The Mist (black & white version)

I've avoided this movie for a long time because I had the ending spoiled shortly after it came out and read nothing but bad reviews, but I'm a sucker for black & white films, and so I thought I'd give it a shot.

This was a cool concept bogged down in bad characterization - specifically a very generic and somewhat unlikeable hero supported by a grocery store full of stereotypes - and full of very obvious and derivative plot turns. The ending really left me asking, "What is the take-away?" What are we supposed to walk away from this film thinking about? I don't mind ambiguity. I like being left with things to think about, I like unanswered questions, but The Mist seemed to not know what it was trying to bestow on its audience. Do not tamper with nature? Do not blindly follow authority? We're all damned? I don't know.

The creature effects were sometimes decent, sometimes terrible. I would've much preferred more animatronics and less CGI. At least a creative blend of the two that leaves you unsure how the filmmakers achieved a given shot, but instead it was pretty clear that 99% of the special effects in this movie were done on a computer.

After a hugely disappointing first season of The Walking Dead, and now this, I'm beginning to wonder if Darabont's Shawshank Redemption was a fluke.

1.5 out of 4 balls.