Just finished watching "The Mist" *Spoilers inside*

[Marybelle]

If you haven't read the short story, and you haven't seen the movie, and you don't want it ruined:  DON'T GO ANY FURTHER!!  You have been warned...   


Okay, so I've always loved this story.  Gave me the willies the first time I read it (keeping in mind I lived on a lake in the mountains in Maine at the time, I think that's understandable!), and freaked me out every time afterward, even though I knew the story.  It is Stephen King at his absolute best, IMO. 

That being said, I think they killed it!  Most of the movie was fine.  The people did stupid things, but they did in the book, as well.  You hated the people you were supposed to hate, and it followed the story pretty closely, from what I remember (it's been a while since I've read the story, so some of the details were lost on me).  My issue is with the ending!  Stephen King had the perfect ending for this story, and they ruined it! 

At the end of the novella, they're riding off, trying to find where the mist ends, and see if anyone else is left alive.  He has it end with them debating if they're brave enough to try to fill the gas tank on the Rover, and trying to find a radio station to tell them what's going on.  This is a good Stephen King ending.  There is no rescue, no happily (or unhappily, as the case may be) ever after, you're left to supply the details with your imagination.

I have several issues with the way the movie ended.  Number 1, I don't care if you're in the mist, surrounded by monsters, if there are no monsters near you, YOU DON'T KILL EVERYONE WITH YOU!!!  I mean, come on.  If the Rover was surrounded by monsters, and they were breaking in, if everyone was starving, yes.  Otherwise, you wait!  Perfectly reasonable and safe course of action...  And who knows?  Rescue might show up! 

Secondly, where did all the mist go, once the army guys showed up with their flame-throwers?  It's not flammable, there was no wind, and yet...  it just disappeared...  Poof!  Dare I say it's unrealistic?  LOL 

Thirdly, what happened to the highway?  They ended up on a dirt or gravel road.  Hubby said "Maybe they got lost?", and my response was "On the same road that the whole army just happened to get lost on?"  Not making a whole lot of sense that they ended up in the middle of nowhere, and it just happened to be where the army was coming through, no? 

Anyway, that's my thoughts on the matter.  I thought the novella ending was so much better, but I guess today's bloodthirsty society, with a terrible lack of their own imagination, wouldn't have been able to deal with that, or something.

It just irritated me to no end, as I'm sure you can tell.

[rodent_girl_1985]

I agree. Truely one of the dumbest endings in movie history, I was royaly p.o'd when i saw it. I hadn't read the story before seeing the movie, but after seeing it I looked up the book ending on the computer. That was the perfect ending. Like you said, it was wasn't a happy ending, but it wasn't unhappy either.

[Kati33]

THANK YOU! I read the book awhile ago, and couldn't find it to read it just before the movie- but I was SURE that the book just sorta ended, like many King stories do! I agree, no reason to just shoot them, get out try walking and if you start getting attacked- then shoot the people before they die or whatever. It wasn't nearly as disappointing as the last SK movie I saw (Dreamcatcher), but I did hate the ending. As per the SK website, it looks like Bag of Bones may be on the horizon- I hope that one does the book more justice!

[heidinratties]

I loved the book.  Haven't seen the movie and don't think I will.   The book ending was perfect!

[ratlets]

I actually thought the ending was great... maybe I'm twisted like that... lol

[~Stacey~]

I actually thought the ending was great... maybe I'm twisted like that... lol

Guess I'm twisted too!!  I liked the ending, haven't read the book yet.

[Marybelle]

See, it may be a difference between those who've read the story, and those who haven't.  To me, after all the mostly smart decisions this guy made all through the movie (he was pretty much the only rational one), to have him turn around and do something so utterly stupid like that just blew my mind...

[ratlets]

Guess I should mention I didn't read the story, either.

[pinkie1205]

I just kind of laughed at the ending because I knew it was coming.  I knew as soon as he shot everyone they were going to be rescued.

Other then that the movie did freak me out.  When the ending came I was just kind of like..WTF?

[Marybelle]

That's just it, too.  It seemed like the people making the movie wanted to try to tie it up in a neat little package.  I much prefer King's way of ending it.  You were left to imagine how far the mist went, and if they ever got out of it, or ever found other survivors who weren't idiots... 

[pinkie1205]

In the novella did it have the part where they went into the pharmacy and all those people were tied up in spider webs?

[Marybelle]

Yup.  Or at least similar enough. 

[Leonakitty]

See, I LOVED the story.  I Love King and normally am a huge huge huge stickler for keeping it to the book.  Dreamcatcher... I had to walk out laughing since my mind had SNAPPED at how they killed the ending (Secret?  The DVD has the original ending and it's SO much better.  Whenever I watch the film, I stop it before that abortion of an ending and play the original, unprettied up one.  Darn them. Yes, I bought the film.  I have a collection going and ain't nothing stopping this King addict from collecting!). 

Now, the Mist... I loved the novella, I was so jazzed that they kept so much to the story (I've said it before, but I'll say it again, verbatim dialogue from the book... oh how I love you!) and I actually really didn't hate the ending.  I thought it was ballsy of the director to be so unabashedly dark.  The other King movies Frank Darabont(sp?) directed were generally uplifting, Shawshank moreso that Green Mile.  I wished he left Green Mile a bit more depressing, actually.  The book is a downer! Gorgeous, amazing, downer! 

I went "OMFG! I can't believe how depressing this is.  Holy cow, that's awesome."  Keep in mind I was one of the folks PISSED that the kid in the film version of Cujo lived.  Total cop out.  I liked the ending... it just twisted the freaking knife.  Ah... I need to buy the film. See, I think King liked the ending too.  He's friends with the director and I'm sure he was on the scene and part of the process.  It's just such a great ending... very few movies have been that willing to utterly destroy an audiences' emotions.  I'm so sick of happy endings. 

I think those folks did something sorta stupid but we have to remember they were terrified, tired, and didn't know what to do.  Of course, I always say in event of a zombie attack I'm going the immediate suicide route.  So, obviously, I'm a wimp.   I'll take the sweet release of death via painless bullet over terror, pain, and monsters any day.  I'm just not a fighter when we get right down to the survival horror levels. Heh. So, to me, they did what I would do.  "Kill me, kill me now, plz.  Before the monsters eat me.  I saw what happened to those other dudes, shoot me!"

All in all, I put The Mist as one of the better King movies.  About par with Secret Window (which they also made have a much much darker ending). Better than 1408. Not in Green Mile, Shawshank, Misery, Stand by Me, Hearts in Atlantis company but better than Dreamcatcher and the original Salem's Lot, fer sure.

OMG, King is love.
Now, if they mutilate Dark Tower, then you'll see me go really really rantingly insane.

Melissa

[Kati33]

You know what I miss about King movies- his little cameo apperances! I loved being on the lookout for him and pointing him out to my husband (who is not as obsessed as I am, but puts up with watching the movies and hearing me bitch about how they changed it!).

Now I need to get Dreamcatcher, Melissa. I saw it in the theater and would never imagined that I would want to see it again- but with the real ending....

[Marybelle]

Yeah, a different ending almost makes me want to get it from Netflix...  LOL

[NightmareWolfie1]

Bah at this movie!
Bah, I say!
BAH!
I was so angry with the ending.
I love Stephen King.
I cry when they mutilate his books.
Ok... not really, but maybe on the inside.
A bit.
The ending was dumb.
It was pointless.
It was just so that those who would be driven crazy without a clearcut ending would be appeased.
Ad I despised it.
That being said, the effects were alright.
And I'm done.
I'm a huge movie critic, and I could go for hours.

[Leonakitty]

Heh.  Dreamcatcher's original ending (aka, the one before they said "know what this needs?  MORE CGI!!!") isn't perfect by a stretch. It's not the original book ending (but it's always hard to translate mental battles into film... see IT for a perfect example of said issues with such things) but at least with this one Duddit's ISN'T a freaking ALIEN! I actually have an emotional reaction to the original ending that is just lacking in the theater one.  I get a bit teary, actually, during the last five minutes or so. So, worth a Netflick if you're curious but don't buy it on my say so!  I do think turning off the film, hopping into special features and watching the original ending makes the movie a lot better, though. 

The stupid thing about Dreamcatcher?  Originally the screenplay was written by a really stolid, good, dependable King adapter.  William Goldman actually did the scripts for Misery and Hearts in Atlantis.  So, the whole first part where it's a great film and they follow the book?  I'm betting that's due to the original writer.  See, what went wrong was the DIRECTOR wanted to alter the script, too.  That's why the screenplay is now credited to two people.  I blame him for the horrors that fell upon this film.  It could have been so GOOD.  *tear*

Okay, 'nuff ranting.
I'm a King nut and could talk about him forevs.
Melissa

[Marybelle]

Yeah, I love King's work, and am usually sorely disappointed when it comes to the big screen.  There is just such a huge mental component to his writing that you can't put into film without doing cheesy voice-overs...  And the convolutions some writers/directors go through to try to explain the things that are happening in people's heads drives me nuts! 

I may have to Netflix Dreamcatcher just to see the alternate ending...  LOL