont didn't stick to his guns, and ended up allowing those annoying food serves to wander during the flick. Right at the start of the "earthquake" scene, three of 'em walked right in front of me, and ruined any chance of my being "involved" in the action. I've been waiting for this adaptation for over 20 years, and for me, personally, I wish a different approach had been taken.
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Both series creators admit that the setting/plot line for their games were heavily inspired by The Mist (Fog/creepy shit for Silent Hill, alien monsters from another dimension caused by a government fubar in Half-Life). And the novella all but hints at the fact that the Government was experimenting with opening doorways to other dimensions.
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Is what I've been since I first heard Darabont's name attatched. Tempering expectations, though.
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Just sayin... :)
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I support the writers on this one.
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'This film will have its haters – I've read enough people in the talkbacks to know that some people just want to have something to complain about...'
Yeah, God KNOWS people like me that HATE the new ending because its bleak, stupid, and POINTLESS, done just for a cheap 'SHOCK' effect...we're just 'complaining because we like to complain/...right.
No, actually Im complaining because Frank had a 100% PERFECT adaption on his hands until he BLEW IT with the last ten min, and I've waited over 20 years to see this, my fave story of all time, done right as a film. This 'new ending' is just plain AWFUL, and an INSULT to anyone that loved the novella.
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it's true. us talkbackers really only bitch about movies sucking- but mostly why we think something is going to suck before we even know....i've done my share here....it's been years since i read the Mist- maybe i should re-read it now, but just on premise and mood- this is the first movie in probably a year and a half that i WANT to go pay to see in a theater...and no talkback bitching is gonna change that. maybe the end will let me down..whatever. i can't remember the last time i liked how a movie ended. i'm used to it. but i don't hear anyone refuting the effects or the performances being good- and that alone says alot after the shit i've seen lately.
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The creatures that pop out of The Mist in the novella are similar to the ones seen in the Wastelands in the third Dark Tower book. I always thought The Mist was dark tower related, a thinney opening into one of the worlds as the beams collapse.
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That's just weird.
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Frank, if you are a studio reads this, dust off your DOC SAVAGE script for Schwarzenegger's comeback film. Only Arnie should play that iconic role with you (Frank Darabont) directing!
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Here is a pic of Arnie as DOC SAVAGE!
http://www.thearnoldfans.com/art/fan/7b.jpg -
I too read this thing more than 20 years ago and was just blown away by it. The imagery it evokes as you read was just amazing. Sounds like Frank and Co actually brought this sucker to life. Can't wait!
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PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, anyone that saw the movie at the alamo, do not reveal what happens.
I was at the screening, I have read the book, and I LOVED the ending. It was the first thing I thought would happen when I read the book. And to the people that thought Derabont ruined kings novella, Frank gave the script to Stephen, and what did stephen say? He said he loved the ending and if HE had thought of it himself, he would have written it. -
I wasn't aware so many close friends were at the screening.
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Nov 09, 2007 11:27:36 PM CST
and to any idiots thinking this is a silent hill and half life r
by zom-bot.com
...you were obviously born in the nineties. do a little research, there is a reason why streets in silent hill are named bachman and king.
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Imagine the wondrous characters you could come up with if your religious extremists were Muslim or something else. Seriously. Bible-thumping nutjobs have gotten old and predictable when it comes to your works, please broaden your horizons. Respectfully, Mr. Loin.
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Because the only things they share are a misty atmosphere, other dimensions, insane bible thumpers, a concerned parent, insect-like creatures (in some parts of SH), and two directors that can do some excellent visual work. But, THAT'S ALL!!!
Honestly, though I always felt that SILENT HILL shared a tad more on the side of Clive Barker. At least in terms of what things are like when the siren goes off. -
'And to the people that thought Derabont ruined kings novella, Frank gave the script to Stephen, and what did stephen say? He said he loved the ending and if HE had thought of it himself, he would have written it.'
Thats sad as hell to think about, since this new ending is so stupid mean and pointless, and Kings ORIGINAL ending was thought provoking and creative, giving the reader hope...then again, I don't trust that King REALLY thinks that, he would sell his own grandmother to the ravenous Bug Blatter Beast of Trall if it meant more money in his pocket.
Seriously...this new ending RUINS the story, it blows CHUNKS. -
I think I'm alone here, but I actually prefer to have the ending spoiled for me. If one of you guys would put a spoiler warning and then tell me in your post what happens at the end I would appreciate it. Thanks!
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***SPOILER BELOW***
***SERIOUSLY, DO NOT READ BELOW THIS IF YOU DON'T WANT THE ENDING OF THE MOVIE SPOILED FOR YOU. THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING.***
***OK, I'M NOT EVEN FUCKING AROUND ANYMORE. DO NOT READ UNDER THIS, DUMB ASS***
Thomas Jane's character and the other surviving characters (I am assuming the blonde woman, his son, and maybe another person or a couple of other people) are driving off down a road to escape The Mist when their car runs out of gas. Instead of allowing the monsters to brutally maim and kill them, TJ's character performs mercy killings on each of them (including his son) by shooting them in their heads, but he runs out of bullets and consequently cannot kill himself so he starts crying and leaves the vehicle to run out into The Mist to let the monsters kill him, but instead the Mist disappears and all of the monsters disappear with it and he is left there alone on the road as the only survivor in the whole town.
***END SPOILER***
So there you have it folks. I think it sounds fucking sweet. -
is a site called bloody-disgusting.com
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That's the ending? I usually don't like that kind of stuff, but that sounds fooking awesome. Usually, tragic endings are messed up--leave it to Frank Darabont to get it right.
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He's a terrible writer. By the way, what's the use of a biased bad writer on this site? DUMP HIM
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Greetings all,
I had the pleasure of working as a background extra for 3 days on the Mist and it was fun!
From Mr. Darabont's sense of class (the whole crew, actually!), to the kindhearted and down to earth actors (all of them never acted snooty or uppitty).
The one exception was the cut-up of the group.
William Sadler is one of the funniest guys you will ever meet. During my time in the grocery store scene we did our takes and briefly chatted during resets. Mr. Sadler made all of our days by talking in that hilarious accent from Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey, where he played the Grim Reaper. He had the whole cast and crew rolling.
I have done 5 movies as a background extra so far but this is the one i wish i could have done more one, a horror film directed by Frank Darabont and based on a Stephen King book. What geek wouldn't want to do that ?
You can see me for a second or two in the grocery store scene very early. When you see the 3 teenagers run out into the mist I follow them, and then a man runs in with a bloody face and screams "Something in the mist, it took John Lee!"
I was originally told by my job that i could take 3 weeks off to be in the movie as a core background extra but they reneged and i was only allowed 3 days. I spoke to Mr. Darabont on my day 1 and he rearranged it so i could be seen going into the grocery store and i was actually ahead of Andre Braugher in line at checkout. Thomas Jane was in the lane next to me.
So if you see a guy in kahki pants, brown shirt with brown sweater on with glasses then you found me.
I did ask Mr. Darabont if it would be ok to take my sweater and soak it in fake blood and after i run out to hear me scream and throw a my bloody sweater onto the window at the grocery store. He liked the idea but couldn't manage it.
Again, a real nice guy who at least listens to all of the cast not just the stars.
Also, most of the core extras in the grocery store are people from my town (Shreveport, LA.). The people in charge kept telling us that we were doing a good job and that we took direction with only one little nudge. One of the set guys said that he would like more of the extras to be like us, down to earth and not so phoney like the Hollywood ones.
That's all for now and i can't wait to see this movie!
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Until the spoiled ending. Gotta trust in the Darabont.
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If you what you say is true, that's pretty fucked up. I love dark endings. American movies don't do them enough, and intl movies don't have enough happy endings.
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this site WILL NOT publish a negative review.
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The second one kind of seemed negative in some parts.
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to quote ridley scott. The CGI bothers me- especially if it hasnt been improved since the trailer. Other than that....Darabont is a legend, and this is a great novella so Im there.
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'That's the ending? I usually don't like that kind of stuff, but that sounds fooking awesome. Usually, tragic endings are messed up--leave it to Frank Darabont to get it right. '
*****
'GET IT RIGHT'?!
The NOVELLA ending GOT IT RIGHT...this new, pathetic 'cheap shock' pointless CRAP ending GOT IT WRONG, period.
Anyone thinking this turd of an ending is BETTER than the hopeful ending originally written is a sad example of how humanity has become so goddamn into pain and torture....how 'fooking' sad is it that there are people out there that prefer this shit depressing ending over the creative, imaginative original one? -
Really looking forward to it.
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If you want happy endings go watch Tim Allen in The Santa Claus. It's funny too, lol. I love that movie.
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That's hysterical, considering I saw a rough cut with Galactica temp music.
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Is there any message board, talkback thread, and comment section you HAVEN'T posted on about your disgust for the ending? Why don't you SEE the movie and judge before you dedicate every waking moment to trashing the ending?
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It's not like you've invested so much personally and it turned out shit!
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How often have you seen a Stephen King adaptation get fucked up? I mean REALLY fucked up? Did you complain about Secret Window, , Needful Things or Dreamcatcher? Now THOSE are some crappy flicks. There are maybe 10 truly GOOD SK movies from all his books. This movie is incredibly faithful to the novella until the ending. Frank Darabont didn't change the ending, he added an ending. In the novella you are left wondering what happened next. You were left hanging. I remember reading the story a very long time ago and getting to the end and being pissed off because I was left feeling dissapointed that nothing happened. For all you know the entire world is like that, and everyone dies a horrible death at the hands of these alien creatures. YOU created your own happy ending in your head because you didn't want to see these characters die that horrible death. I don't remember the ending in the story being really optimistic and hopefull like I'm reading about here.
Darabont's ending takes everything away from Thomas Jane's character - Everything. It's ballsy and you might think it is pointless, but in the same situation - how do you know you wouldn't do the same thing. To all of these people, facing these demons from hell is a worse option.
At least this ending has sparked some talk, and controversy. To me it felt like a great episode of The Twilight Zone. That is the kind of personal Hell that will be with David Drayton for as long as he lives - long after the creatuers are gone.
When Darabont was giving his Q&A, he said that he could have had twice the budget from a number of studios that wanted him to change his ending. They wanted a nice happy ending. Would that have made you happier? Everyone lives happily ever after with the humans and monsters singing the "Yub Yub song" around a camp fire?
Darabont took a chance with his ending and it plays out with a great ammount of internal pain for David Drayton, and is shocking as hell. You might not like what Darabont did, but fits.
And 70's Venom, you are an ass for writing about an ending that you haven't even seen yet - then schilling for another website. Lame. -
damn those geeks
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My second post was referring to something besides the one immediately preceding it. My dislike has nothing to do with the ending. The cheap look, and cartoonish performances, are what disappoint me. I am fully aware of why he chose the "style" of filmmaking that he did - I was at the same screening. Yeah, I complained about the other three you mentioned, by the way. What the hell does that have to do with my comments about this film? I grew up on the films of the 70s - overall, a bleak bunch - and I have no problem with "unhappy" endings. I DO have problems with sloppy filmmaking, and overwrought histrionics.
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What is wrong with giving my opinion on a spoiled ending? I don't feel that I have done anything wrong. I think you're just in a bad mood and you need to take it out on someone else. Chill out bro. Also, I wasn't "schilling" for another website. I gave credit for the website where I got the ending spoiler from so it didn't seem like I was just pulling that spoiler out of my ass. You're sort of a jerk, ya know that??
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Love you guys too.
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'Nuff said.
K -
'In the novella you are left wondering what happened next. You were left hanging. I remember reading the story a very long time ago and getting to the end and being pissed off because I was left feeling dissapointed that nothing happened. '
Too bad for you you cant think for yourself. I can, and I LOVED the way the novella ended...brain dead, unimaginative morons feel 'cheated'if everything doesnt end in carnage...thats just sad.
'Darabont's ending takes everything away from Thomas Jane's character - Everything. It's ballsy and you might think it is pointless, but in the same situation - how do you know you wouldn't do the same thing.'
Because Im not a loser that would EVER consider ending my own life, and neither are the characters King originally wrote, plain and simple.
'That is the kind of personal Hell that will be with David Drayton for as long as he lives - long after the creatuers are gone.'
Wow, and that sure is BETTER, huh?
Despair, hopelessness and rage are BETTER than hope and love? Man, how PATHETIC.
'You might not like what Darabont did, but fits.'
No, thats just it...it DOESNT. Its NOT KING...King doesnt do mean, pointless endings...if his endings include death or loss, its ironic or meaningful...not just 'cheap shock', which is all this is...its lame and an absolute INSULT to any fan thats waited 20 years to see this as a film.
K
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'Is there any message board, talkback thread, and comment section you HAVEN'T posted on about your disgust for the ending? Why don't you SEE the movie and judge before you dedicate every waking moment to trashing the ending?'
And obviously YOU'VE spent just as much if not MORE time pouring over these same message boaards, etc, you lame ass hypocrite...when YOU'VE waited 20 years to see something done, and then it gets raped within the last ten min...then you can jump all over my ass making snarky remarks...in the meantime, go fuck yourself.
K -
if that spoiled ending is right, it sounds fine to me. a final twist of the knife, worse than what the monsters would have done, even though it was merciful. like someone said, a twilight zone ironic ending, but able to be darker with today's standards.
.......if the movie ended with them just driving into the mist...well, that would have been like every shitty sci-fi or horror movie ending since the Mist was first written. -
I'm sorry for being an idiot, a jerk and leaving the brain behind. Thanks for pointing that out.
We all like different things in our movies, and all I'm saying is that I had a good time at this flick. A good - low budget horror flick of old. A lot better than it would have been in someone elses hands. Some people, apparently, won't like it. There are a lot of movies that I love that a lot of people probably hate. As do all of you, I'm sure.
karcreat, you obviously had a lot more riding on this pic than I did. I liked the original story, but felt it lacked at the end, that's all. I was more surprised and satisfied by this telling. I don't think it ends in a cheap shock, and I see it as extremely ironic and meaningful. I don't really want to get into it any deeper that we have, man - maybe after the flick is in wide release. But you have you're idea of how things turned out, I had mine and Darabont had his - and I thought Darabont's was a cool vision that made the movie have something original apart from the story.
Mister Man, I thought the style fit the story, and thought the performances were solid. It's good stuff that surpasses recent crud like Hostel, and The Omen, and Halloween shite of late. I liked the quick pace of the camera, and it felt immediate to me. I liked the fly-on-the-wall approach. I don't like it for everything - but felt it fit the story, and created much of the tension in the film. I guess you didn't like it - and thats cool too.
70's - sorry for the personal attack, but up till your post in the talkbacks, people were discussing without specifics. You gave specifics that you got second or third hand.
By all means, continue the attacks, I can take it, and can retaliate with the best of 'em. -
'if the movie ended with them just driving into the mist...well, that would have been like every shitty sci-fi or horror movie ending since the Mist was first written.'
How sad.
So you consider having not knowing EXACTLY what happens to these characters, having to think for yourself...to be a 'shitty' ending?
And yes, this new ending DOES fit in with 'todays darker standards', the shit 'SAW' films, the 'Hostel' garbage...again, HOW SAD. Creativity and imagination now take a back seat to splatterfest crap.
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You know what?
You are completely correct...let ME apologize.
I immediately felt shitty after posting that reply to you, it was uncalled for and over the top. But you are correct when you say (as sad as it may seem to some!) that 'I had a lot riding on this'...seriously, man...20 YEARS!...;) Almost half my life loving this story above all others, so much so that I started a 3D comic book based on the novella, hand animated my own 'trailer' for a potential imaginary (at that point) film....yup, I was in for the long haul.
Im just really disappointed, thats all...but you are correct, thats no reason to be angry at people who like this new version...the fact that its so widely regarded as 'better' than the original ending just makes me depressed as to the sort of fare that seems to be prefered over an open ended, imaginative conclusion anymore....ah well! I just hope it rakes in the cash no matter what...I mean, hey...ITS A 'MIST' MOVIE, BABY! -
...check out my 'MIST' fanpage...your one stop MIST site online, everything from all the trailers to interviews, behind the scenes links, comic art and screensavers...and MORE!
...http://www.karcreat.com/TheMist.html -
...I gotta learn to hen peck better...there isn't a 'space' in that last part of the 'MIST' page address above...should be...
http://www.karcreat.com/TheMist.html
Very sorry for my lameness, all! -
Ok, this message board hates me...I checked the addy before posting it again, and it STILL came up spaced...grrr...
Just type that last bit all as one word, dammit!!...;)
Ok, Im done, I swear. -
"if his endings include death or loss, its ironic or meaningful...notjust 'cheap shock', which is all this is...its lame and an absolute INSULT to any fan thats waited 20 years to see this as a film."
Dude, are you seriously saying that Darabont's ending is not ironic or meaningful? You're saying it's just a cheap shock and an insult to the fans?
A man kills his friends and his own son so they won't suffer a much worse fate at the hands of extra-dimensional monsters and then it turns out that the monsters all go away immediately after he does this? That's not ironic?? Do you even know the definiton of the word ironic??? Man you are getting all bent out of shape because Darabont uses creativity to make something better. You are so lame. -
'Dude, are you seriously saying that Darabont's ending is not ironic or meaningful?' Yes, I am. And no, what you stated is NOT the definition of ironic...irony has MEANING...Irony is a literary or rhetorical device, in which there is a gap or incongruity between what a speaker or a writer says and what is generally understood (either at the time, or in the later context of history)....so, with that understood, why dont you explain to me how there was MEANING in everyone dying for no reason? Thats NOT irony, its a cheap shock...period.
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Here's a thought...and it's just a thought, but why don't you just rewatch the film and turn it off, or walk out, 10 minutes before the credits roll? You've got your potentially hopeful film that coincides with the ending of the novella (just assuming because I haven't read it) and you've also got the rest of the film prior to the finale which you say you loved. The ending you wanted is still in the film, it just isn't at the end of Darabont's movie. So, try it out. Go see it again, and since you know where you want the movie to end, just walk out. Everyone's happy. Again, just a thought.
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All of the original reviews of this were a bit one sided, however I think I would have been stoked to see any premier with director Q&A - I gotta get me to Austin because that sounded sweet. Did they really serve tenticles?? I'm not a fan of the torture porn, so crazy sci-fi monsters sound good to me. BTW... What ever happenes to SPOILER WARNINGS, Man??? I can't unread some of that stuff up there! sons o bitches.
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Thanks...thats actually a cool suggestion...;)
I sortta plan on doing that when the film is released to DVD and I snag a copy...I mean, I DO have video editing programs, so why not just 'hack off' those last few offensive minutes? Hehehehe.... -
...Shouldda added some 'SPOILER' shit to my posts, I sincerely apologize...I remember the day 'The Empire Strikes Back' started, some asshole walked up to me and my friends and said 'Man, wasn't it a shock to learn that Vader was Lukes FATHER?!'...and I literally almost beat the shit out of him...I hate being like that dickweed, very sorry man...
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...there are multiple definitions of the word. A, not the, definition of irony is that the outcome of an event is opposite to either what was intended or expected. So, in that sense Darabont's ending is 'ironic'. Jane did what he did because he thought he was saving his family and friends from a horrendous fate, and choosing to take on that horrible death himself. I found the ending gut-wrenching, in a good way that works beyond just shock-value. Not because I'm a bloodthirsty human being, but because it's an interpretation of a life outcome. Not all stories end happily, but I found Jane's actions in their final minutes rather brave and noble. If you remember, he made a promise to his son, and he did the only thing he knew to do to keep that promise. The ending is hopeful for humanity, it's just the most devastatingly 'ironic' outcome that our main character could have hoped for.
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Fuck!!! Thanks man...
just kidding, man. I can deal with it, and I'm still going to see it because it sounds cool. -
Your analysis is right on the money. That is exactly how I saw it too.
Rando and anyone else who feels violated by this entire thread... sorry if I helped lead to that - it wasn't my intention. BTW I hear Marion dies in Indy 4.
(I'm just kidding, I made that up... so if it really happens - don't come yelling at me). -
Ok, ok...no matter what definition of 'irony' you want to use, I STILL hate this ending...;)
Seriously, I loathe it because not only do the main characters, who have fought and dealt with so much up to that point, die needlessly...but immediately afterwards, the army shows up to clear away the mist, thus removing the threat and saving the day- everythings gonna be fine, now, folks!...Its so much BETTER to me to have the mist encompass the entire earth, changing life forever as we know it, rather than making it this 'temporary problem' thats neatly fixed at the climax...I HATE THAT! One of my favorite elements of the novella ending was that the mist has TAKEN OVER...man cant fight it, its there to stay, and if you cant adapt you DIE. I also think that after all the blood, loss, and carnage everyone has dealt with up to then you NEED to have some HOPE at the end...making it ALL gut wrenching and death filled just renders everything that happened up to that ending meaningless...everyone fought so long and hard to make it out of that market just to die at the last second when they could have been saved? I GUESS that could be seen as 'ironic', but I still see it as a mean spirited, pointless wrap up to what is already an exhaustive horror yarn...it leaves you drained and sad, and thats not the 'Mist' I fell in love with 20 some odd years ago...
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...How often does Harry change those little animations in the upper left corner by the banner for the site?
I mean, come on...that 'Freddy'/Bed one is still there, and it's WAAAY past Halloween, Harry!...;)
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Go to dictionary.com and type in irony and search then scroll down to the 5th definition.
"an outcome of events contrary to what was, or might have been, expected."
Ya I know beef already stated this but I just wanted to clarify that this was the definition I was using. But granted you may have used it in a different sense so I say we just drop that argument. -
Ummm dude don't be a fucking retard. I not only gave you ONE spoiler warning but THREE MOTHER FUCKING SPOILER WARNINGS.
So don't you dare try to give me a fuckin guilt trip over that you son of a bitch. -
Hmmm...you know, you have a point there...;)
Ok, so maybe it CAN be seen as ironic...but I still say it sucks compared to the imaginative, creative ending from the novella...and dude, come on...you gotta admit that the part regarding this new ending addition that has the army 'clearing away the mist' is lame compared to the entire world being permanently covered in it, Impossibly Tall Creatures, Mutant Spiders and Lobster Beasts forever roaming the earth...I mean, COME ON...
By the way, your screen name is awesome...;) -
"Ok, ok...no matter what definition of 'irony' you want to use, I STILL hate this ending...;) Seriously, I loathe it because not only do the main characters, who have fought and dealt with so much up to that point, die needlessly...but immediately afterwards, the army shows up to clear away the mist, thus removing the threat and saving the day- everythings gonna be fine, now, folks!...Its so much BETTER to me to have the mist encompass the entire earth, changing life forever as we know it, rather than making it this 'temporary problem' thats neatly fixed at the climax...I HATE THAT! One of my favorite elements of the novella ending was that the mist has TAKEN OVER...man cant fight it, its there to stay, and if you cant adapt you DIE. I also think that after all the blood, loss, and carnage everyone has dealt with up to then you NEED to have some HOPE at the end...making it ALL gut wrenching and death filled just renders everything that happened up to that ending meaningless...everyone fought so long and hard to make it out of that market just to die at the last second when they could have been saved? I GUESS that could be seen as 'ironic', but I still see it as a mean spirited, pointless wrap up to what is already an exhaustive horror yarn...it leaves you drained and sad, and thats not the 'Mist' I fell in love with 20 some odd years ago... "
Wait a sec, karcreat42. You are sort of contradicting yourself here and there man. You say that you want an open-ended ending to the movie just like from the novella, right? Well, by definition, open-ended doesn't mean a hopeful ending. It means an uncertain ending. So, by the rational you've been using, if Darabont had instead provided a hopeful ending, it would've been equally as sacrilegious to the novella as his dismal ending. But karcreat42... there is also one other thing I think you are overlooking here. Open-ended conclusions almost always work better in novels/novellas/comic books/etc. than they do in films. That's just the nature of the beast. Yes, there are open-ended films, but a lot of times I don't think they turn out to be very good movies because they sort of leave you hanging and I think most people don't like that, especially these days where not every film is guaranteed to have a sequel. If there is an ending that leaves the audience hanging and no sequel to satisfy them, they will be put off by it in the end I think. I understand your desire for people to stick closely to the source-material, but directors and producers have to make judgement calls that don't satisfy everyone, because no movie in the history of the world has ever satisfied EVERYONE, thus they must make the choice to try and satisfy most of their target audience. That is what happened here. I honestly don't think most people would've liked an open-ended conclusion to this film, even though it strays from the novella. -
I know you did on your FIRST message up there, but maybe you need to re-read all the shit you wrote after that post, man. I'm wasn't just talking to you either. Specifically read your first post about irony to karcreat42. The funny thing is, you haven't even seen the movie like some of these poeple. Now that's ironic - having a heated discussion about an ending you haven't even seen with your own eyes. As you said to someone else..."I think you're just in a bad mood and you need to take it out on someone else. Chill out bro." The fact of the matter is that all this specific talk about what happenes at the end of the movie came after you posted your "Spoiler Warnings." Just because you can rattle off info gained at other sites doesn't mean you should. You were so excited... "I Know what the Ending Is!!!" Woo Hoo. Has it made you happy - you know damn well weak ass retards like myself can't pass up spoiler warnings - and you must be feeling guilty or you would have dropped it instead of waking up in the middle of the night to insult me.
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I don't dislike your ending, I just don't share in your disdain for the ending applied to the film. I don't see it as hopeless, on the contrary the film is hopeful to me it's just horribly unfortunate for one person. Having the mist cover the entire earth for all of eternity would not be a hopeful ending, it would be bleak as all hell. Which I'm not opposed to, it's just that the only thing that would mean is that our main character's final actions would not have been in vain. However, I still don't see it that the cause of everyone's death in that car was Thomas Jane, it was the insane religious followers of Marcia Gay Harden that forced them out the store. They were the only reason that Jane and co. had to leave. Otherwise, they could have waited everything out quietly inside the store. Just my thoughts.
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What an lame asshole you are "That 70s Venom",at least you should have waited till the movie start showing at theaters before giving the ending away.
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'Yes, there are open-ended films, but a lot of times I don't think they turn out to be very good movies because they sort of leave you hanging and I think most people don't like that.'
And thats the problem...audiences today want everything EXPLAINED to them...I just dont prefer that...I like the original, 'open ended' finale because its just the kind of story I DONT WANT 'wrapped up'...its just too neat, too tidy to have a resolution...open ended is more 'realistic' in the sense that you have that ray of hope for the characters (they're headed, hopefully, to Hartford...but will they survive?) and thats pitch perfect for me...as you yourself mentioned, there HAVE been films, hell, CLASSIC films that end GREAT on that same note...'The Birds' springs to mind...I guess overall, I just dont see the need to end an already REALLY evil, tough story filled with violence and aggression with yet ANOTHER downer incident as your final note...as Ive said before, thats why I LOVED the original ending, after all the carnage...a ray of hope at the end...it worked PERFECTLY for me...however, it DOES seem like the majority of people like this new ending, and if thats what it takes to butts in the seats and make this film a success, so be it...Im just glad I have DVD editing software when this sucker comes out to buy...;) -
Uhhhh...right.
SPOLIER ALERT
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Dude, I seriously don't think I need to know the details about a car wreck to know it's a car wreck- I don't need to know the details concerning how the animals all died in a tragic fire to know it's tragic. I don't need to know the details if a guy falls off a building to know it was painful. I don't need to see the movie if it's a fact that all the main characters die at the end to know they all die at the end.
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Much better then that dumb ass 1-18 movie staring Voltron.
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... what I am saying is that an open-ended ending to a film is not inherently a hopeful ending. It is up to each individual audience member to apply their feelings to an open-ended ending. So, if it is open-ended in the film/novella/comic/etc. then it is left up to the viewer/reader to decide if that ending is bleak or hopeful. An open-ended ending is NOT a hopeful ending. Nor is it a dark ending. It is a neutral ending that is left up to the person to decide, using their imagination, if it is a hopeful or other.
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'An open-ended ending is NOT a hopeful ending.'
But there was MORE to the original ending than just a drop off, open ended stopping point...dont you remember?...Here it is, word for word..."I'm going to bed now. But first I'm going to kiss my son and whisper two words in his ear. Against the dreams that may come, you know.
Two words that sound a bit alike.
One of them is Hartford.
The other is hope."
I dunno, man...that soundspretty uplifting to me...;)
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... for all we know, Stephen King could've imagined that after they got to Hartford, everyone there was dead, and then there was no hope whatsoever for him and his son. All I am saying is... if you leave anything open-ended like that, nothing is certain. Yes, you can glean from it whatever you want. Like in your case, you interpreted the ending as uplifting, and honestly I probably would have too, but since there was never any ultimate resolution as to what happened to him and his son in the novella, then we don't really know. This sort of brings to mind the film 28 Days Later, where the 4 main survivors find out over the radio that there is hope for them when they hear about a military outpost but then when they arrive they discover that the humans are equally as horrific as the infected are, if not moreso. So you see what I mean? In the novella, to me, the equivalent of that would be like... let's say in 28 Days Later the 4 main survivors find out about the military outpost and then the movie just ends after Jim whispers something to Selena like "This military outpost will protect us from the infected. There is hope afterall." And then the movie just ends right there. And we would never know that the military outpost actually turned out to be a terrible place. Granted, 3 of the 4 main survivors make it through the movie alive, but I just thought I could use this as an example.
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'... for all we know, Stephen King could've imagined that after they got to Hartford, everyone there was dead, and then there was no hope whatsoever for him and his son.' Perhaps...but you are, of course, just 'what iffing' yourself there...I am only offering the actual ending (posted above) lines from the book as proof positive that the last sentiment displayed in the novella left the reader with a POSITIVE outlook, a last impression that 'they might just make it after all that shit they went thru'...;)
'they hear about a military outpost but then when they arrive they discover that the humans are equally as horrific as the infected are, if not moreso' Yes, but in 28 Days they SHOWED YOU THAT...see the difference? The 'Mist' novella ending, with those last lines I posted above, DOESN'T do that...the literal LAST WORDS on that printed page are 'Hartford' and 'Hope'...and thats all I would ask for as a prospect of a potential brighter day...no, I dont need 'rainbows and yub yub' like Brain Machine posted previously, nothing LIKE that...but the novella finale was a damn sight more satisfying (for those with a desire to think for themselves) than death, sadness and pointless loss. -
'let's say in 28 Days Later the 4 main survivors find out about the military outpost and then the movie just ends after Jim whispers something to Selena like "This military outpost will protect us from the infected. There is hope afterall." And then the movie just ends right there. And we would never know that the military outpost actually turned out to be a terrible place.'...Yes, thats because the INTENT of the 28 Days filmmakers was to end on a bleak note, a last shock...what Ive been attempting to convey thru all this discussion is that that's NOT how 'The Mist' ended...at least not the version I fell in love with. If it HAD ended like that, I honestly think I would have had a completely different reaction to the entire story...sure, it was a 'good read', but not anything I'd remember fondly...it would be too typical to have ended it all on a downer note, there had been too much of that throughout the prefacing story itself...you NEED some glimmer of hope at the end...or its all just a mindless exercise in horror, rather pointless and forgetable...'last shock/nasty endings' are a dime a dozen...giving the heroes of 'The Mist' that escaped that market something to shoot for made the story for me, made it memorable...it was COOL to wonder exactly happened to them...but all the COOLER to know that no matter what it was, you last left them all hoping for the best...cant you see that?...;)
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It's an emotionally powerful ending, but an INFERIOR ONE. Possibility and hope trump ironic tragedy any day, especially when you are dealing with the fear and the unknown(s) in the subject matter of this movie. Letting the viewer decide what happens is Soprano's Cut-to-Black storytelling goodness. Mercy-killings? That's just a wtf overripe excuse for melodrama. Thanks for relegating us to zoo-animals with feeding schedules. You might as well just post a sign that says "Please spoon-feed the tards." because its an insulting ending.
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Reviewrs talked about characters making "realistic" decisions that they might make in times of crisis. Well, I have a son, and if I had a loaded gun in that situation, you better for damn-fucking sure believe I would be emptying it into the creatures before turning it on my son. And then I would be sacrificing myself.
Its incomprehensible. I wonder if the guy who wrote then ending even HAS kids. -
Yes, I do understand where you are coming from, but that is a Hollywood ending. Darabont didn't want to do a Hollywood ending and anytime a director chooses that path for a film then I cannot help but applaud them for it because they are going against the grain. Imagine the kind of shit that Darabont is going to get for his ending from various people. His whole "fuck you" attitude and embracing of the dark ending is what makes him unique among Hollywood directors. Remember the ending to Jeepers Creepers? That ending was depressing as FUCK but I still love that movie... one of my favorite horror flicks actually.
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Yeah you say that that is what you would do in that situation but you don't really know that until you are in that situation. Besides, he didn't HAVE a fully loaded gun. He only had a few bullets, and he wasn't a Navy SEAL or anything, so his chances of holding off ALL of those monsters with just a few bullets are slim to none. Besides, 1 bullet probably wouldn't kill most of the monsters. So it came down to this: Should he let the monsters rip his son apart and eat him? Or should he prevent his son's future suffering and end it quickly? I'm not saying that is what he should've done, necessarily, I'm just saying... since we've never had extra-dimensional monsters invade our world, how would we know how we would react?
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'Yes, I do understand where you are coming from, but that is a Hollywood ending. Darabont didn't want to do a Hollywood ending and anytime a director chooses that path for a film then I cannot help but applaud them for it because they are going against the grain.'
See, but 'the grain' in this case was a beloved King story that had been around awhile...not a Hollywood screenplay.
Thats all I'm really saying...King may have written an ending you consider 'Hollywood', as he himself once described the story as a 50's flick in B&W...'you watch it with your arm around your girlfriend, you make up the second feature'...that's the version I wanted to see done after reading it and imagining it as a film for so long...this new version may be a different breed of animal, but what I wanted was my pet...;)'Imagine the kind of shit that Darabont is going to get for his ending from various people. His whole "fuck you" attitude and embracing of the dark ending is what makes him unique among Hollywood directors. Remember the ending to Jeepers Creepers? That ending was depressing as FUCK but I still love that movie... one of my favorite horror flicks actually.' Yes, but that was 'Jeepers Creepers'...it first existed as a FILM, not a classic, beloved novella in circulation for over 20 years, which had gained fans before you saw it...what you love so much is a film, what I loved was a novella...;)
However, I agree with you whole heartedly regarding Darabonts talents...but in his previous King adaptions, he didn't CHANGE THE ENDING, thus altering their overall impact/meaning...especially the meaning...which in the book version I find uplifting in the end, rather than depressing...I just dont think the depressing climax WORKS as well on the reader/viewer, the impression isnt as...impressive...ahhh, well...opinions, eh?...;)
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But I just want to ask you something. Apparently, King himself, after watching the film, stated that that was the ending he would've used for the novella if he could go back in time and change it. So, if you're such a fan of King's novella and his other work and respect him as much as you do, then shouldn't you respect his opinion about the ending? I mean, if it weren't for King, the novella would've never even existed, so his opinion about the ending of the film means something to you, does it not? If he enjoyed it, why can't you? You could argue that King would sell his mother if it paid enough money, as I know that many people refer to him as a sell-out, and that his statement in regard to Darabont's ending was simply a ploy to sell tickets and get people to go see another one of his movies, but then... if King is such a sell-out and lies about what he really thinks, then is he really worth respecting? Or, by extension, are his novels/novellas really worth respecting?
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I think I've determined a way to best get you to understand why I dislike the ending to this film. I like to have fun. The original 'Mist' ending gave everything up to that point a feeling more like a grisly adventure tale than straight out horror, I thought...this new ending is outright horror all the way thru to the end. Thats not fun...;)
I wanted this 'Mist' to be more adventure and heart racing thrills, more awe inspiring that horrifying, more creepy that weepy.
___Anyway, I like to have fun...;) -
'But I just want to ask you something. Apparently, King himself, after watching the film, stated that that was the ending he would've used for the novella if he could go back in time and change it. So, if you're such a fan of King's novella and his other work and respect him as much as you do, then shouldn't you respect his opinion about the ending?'
Actually, what I heard was that he had stated he 'prefers this new ending'...I hadn't heard anything regarding 'travelling back in time'...was that a quote? If so its honestly news to me...as I read it, he just made it sound like the standard stuff he seems to say regarding all his book2film stuff...and no, I don't really trust him in this respect...;)
He would say it to assist his friend, perhaps to get asses in the seats...however, I DO love his TALENT with writing...different matter...;)
'I mean, if it weren't for King, the novella would've never even existed, so his opinion about the ending of the film means something to you, does it not?' See above...;)
Love the mans work, but he's a bit jaded IMHO...;) 'if King is such a sell-out and lies about what he really thinks, then is he really worth respecting? Or, by extension, are his novels/novellas really worth respecting? ' Oh, most definitely! The work stands on its own merit as an entertainment...and the respect Ive had for King, if there ever was an abundant ammount, was more easily measured a long way back...I DO kindda regard him as a sell out, but so what? Never claimed he was perfect, just a damned good storyteller...;)
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Lol. Just edit the ending when it comes to DVD man. I'm going to enjoy the novella for what it is and enjoy the movie for what it is. But I can't make you understand why Darabont did what he did with the ending.
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Makes it a better story, really. And, the novella is still there, whenever you want to read it. So its a win/win for those who like the original story: there it is. For those who like the better ending of the movie (anticipated): there it will be. Yay! Something for everybody.
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'But I can't make you understand why Darabont did what he did with the ending.'
Oh, I understand it, I just don't like it...;)
I guess I just wanted a comic book adventure feel to the film version, that how I always pictured it...have you ever heard the 3D audio presentation of the novella? THAT was the 'Mist' I wanted onscreen, pretty much, great stuff!
No matter what, I want this film to do bang up biz, and further cement Darabonts name asa king himself... the 'King Adaption King'...;)
GO SEE 'THE MIST', All! -
'Makes it a better story, really. '
THAT is a matter of opinion, as we've seen here, man...;)
We seriously just have to agree to disagree on that, I cant see 'depressing' as better than 'hopeful'...'For those who like the better ending of the movie (anticipated): there it will be. Yay! Something for everybody.'
true, true...but the novella one works MUCH better for me...I always go for the 'classic' version of just about anything...hell, I prefer the cheesy 1981 BBC series over the film version of that 'Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy' series...it was just more fun...and as I probably mentioned, I like having FUN in my entertainment...ITS HOW I ROLL, BABY!...;)
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Fine then we shall agree to disagree about it. Also, another thing I was thinking about that might make you happy is this: When this movie comes out on DVD they might have an 'alternate ending' section on the DVD/Bluray, so you have to think about that too. I can actually imagine them doing something like that for the DVD for the die-hard fans (like you) of the original novella. Then you may not even need to use your video editing stuff on the movie, lol. And another thing is, Darabont might release a director's cut version of the film that has a different ending. Because if you will remember, in the original Blade Runner movie, it ended with Deckard and Rachel driving away in his car down that road viewed from high above with all the trees around them. But then in the Director's Cut (the one I have on DVD) that ending sequence with Deckard and Rachel driving off is totally cut out and the film ends right after Deckard gets Rachel from the apartment. So you never know what they will do with the DVD so just keep your fingers crossed. ;)
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*SPOILER*
*SPOILER*
About what happens to the actual mist itself at the end, I don't like the idea that it just disappears. I think it is definitely more apocalyptic if it just keeps going and it's implied that it engulfs the whole world (ie another dimension that just keeps pouring through the hole they tore) - just like the book suggested.
Just my 2 cents
*END SPOILER*
*END SPOILER* -
All that work he did and the mist goes away. Was there a Price is Right "You Failed" tuba noise in the background?
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'Also, another thing I was thinking about that might make you happy is this: When this movie comes out on DVD they might have an 'alternate ending' section on the DVD' I'd considered this too...;) See, we do think alike on SOME things...! By the way, thanks for a very interesting exchange on all this...know how someone that approves of this movie ending looks at it helps me to see it differently...I still don't care for this new addition to the finale, but I understand the thinking behind its inception/reception a bit better now!
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SPOLIERS!!!!
**************
From what I can guess (and what I have read) the military is able to disperse it in this 'new addition' to the origianl ending...and I agree with you, I dont care for it a bit, the idea that the earth is permanently covered in the stuff and man cant stop it is WAY better than the army getting control of it...ahh, well!...;) -
"SPOLIERS!!!! ************** From what I can guess (and what I have read) the military is able to disperse it in this 'new addition' to the origianl ending...and I agree with you, I dont care for it a bit, the idea that the earth is permanently covered in the stuff and man cant stop it is WAY better than the army getting control of it...ahh, well!...;)"
Oh yeah like THAT is a hopeful ending!!! :P
But seriously, it's been nice exchanging with you as well on all of this. It looks like they put up a new Mist talkback now, so let's go stir up trouble on that one now. Cool? ;) -
I mussta...MIST...that one!
BAHahahahaha!!!...Sorry...;)
Oh, and one last thing...(besides pointing out that discussin' all this has been interesting, I agree)...having the mist covering the entire earth ISNT the aspect of hope...(thats just creepy and cool!)...the 'hope' comes from David kissing his LIVE son and whispering 'hartford' into his ear...I just hope SOMETHING refering to the 'hartford' aspect is in Darabonts film, then I can die partially happy...;)
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