The Mist - Ending Scene

[AOA]

Watched it randomly last night. So, apart from being one (seriously) frustrating film to watch, which had me smack my head against the sofa a few times through - what ruined everything about it was the damn ending! Corrupted beyond belief, what the hell?!!

[YOUTUBE="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8uPYulh05I"]The Mist, Ending.[/YOUTUBE]
[Be Advised: 15-rated, contains gore.]

... Think the makers need to get themselves some mannequins.

(For those whom watched it - feel free to share your opinions to it. Cheers.)

 

[speculative]

I rented it once when there wasn't anything else to rent. I didn't have high hopes for it, but I did hope that it would be somewhat enjoyable. I like it when stories contain a "real world gone awry." However, this film was simply too unrealistic to be believable. In order to suspend disbelief, if you're going to have something totally unbelievable in your story, like some mystic mist that comes out of nowhere, then the other elements of the story have to be believable. For example, the plot, the characters, etc.

Remember the guy with the gun in the store who sold himself as an "expert marksman?" I don't remember why he was a good shot, whether he was a hunter, or he was in the army, or what, but he was not a good shot. This is just one example of a hundred little things that were completely unrealistic about the story. A lot of horror films suffer from this kind of "don't go in there, oh now she went in there ahhh!" syndrome. In real life, you would never go in there. You would turn around, and leave.

What I would like to see is a horror movie where they turn around and leave instead of going in there, then something gets them anyway. This kind of realistic behavior coupled with realistic character motivations would really help suspend disbelief of the otherwordly elements of such stories...

To comment on the ending specifically: Thankfully, the entire movie leading up to the ending is so disappointing that it softens the blow of the ending. However, if you are even thinking of renting this film, watch the ending posted above first. The film is so pointless that there's nothing to spoil, and I gaurantee you that after seeing the ending you won't be watching the film...

 

[Totenkindly]

I've heard about the ending and it turned me off from ever seeing the film.
I did like the novella a great deal... including the ORIGINAL ending.

What's funny is that, while King is known as a "horror" writer, a lot of his (best) writing involves hope. Unfortunately, even he tends to drop into schlock when it comes to transferring things to the big screen.

Remember the guy with the gun in the store who sold himself as an "expert marksman?" I don't remember why he was a good shot, whether he was a hunter, or he was in the army, or what, but he was not a good shot. This is just one example of a hundred little things that were completely unrealistic about the story. A lot of horror films suffer from this kind of "don't go in there, oh now she went in there ahhh!" syndrome. In real life, you would never go in there. You would turn around, and leave.

I agree. The best movies let the characters make GOOD decisions... or they end up having GOOD reasons for entering some dubious locations... but the horror finds them anyway.

 

[evilrobot]

I've heard about the ending and it turned me off from ever seeing the film.
I did like the novella a great deal... including the ORIGINAL ending.

What's funny is that, while King is known as a "horror" writer, a lot of his (best) writing involves hope. Unfortunately, even he tends to drop into schlock when it comes to transferring things to the big screen.

The novella’s ending wasn’t exactly hopeful either, it just left more to the imagination (about what seemed like their inevitable fate) which was perhaps even more terrifying. And it was Frank Darabont’s movie, not King’s. Actually the few that King directed himself were among the worst (Maximum Overdrive being one off the top of my head).

 

[Hexis]

I thought the entire thing was fantastic and probably one of the best endings ive ever seen to a movie.

I hate this sense that people think all good movies end "beautifully" or with the good guys on top. The end to The Mist made the movie for me, it was like a hammer blow to the head you just didnt see it coming. I keep hearing how so many people hated it just for the ending. I personally loved it.

 

[speculative]

I thought the entire thing was fantastic and probably one of the best endings ive ever seen to a movie.

I hate this sense that people think all good movies end "beautifully" or with the good guys on top. The end to The Mist made the movie for me, it was like a hammer blow to the head you just didnt see it coming. I keep hearing how so many people hated it just for the ending. I personally loved it.

For me, the ending does not have to be happy, it just has to provide the pay off. This is something that all stories should do, regardless. For example, I really enjoyed Gilliam's version of Brazil vs. the producer's version. The reason I didn't enjoy the Mist ending is that there was no pay off...

 

[Hexis]

See I felt the movie was an emotional roller coaster of sorts and instead of getting off at the end the ride blew up in your face. Completely unexpected and thought as well as emotionally provoking. I got what I wanted out of the movie and was very pleased.

 

[AOA]

Apart from the ending in Saw V, this was another that had me go a little mad - and it was just not the ending, but most part of the film was going quite dry. For those that watched it; to name Mrs. Carmody as one of the characters that affected it. I personally don't think there was much detail to the way things were building in the film -and I didn't like the part where the soldier got stabbed by that small-time mob. Things were flying about everywhere.

... None the less, the ending was the worst thing I have ever encountered - it dismissed everything that makes things seem more 'real'. Pathetic.

 

[Hexis]

I dont watch movies for a since of "real"ness their suppose to be what takes the mind out of the real world not re-afirm the limits of reality.

 

[Mort Belfry]

Really? I thought the end was pretty funny. Made me laugh.

 

[speculative]

See I felt the movie was an emotional roller coaster of sorts and instead of getting off at the end the ride blew up in your face. Completely unexpected and thought as well as emotionally provoking. I got what I wanted out of the movie and was very pleased.

Interesting perspective; thanks for sharing.

 

[AOA]

I dont watch movies for a since of "real"ness their suppose to be what takes the mind out of the real world not re-afirm the limits of reality.

Guess it's more to do with a sense of morality - and this ending was set apart from that, which wouldn't make it 'real'.

 

[evilrobot]

I thought the entire thing was fantastic and probably one of the best endings ive ever seen to a movie.

I hate this sense that people think all good movies end "beautifully" or with the good guys on top. The end to The Mist made the movie for me, it was like a hammer blow to the head you just didnt see it coming. I keep hearing how so many people hated it just for the ending. I personally loved it.

/Right. Whether or not an ending is “uplifting” doesn’t in itself reflect on a movie’s quality. It’s like these people are saying The Mist (or fill in the blank) is a bad movie because it doesn’t indulge their New Age fantasies of a benign universe presided over by a loving and fair-minded deity.

I’m reminded of Pixar’s film Monster’s Inc. I enjoyed it up until the “healthy” ending that Jennifer would approve of, where the monsters that used to scare the kids from in their bedroom closests at night make nice and turn into Muppets. Rilke who wrote something like, “I’m afraid if I lose my demons, my angels will also disappear.” There’s this mindset that wants to sanitize us to death and transform the whole world into a gleaming Wal-Mart with everyone wearing a yellow Smiley Button.

 

[Oaky]

The mist ending.... Why? Just.. why? I don't get it. There was no point to it. An embarrassing excuse for an ending.

 

[Ouroboros]

Really? I thought the end was pretty funny. Made me laugh.

I did, too. It was a really hard movie to take seriously, so we ended up making fun of it. I figured mist would clear and more people would appear after that guy shot everybody, so when that happened I wasn't surprised. If the rest of the movie hadn't been such a joke, I might have enjoyed the end. It's not about a happy ending for me, just a good story. This wasn't a good story. I really liked the special effects and the monsters, except those flying ones. It would have been better to watch the movie on mute and fast forward through the parts with dialogue. Ten minute movie...the end!

I don't think the ending ruined it.

 

[Ben Dover]

I thought the entire thing was fantastic and probably one of the best endings ive ever seen to a movie.

I hate this sense that people think all good movies end "beautifully" or with the good guys on top. The end to The Mist made the movie for me, it was like a hammer blow to the head you just didnt see it coming. I keep hearing how so many people hated it just for the ending. I personally loved it.

I agree wholeheartedly. I did not even suspect that they were going to end it the way that they did. It was awesome, the rest of the movie sucked but the ending was soo goooooooooooooooooood

 

[LucrativeSid]

I didn't like the ending. Not because it was too tragic, but because it didn't make sense. As if the fight for survival is suddenly pointless once your car runs out of gas... They couldn't have gotten out and looked for another car or another shelter? They couldn't have saved the bullets for a time when they actually were under attack and about to experience painful deaths?

 

[Lexicon]

I didn't like the ending. Not because it was too tragic, but because it didn't make sense. As if the fight for survival is suddenly pointless once your car runs out of gas... They couldn't have gotten out and looked for another car or another shelter? They couldn't have saved the bullets for a time when they actually were under attack and about to experience painful deaths?

Your response, I believe, is precisely why this ending makes a great deal of sense.

Darabont was attempting to convey this kind of message.
Like The Shawshank Redemption [another Stephen King short story Frank Darabont adapted to film], the running themes of The Mist were of how people cope, adapt, and remain determined. Hold out hope. Or give in to fear. The Shawshank Redemption mainly focused on depicting the positive outcomes for those who hold out, keep chipping away, free themselves and survive. The Mist illustrated the same ideals, only through the opposite end of the scope; the focus was geared more toward the potential negative outcomes, when one relinquishes hope [that buzzword again], unravels, and ultimately, surrenders.

 

[lowtech redneck]

Your response, I believe, is precisely why this ending makes a great deal of sense.

Darabont was attempting to convey this kind of message.
Like The Shawshank Redemption [another Stephen King short story Frank Darabont adapted to film], the running themes of The Mist were of how people cope, adapt, and remain determined. Hold out hope. Or give in to fear. The Shawshank Redemption mainly focused on depicting the positive outcomes for those who hold out, keep chipping away, free themselves and survive. The Mist illustrated the same ideals, only through the opposite end of the scope; the focus was geared more toward the potential negative outcomes, when one relinquishes hope [that buzzword again], unravels, and ultimately, surrenders.

Good point (though its apparently not one that Stephen King himself made in the original novel). Personally, though I don't particularly like the ending, I don't hate it; it has an "Outer Limits" vibe which is always fun in its own way, and makes all other high-profile horror movies more enjoyable by casting doubt as to whether one should expect a somewhat happy ending. Incidentally, I enjoyed the rest of the movie, as well....I like horror movies centered around character interactions and development.

Now, my idea of a "bad" horror movie ending was the ending of the otherwise enjoyable indie movie "Crazy Eights"....not because it was happy or sad (I'm not giving it away, I would still recommend the movie for those who can enjoy a movie with a highly unsatisfying ending), but because it was extremely abrupt.

 

[LucrativeSid]

Your response, I believe, is precisely why this ending makes a great deal of sense.

Darabont was attempting to convey this kind of message.
Like The Shawshank Redemption [another Stephen King short story Frank Darabont adapted to film], the running themes of The Mist were of how people cope, adapt, and remain determined. Hold out hope. Or give in to fear. The Shawshank Redemption mainly focused on depicting the positive outcomes for those who hold out, keep chipping away, free themselves and survive. The Mist illustrated the same ideals, only through the opposite end of the scope; the focus was geared more toward the potential negative outcomes, when one relinquishes hope [that buzzword again], unravels, and ultimately, surrenders.

That's a good perspective and I'm glad that I've now thought about it. The ending may make sense in a cinematic way. The way they achieved is what didn't make sense. I'm talking about the characters and what they did, and not the writers or what they are trying to convey. That's not what it looks like to lose hope. That's what it looks like when you're watching characters being inconsistent and unrealistic. Ultimately, it takes you to the same place, though.