(2.5 out of 5 stars)

This movie is intriguing. Take a small town, put some of them in a grocery store, trap them by a mysterious mist, put a crazy religious fanatic in the room, and then watch the mist’s creatures attack the store and well, you have a pretty good movie.

Thomas Jane plays the courageous father who wants to find a way out. Marcia Gay Harden plays the religious fanatic who ultimately gets people who are scared in the store to come to her side and create a civil war of sorts inside the store with people taking sides. They both do pretty good acting jobs and keep the action together.

Frank Darabont directs and wrote the screenplay. For some reason, he typically does a Stephen King book justice. He does fine in the film allowing the characters and action to get equal time. This is a horror movie and there were moments that made me jump, no anticipation was even required. Maybe this movie proves that Darabont should continue doing King movies.

I have a little issue with the creatures. The creatures were pretty fake and pretty weird. I am not sure they really caught the idea of the creatures King was thinking about. The creatures almost looked like dinosaurs although they were also supposed to create a feel of the end of the world. This movie was hopefully completed on a low budget since the creatures are pretty unrealistic.

I really liked the ending. This mist is not just a mysterious creature infested thing. It is kind of like a mist on your mind, clouding your judgment. They make their attempt to flee the supermarket, but what happens if they do not make it? Is there a backup plan? This creates a great element for the audience to connect and put themselves in the same situation. For that the movie deserves kudos. Next time a freaky mist is reported, I for one am leaving town.

Similar recommended titles: The Fog, It and The Green Mile