The Mist

*** - Based on one of the roughly dozen books per year that Stephen King wrote in the 80s, 2007’s Frank Darabont directed “The Mist” is probably on the short list of best movies adapted from King novels. That’s not to say it is a great film – as it certainly isn’t – but it is a decent enough piece of work and a diversion probably worth taking for about two hours if you have it to spare. Thomas Jane and his wussy eight year-old son (who cries more in this movie than anyone has ever cried in any other movie I can recall) are caught inside a grocery store in backwoods Maine with a ragtag bunch of yokels while stocking up on supplies after a devastating storm hits when the titular mist rolls in and wreaks havoc on the scared and desperate citizens. While like pretty much any King story this one has weird monsters and supernatural events and such all over the place, what is probably the focus here are the interactions between the rather large number (I’d estimate around 50 to 75) of people that are inside the store when disaster strikes. You rarely see a movie that deals with that large of a number in this kind of situation. It’s usually like five people (two couples and fifth wheel nerd, for example) or maybe a family of six or something. The large number allows the story to get into some heavier philosophical areas than your usual disaster yarn, which certainly adds to the entertainment value. My only real complaints are the tacked-on feel of the ending and the considerable length of two hours that is probably a bit much for this kind of movie.