Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins (2000)

I think you know my thoughts on Disney’s line of direct-to-DVD films. But once my 5-year-old saw the preview for Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins on our rented copy of Toy Story 2, I knew I’d be watching it sooner than later.

But guess what? It wasn’t awful.

Buzz Lightyear of Star Command follows Buzz (Tim Allen) as he tries to stop Emperor Zurg (Wayne Knight) from stealing the Unimind. I know, isn’t that just pure evil?

Oh, what’s the Unimind? It’s this large, Saturn-looking brain thing that the Little Green Men use to think as one (remember how they thought and acted in the first two Toy Story movies?).

After the supposed death of his partner Warp (Diedrich Bader) at the hands of Zurg, Buzz swears off partners until he’s forced to team up with a new rookie, Mira Nova (Nicole Sullivan). From there, we follow Buzz and his ragtag bunch of do-gooders as they attempt to stop Zurg’s plan to make the Unimind “bad” and control the thoughts of everyone in the galaxy.

With its lightweight plot and rubbery, 2-D animation, it’s hard to believe that Buzz Lightyear of Star Command is a Disney•Pixar property. In fact, I wonder how much say Pixar had in allowing a film like this to be made with one of their flagship characters.

That being said, the movie did its job of entertaining my 5-year-old son. And it pains me to say it, but I did catch myself chuckling a few times. Consider some of the Airplane!-esque captions that appeared in the corner of the screen:

[Long shot of galaxy] SPACE. DUH.
[Shot of Zurg’s hideout] ZURG’S TOWER. NOTE BIG GUN ON TOP.

And get a load of this evil command by Zurg: “Target the planet of widows and orphans!”

Buzz Lightyear of Star Command ends with a deux ex machina, just-like-that finish that allows good to triumph over evil (sorry, did I spoil the end of a Disney movie?). The film spawned a short-lived TV series on the Disney Channel – which I should’ve seen coming, since the final credit of the film actually says, “Produced by Walt Disney TV Animation.”

BONUS: The song playing over the closing credits is “To Infinity and Beyond” by William Shatner, sung in his unique spoken-word style: “To…INFINITY…andbeyond.” Much like Buzz Lightyear, the Shatmaster knows no bounds.

Rating: 2.5 stars (out of 5).

Will your kids like it?

• My 5-year-old son ate this movie up, and laughed quite a bit. Not to stereotype, but I bet boys would be drawn more to this movie than girls – though there is a strong female character in the form of Mira Nova.
• The film did have healthy doses of laser gunplay, though only once was a human character hit (he survives) – the rest were all robots of one sort or another.

Will your FilmMother like it?

Hard to say. I know my FilmMother was fine with me watching this film with our son while she was out shopping. Draw your own conclusions from there.

Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins
* Director: Tad Stones
* Writers: Mark McCorkle, Robert Schooley, Bill Motz, Bob Roth
* Stars: Tim Allen, Nicole Sullivan, Larry Miller, Stephen Furst, Wayne Knight, Adam Carolla, Diedrich Bader
* MPAA Rating: G

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Grizzly (1976)

After the success of Jaws (1975), theatres in the late ‘70s were overrun with “animals gone wild” films – quickie attempts to ride the wave of Steven Spielberg’s great white shark. Audiences were hit with forgettable fare like Food of the Gods, Day of the Animals, The Swarm, and – arguably one of the best of this crop – Grizzly (though that’s not saying much).

Grizzly is so brazen in its rip-off of Jaws that it’s almost admirable:
• A giant animal devouring people
• A law enforcement official trying to keep things under control
• An authority figure who wants to keep the area open for tourists
• An unorthodox trio who track the beast to take him down
• A haunting speech by the captain/pilot about why and how the animal kills man
• An over-the-top finale with a big explosion

Despite this small mountain of coincidences, Grizzly is fairly watchable cheese. Christopher George plays head park ranger Michael Kelly with all the grit and gusto he can muster. In scenes where he trades barbs with park supervisor Joe Dorsey, the dialogue is ‘70s TV-quality at best, B-movie at worst (“You’re a maverick!” “I want a full investigation!”)

Speaking of B-movies, Grizzly’s special effects never reach above that level. The blood is brighter than a child’s finger paint, and several scenes of dismemberment use quick cuts to avoid showing the sub-standard effects (the movie is especially gory for a PG-rated film).

Director William Girdler employs the same tactics Spielberg did in Jaws – not showing his killer beast too soon, filming from the animal’s point of view, shooting the creature with tags instead of barrels – and they do add an element of suspense to earlier scenes. There is also some breathtaking aerial cinematography by William L. Asman. But everything Girdler mimics from Jaws is executed in Grizzly on a much less successful level. (Girdler would only direct three more films, including the aforementioned Day of the Animals, before dying in a helicopter crash in 1978.)

If you’re looking for a “good” Jaws rip-off, watch Alligator (1980). It’s got a solid script, better special effects, and, unlike Grizzly, deliberate humor. (It was recently released on a special edition DVD, featuring an interview with screenwriter John Sayles and commentary by star Robert Forster.)

Did you know?
Grizzly’s theft of Jaws elements went right down to the casting and guest screenwriting:
• Susan Backlinie, the doomed swimmer at the beginning of Jaws, was a victim of Grizzly’s bear (her scenes were cut).
• Andrew Prine (as helicopter pilot Don and knock-off of Robert Shaw’s Quint from Jaws) wrote his own dialogue for the “Indian story” of how a grizzly in the 1800s ate native Americans (Shaw wrote his own dialogue for Quint’s famous U.S.S. Indianapolis monologue).

Rating: 3 stars (out of 5).

Will your kids want to watch it?

Your kids have probably never even heard of this film. But if your have curious pre-teens, I would keep it away from them.

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

Highly unlikely, unless you want to tag-team on shouting insults at the screen a la Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Grizzly
* Director: William Girdler
* Screenwriter: Harvey Flaxman & David Sheldon
* Stars: Christopher George, Andrew Prine, Richard Jaeckel, Joan McCall, Joe Dorsey
* MPAA Rating: PG (graphic violence, adult language and situations)



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The Wild (2006)

For anyone who knows the difference between Disney•Pixar movies and “just Disney” movies, it’s no secret that the Disney•Pixar films are far superior. It’s like this: Disney•Pixar films (Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, WALL•E) are made by Pixar; Disney only distributes them to theaters. “Just Disney” films (Chicken Little, Meet The Robinsons) are actually made by Walt Disney Pictures.

In Disney’s third CGI-animated film The Wild, Ryan (Greg Cipes) is a zoo lion who wants to go to the wild, where his dad Samson (Kiefer Sutherland) once ruled. When he gets himself shipped to Africa, Samson and his zoo friends work together to bring him back. In Africa, they encounter all kinds of danger, including an active volcano and a herd of wildebeests whose leader is determined to reverse the roles of lions and wildebeests on the food chain.

The Wild does nothing to help Disney get closer to the Pixar pedigree. It’s a lightweight, pop-culture-injected experience that feels like a subpar mash-up of Nemo, Madagascar, and The Lion King. It’s not great, it’s not horrible…it’s just forgettable. There’s a near-zero attempt at character development, and barely a moment without lots of talking or an overbearing musical score. In short, Disney needs to step up to the Disney•Pixar level of filmmaking, and fast. (This fall’s Bolt will be Disney's next attempt to do so.)

And to support my claim that this film is “forgettable,” I offer this closing argument: At my day job, I mentioned to a coworker – a hardcore Disney and Pixar fan who goes to every opening weekend – that I watched The Wild with my son.

She had no idea what I was talking about.

I rest my case.

Rating: 2 stars (out of 5).

Will your kids like it?

When I asked my 5-year-old what he thought of The Wild, he said it was “good” and that he ”liked it.” And I can see how it could be entertaining to a child who doesn’t discriminate the way a cynical adult would. For me, I spent most of The Wild mentally naming all the other, better Pixar and Disney films we could have watched.

Will your FilmMother like it?

I would think she would tolerate it for the sake of your children, though if she loves Pixar and classic Disney the way most adults do, she would probably agree there’s better stuff out there.

The Wild
* Director: Steve "Spaz" Williams
* Screenwriters: Mark Gibson, Philip Halprin
* Stars: Kiefer Sutherland, Eddie Izzard, James Belushi, Janeane Garofalo, William Shatner
* MPAA Rating: G


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Juno (2007)

Okay dads, before you skip this movie because it looks like “chick flick with hipster dialogue,” take a deep breath and give it a chance – I don’t think you’ll regret it.

Sixteen-year-old Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page) finds herself pregnant after sex with her boyfriend (Superbad’s Michael Cera). After an unsettling experience in the waiting room of an abortion clinic, she decides to keep the baby and give it up for adoption. When she chooses a yuppie couple (Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman), she forms a bond with them that plays out individually with each parent-to-be.

First-time screenwriter (and Oscar winner) Diablo Cody take the somber topic of teen pregnancy and injects enough levity, smart dialogue, and occasional moments of hilarity to keep Juno from becoming a Lifetime movie or extended after-school special. And 20-year-old Page is a star in the making, if this film is any indication. She does what any great actress does with a role: She makes us forget she’s acting.

Veteran character actors J.K. Simmons (the Spider-Man films, HBO’s “Oz”) and Allison Jenney (Private Parts, NBC’s “The West Wing”) do a great job as Juno’s dad and stepmom; Jenney has an especially juicy scene where she chews out the lab tech performing Juno’s ultrasound.

A good chunk of the film’s personality also lies with its soundtrack, a series of folksy alternative songs – especially the catchy opener, “All I Want Is You” by Barry Louis Polisar.

Juno did receive some backlash for its aforementioned hipster-speak and using the ever-growing crisis of pregnant teens as comic fodder. But forget all that; Juno is a solid above-average film in a growing wasteland of painfully-below-average dreck.

Rating: 3 stars (out of 5).

*

Will your kids want to watch it?

If you have tweens or teens, I’d say yes. And while Juno is rated PG-13 for mature themes and language, I doubt it’s anything they haven’t seen or heard before. As far as younger children, they wouldn’t appreciate the humor, and the subject matter might need some explaining.

Will your FilmMother like it?

Most definitely. It features a cast of strong yet flawed women, an engaging story and dialogue, and nobody gets blown up or gutted. Oh, did I also mention it revolves around a baby being born?

Juno
* Director: Jason Reitman
* Screenwriter: Diablo Cody
* Stars: Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Garner, J.K. Simmons, Allison Janney, Olivia Thirlby

* MPAA Rating: PG-13


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This Film Is Not Yet Rated (2006)

Who rates the movies you watch? The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), of course. But who are the actual people that decide a film’s rating? The answer is, nobody knows.

So filmmaker Kirby Dick hired private investigators to uncover the identities of the members who make up the MPAA’s ratings board. The result is This Film is Not Yet Rated, an engrossing documentary about how movie ratings are assigned, how directors battle with the MPAA over the content of their film (and usually lose), and why we may be letting a small panel of people commit censorship on a daily basis.

Dick interviews many well-known directors whose films have been rated NC-17 by the MPAA, including Kevin Smith (Clerks, Jersey Girl), Kimberly Pierce (Boys Don’t Cry), and John Waters (Pink Flamingos, A Dirty Shame). Most major movie studios will not release an NC-17 film, let alone promote it. So if a director wants their NC-17 film to reach a mainstream audience, he or she needs to make cuts to their film for it to receive an R rating. And if they decide not to cut their film and appeal their rating, they’re not allowed to cite other films as examples or precedents.

The NC-17 material in nearly all the examples Dick shows is of a sexual nature, and often it’s the portrayal of gay sex in films that cause them to be rated NC-17. Dick even uses a split screen to compare gay sex scenes to straight ones. In each instance, the sex act or position is identical, but each “gay” film received an NC-17, while each “straight” film received only an R.

At the end of This Film is Not Yet Rated, life imitates art as Dick submits his film to the MPAA; of course, it’s rated NC-17. He then appeals his rating to a different set of MPAA board members (including two members of the clergy!), while his PIs do some snooping about the identity of this “shadow board” as well.

Rating: 4 stars (out of 5).

Will your kids want to see it?

This documentary about movie ratings, sex vs. violence, and creative freedom should be kept away from young eyes and ears. For Dick to make his point, he shows A LOT of graphic sex scenes. High-school teenagers could probably cope, and they’ve probably seen much worse on the Internet (a point made by both Smith and Waters).

Will your FilmMother want to see it?

If you’re comfortable watching sex scenes with your FilmMother and hearing frank talk about sexual acts, I recommend you watch This Film Is Not Yet Rated together. Every adult should see how the MPAA may have other interests in mind than helping parents (the connection between the MPAA, film studios, and theater owners is stupefying).

This Film is Not Yet Rated
* Director: Kirby Dick
* Screenwriter: Eddie Schmidt, Kirby Dick
* Stars: Allison Anders, David Ansen, Darren Aronofsky, Jamie Babbit, Maria Bello, Atom Egoyan, Stephen Farber, Mary Harron, Kimberly Peirce, Kevin Smith, Matt Stone, John Waters
* MPAA Rating: Unrated (includes adult language, nudity, and strong sexual content)


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Chicken Run (2000)

Chicken Run was the first full-length feature for Aardman Studios, creator of the Wallace & Gromit short films. It opens with an inspired homage to The Great Escape, comparing life in a chicken farm to being a prisoner of war. But beyond that, the film falls a bit flat, carrying a gray overcast both visually and in its tone.

It tells the story about a group of chickens led by Ginger (Julia Sawalha), who try repeatedly to escape their hatchery in gloomy 1950’s England. After several failed attempts, they’re about to give up when in lands Rocky (Mel Gibson), a “flying” rooster who’s trying to escape his traveling circus. Ginger agrees to hide Rocky from the ringleader paying visits to the farm’s owners, Mr. & Mrs. Tweedy (Tony Haygarth and Miranda Richardson). In exchange, Rocky must teach the chickens how to fly so they can soar over their farm’s fence to freedom.

Simply put, Chicken Run didn’t do it for me or my 5-year-old son. While it does have an egg-citing climax (sorry, couldn’t resist), it doesn’t redeem the previous 70 minutes. My recommendation: Watch Aardman’s more fun and far superior Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of The Were-Rabbit.

Rating: 2 stars (out of 5).

Will your kids like it?

If your kids are expecting zany action and laugh-out-loud high jinks, Chicken Run will disappoint. It’s got a handful of action sequences, but it’s also a bit heavy on dialogue for its short running time (84 minutes).

Some scary/objectionable stuff:

• A chicken is beheaded off screen by Mrs. Tweedy (you hear the “chop”)
• Mrs. Tweedy is quite menacing, always shot from below and sporting a wide, scowling grimace
• Scary, growling dogs (is there a pattern here?)
• A giant chicken processor is a bit scary, with sharp spinning blades and a hot oven
• One chicken says to “kiss your bum goodbye”
• A few innuendos which will probably go over most youngsters’ heads

Yet of all the things listed above, my 5-year-old makes the following observation right before the film’s climax…

“I don’t like this movie. You shouldn’t have taped it.”
"Why not?"
“It has the word ‘stupid’ in it.”

Will your FilmMother like it?

Moot point. Skip Chicken Run and rent Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of The Were-Rabbit – especially if she likes bunnies.

Chicken Run
* Directors: Peter Lord, Nick Park
* Screenwriter: Karey Kirkpatrick
* Stars: Mel Gibson, Julia Sawalha, Miranda Richardson, Phil Daniels, Lynn Ferguson, Tony Haygarth, Jane Horrocks, Timothy Spall, Imelda Staunton, Benjamin Whitrow
* MPAA Rating: G


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The Dark Knight (2008)

Based on the record-breaking gobs of money it’s made since it opened 11 days ago, chances are you’ve already seen The Dark Knight. If you haven’t, I’ll tell you why you should see it – and why your pre-teen children shouldn’t.

I won’t go into plot details, because The Dark Knight has so many of them happening one after the other. This isn’t a bad thing; it’s just that once you think something’s over, something else comes along to crank things up again.

The buzz you’ve heard about The Dark Knight is true – it’s a great film with amazing action sequences and compelling characters. What takes it to another level is that you feel like you’re watching a sprawling crime drama, not just a superhero movie. Christian Bale is once again effective as Bruce Wayne/Batman, and Heath Ledger’s Joker gets under your skin and stays there. But the biggest character arc has to be Aaron Eckhart’s crusading district attorney Harvey Dent. His transition from white knight to fallen angel makes him the true tragic hero of the film.

Rating: 4 stars (out of 5).

Will your kids want to see it?

If you have small kids (okay, boys), I wouldn’t be surprised if they ask to see this movie because it’s Batman. But as much as I question the MPAA’s unscientific ratings process, they were right giving The Dark Knight a PG-13. In addition to the adult tone of the film, I can all but guarantee that the two villains will give your children nightmares.

The Joker’s antics are sadistically violent. Here’s a sample of his work:
• Impaling a pencil in a man’s head
• Sticking a knife in someone’s mouth
• Videotaping two of his victims’ final moments
• Implanting a bomb under a man’s skin
• Numerous shootings

And when the film finally revealed my favorite Batman villain of all time, Two-Face, I was both exhilarated and horrified. The “bad” side of his face will haunt little children, trust me. Also, his path of revenge at the end of the film is swift and brutal.

Will your FilmMother want to see it?

My FilmMother passed on The Dark Knight – she has a bad track record with darkly shot Batman films (she fell asleep during the original Batman and Batman Forever). Still, I would try and convince your FilmMother to see The Dark Knight. It’s a masterful piece of filmmaking, with solid pacing and a superior script. And if you need a romance angle, there is a love triangle (albeit a tragic one) between Bruce Wayne, childhood friend Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal), and Harvey Dent.

The Dark Knight
• Director: Christopher Nolan
• Screenwriter: Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan
• Stars: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman
• MPAA Rating: PG-13 (intense sequences of violence and some menace)


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Oliver & Company (1988)

Oliver & Company is Disney’s spin on the classic story Oliver Twist: A homeless kitten named Oliver (voiced by Joey Lawrence) roams the streets of New York and is taken in by a gang of homeless dogs, including Dodger (Billy Joel), who survive by stealing from others. Meanwhile, their human friend, a vagabond named Fagin (Dom DeLuise), is constantly trying to avoid the evil mobster Sykes (Robert Loggia), to whom he owes a large amount of money.

There are two main reasons to keep young children away from Oliver & Company: boredom and fear. Regarding the boredom: My 2-year-old bailed after 7 minutes to play with his toy cars. My 5-year-old went the distance, but stopped watching twice – once to show me a photo album he made, and the other to let me know that “we need to buy more Scooby-Doo Band-Aids.” And it’s only a 74-minute movie.

As for the fear, the film includes:

• Lots of close-ups of growling, snarling dogs showing their sharp teeth
• Threats of death and inflicting of pain
• A phone conversation by Sykes where he says, “Don’t kill ‘em yet” and agrees with using “concrete shoes”
• Kidnapping and gunplay
• Electrocution (both comedic and fatal)

Other criticisms:

• The film is dark in both lighting and tone. No one is nice to each other for the first half of the film – which is almost totally comprised of dreary, unlit hideouts and waterfront piers.
• The musical numbers are almost nothing but disposable late-‘80s pop songs.
• The animation is iffy; at times, you wouldn’t know it’s a Disney film unless someone told you.

Bottom line? Oliver & Company doesn’t hold up in terms of pacing, character development, or child-friendliness. But I guess it’s always darkest before the dawn: Disney’s next three films would be The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and The Lion King.

Rating: 1 star (out of 5).

Will your kids want to see it?

Since Disney doesn’t really mention Oliver & Company when touting their “classics,” it’s highly unlikely your little ones will know about this 20-year-old film. [UPDATE: Disney released the Oliver & Company: 20th Anniversary Edition DVD on February 3, 2009.] But if they trip across it somehow, guide them toward better Disney titles (maybe any of the three I mentioned above).

Will your FilmMother want to see it?

Hopefully no, since you’ll tell her about this review. Right?

Oliver & Company
Director: George Scribner
Screenwriters: Jim Cox, Timothy J. Disney, James Mangold
Stars (voices): Joey Lawrence, Billy Joel, Cheech Marin, Richard Mulligan, Dom DeLuise, Robert Loggia
MPAA Rating: G


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Stitch! The Movie (2003)

Stitch! The Movie is yet another of Disney’s sub-par, direct-to-video films created to make a fast buck on the success of a popular, well-done original (others include Lady and the Tramp II, The Return of Jafar (Aladdin II), The Lion King II, The Lion King 1 1/2, and Cinderella II and III).

In this uninspired sequel, we find aliens Pleakley and Dr. Jumba (who pursued Stitch in 2002’s Lilo & Stitch) living with Lilo, her sister Nani, and Stitch (aka Experiment 626). What nobody knows is that Dr. Jumba has brought along the 625 other experiments with him, each in a “deactivated,” marble-sized shape. Captain Gantu (the baddie from the first film) is sent back to Earth by rodent-like Dr. Hamsterviel (get it?), who constantly yells in a grating faux-German accent. Gantu’s mission: Bring back the 625 experiments for Hamsterviel’s own evil purposes.

With Stitch! The Movie, gone is the warmth of the original Lilo & Stitch and replaced with animation and dialogue that could’ve come from any B-grade, 2-D Saturday morning cartoon. A few of the bigger scenes show sparks of classic, fluid Disney animation, but they’re not enough to salvage this “movie” (its running time is barely over an hour). This film is a perfect example of the direct-to-DVD titles that have devalued the Disney brand for the past decade – to the point where parents now trust the Pixar brand more than Disney for their family entertainment (and rightfully so).

Unfortunately, the ending of Stitch! The Movie leaves the door wide open for sequels – which Disney has already exploited with the direct-to-DVD titles Lilo & Stitch 2 and Leroy & Stitch. I don’t know if these films continue the story from Stitch! The Movie. Frankly, I don’t care – and neither should you. There are so many better Disney films (not to mention every Pixar film) to share with your kids. See them. Don’t see this.

Rating: 1.5 stars (out of 5).

Will your kids like it?

• My 5-year-old son was entertained by Stitch! The Movie (in fact, he’s viewed it repeatedly, to my chagrin). But he asked a million questions while watching it – which means the plot is either too complex or too muddled for children his age. A sampling of his questions: “What happened?” “Why did he do that?” “Why is he mad?” “What is he doing?” “What are they doing?” “What’s that?” “What did they do?”
• Also, I was surprised at a couple doses of questionable language. Dr. Jumba cheers on Stitch as Stitch chases Captain Gantu in their respective spaceships, telling Stitch to send a phaser “right up his afterburner.” Later, the butt fixation resurfaces as Gantu describes Stitch as a “pain in the rear.” I know, it’s not Scarface, but I didn’t think that kind of dialogue was appropriate for the audience who would see this film.
• There’s also a moment near the end where Stitch faces the possible fate of being sliced in half by a laser beam at the hands of Dr. Hamsterviel. It passes relatively quickly, but still…

Will your FilmMother want to see it?

Even if she liked Lilo & Stitch, tell your FilmMother to avoid Stitch! The Movie. (I did a lot of internal groaning and eye-rolling as I sat through it.) Again, choose any Pixar movie or any of the many classic Disney titles instead.

Stitch! The Movie
* Directors: Tony Craig, Roberts Gannaway
* Screenwriters: Roberts Gannaway, Jess Winfield
* Stars (voices): Daveigh Chase, Chris Sanders, Tia Carrere, David Ogden Stiers, Kevin McDonald, Kevin Michael Richardson, Jeff Bennett
* MPAA Rating: G


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The Mist (2007)

Writer-director Frank Darabont has a successful history of making movies based on stories by Stephen King. The Shawshank Redemption is an amazing film that eventually found widespread acclaim and immortality on home video. Some people claim The Green Mile was manipulative and hokey, but it remains one of my 20 favorite films of all time.

For both of these reasons, I was excited to watch Darabont’s adaptation of King’s novella The Mist. And while I can’t say it ranks as high for me as Shawshank or Green Mile, it’s a film that has stuck with me for days since viewing it.

The film opens in rural Maine with movie poster artist David Drayton (Thomas Jane) and his family weathering a violent storm. The next morning, as a mysterious mist crosses the lake behind their house, Drayton and his son Billy (Nathan Gamble) head into town with estranged neighbor Brent Norton (Andre Braugher). While they’re at the supermarket, a local man charges through the front door, blood smeared across his face, screaming to everyone inside to lock the doors – that there’s “something in the mist” that “got” his buddy.

Drayton is the first to notice that there just might be something out there, when he sees the large, closed metal door to the store’s loading dock getting pounded by something outside. When a couple of the locals open the door to clean the vent to the store’s generator, a slew of large slimy tentacles violently drag off one of the bagboys.

Things get progressively worse as some of the creatures in the mist bust through the glass storefront and attack the people inside; a group (led by Braugher) decides to leave and is torn to pieces; and a religious woman (Marcia Gay Harden, in an intimidating, under-your-skin performance) slowly but surely convinces people that it’s the end of days, and the mist and its creatures are God’s wrath coming down. (Giant locusts work to prove her point.)

After the first hour of The Mist, I didn’t have much faith. There’s isn’t a lot of action, and the development of the trapped characters doesn’t happen as much as you’d hope. However, the second half of the film cranks up the suspense, creepiness factor, and boiling over of personalities to almost make up for the previous 60 minutes.

The Mist is just as much about the dynamic of the people in the supermarket as what’s in the mist, and Darabont achieves a decent balance of both. He also does a superb job of showing the power of mob mentality in times of crisis.

Then there’s the ending. I won’t give anything away, but The Mist contains one of the most disturbing, unsettling endings I’ve seen since Se7en. It’s a one-two punch of a finale that will leave you deflated...yet thinking about it for days to come.

Rating: 2.5 stars (out of 5).

Will your kids want to see it?

If you have teenage kids, let’s be honest: The Mist is the kind of movie they’ll enjoy watching so they can scare the hell out of themselves. And while it is rated R, I doubt there’s anything amongst the carnage and profanities that they haven’t seen in other films or on the Internet.

However, if you have pre-teens in your house, I highly recommend keeping this film away from them. It’s not just a typical creature feature; there are scenes between the people and the creatures – and even between the people themselves – that can traumatize.

Will your FilmMother want to see it?

If you have a FilmMother who likes holding on to your arm during scary movies, then go ahead and watch The Mist together. HOWEVER, if she has issues about films with a child in peril, think twice. David’s son Billy encounters peril throughout the film, and Darabont even takes the peril to a place that most films won’t go.

The Mist
* Director: Frank Darabont
* Screenwriter: Frank Darabont
* Stars: Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Andre Braugher, Laurie Holden, Toby Jones, Frances Sternhagen
* MPAA Rating: R (violence, horror, gore, and adult language)


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