Reviews

Tim Burton and his collaborators did a fine job translating the essence of the Stephen Sondheim's stage musical to the big screen. The grim story and haunting music seem tailor–made for Burton, and the casting was dead-on, from Johnny Depp as the revenge-bent barber, to the trio of young unknowns in the supporting cast.

My main gripe is that the adaption doesn't really advance visually from the stage production. As in the play, there are only a couple of sets, but given the drab color palette, relatively ordinary shot compositions, and somewhat banal character design (Depp and Helena Bonham-Carter are made up like stereotypical Burton goths), the aesthetics never truly transcend their stage roots. The adaption succeeds because the source material is rendered faithfully and skillfully, but as a movie it still feels a bit like a filmed play. With a more expansive set design, and perhaps a few inspired twists and innovations with the characters and musical arrangements, the movie could have taken the play to a more cinematically expressive level. Nonetheless, it works as an effective (and bloodier) version of the play, while exposing a new generation of fans to Sondheim's eerie and clever songs.

"The Mist" rivals "Dreamcatcher" as the least scary, most unimaginative and rehashed Stephen King adaption ever, which is somewhat shocking considering both movies were directed by Oscar-nominated directors. But perhaps their credibility is actually the problem here (not to mention Stephen King's crusty imagination)--maybe these directors simply can't direct Horror, which is a genre that must necessarily forgo melodramatic pretension in favor of more visceral storytelling. It doesn't help that the melodrama itself sucks, cluttered with cookie-cutter characters spouting utterly phony dialogue and making inexplicable decisions seemingly for the convenience of the plot. If the movie delivered scares, the melodrama might be forgivable, but failing at both is inexcusable.

Look, just because Stephen King lies about retiring and continues to churn out crappy pseudo-horror stories, doesn't mean every single one has to made into a crappy movie simply to cash in on his reputation. I mean, "The Mist" is totally devoid of anything original, thrilling, or the least bit creepy. The "mist" in the movie is more or less just fog, which makes it hard for the characters to see. I, for one, find it hard to see why Frank Darabont or any of the actors wanted to be involved in this film, which (to be frank) has got to be the low-point of all their careers so far.

There is nothing sinister, supernatural, or creepy about the "mist" itself. The movie alludes to some trite symbolic significance, and tries to unnerve with crude portrayals of religious fanaticism, but to my utmost disappointment, the threatening element was not "mist-ical" at all. Believe it or not, it was....GIANT MAN-EATING BUGS!!!! OH MY GOD!!! AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ