The Mist - C-

On DVD. Rated R, 125 minutes. Trailer.

Science Fiction and Horror are two of my least favorite genres, but the involvement of screenwriter /director Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption) and Andre Braugher (Homicide) piqued my interest in the film adaptation of the Stephen King Novella by the same name. Set in a small town in the Northeast, the film depicts the struggle for survival by a group of people stuck in a grocery store after a mysterious mist overtakes their town. The first 10 minutes (which precede the onset of the mist) were as bad as a movie of the week with bad acting, dumb backstory and a family that had no chemistry. Click below for more on "The Mist (How I lost respect for Frank Darabont)"

The lead actor, Thomas Jane, is a movie poster artist whose home is badly affected by a storm, and a neighbor's tree has fallen on his boathouse. That neighbor is Andre Braugher, a big city lawyer with contempt for those around him. They go into town together, and the mist hits while they're in the grocery store. The next 2 days see lots of Lord of the Flies social commentary, stupid CGI bugs and tentacles, and some of the worst dialogue and acting I've seen in a while. Thomas Jane (genius as Todd in Boogie Nights) is beyond bad as the actor/MacGyver alpha male. All of the bit players are weak, especially the son of Jane, whose overacting and hairsprayed hair were a big distraction. Braugher was, predictably, good, as was Marcia Gay Harden as a cussing Old Testament style Christian that eventually convinces teh majority of the group that her wacky doomsday theories are correct.

Darabont tries to make some points about religion, life, hope and society, but none of them lands. There are some suspenseful moments, but this was just a bad movie.