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The Mist: 4-Disc Collector's Edition (Best Buy Steelbook Limited Version)
[Blu-ray 4K]
Blu-ray ALL - America - Lionsgate Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Andreas Petersen & Noor Razzak (13th October 2023). |
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The Film
 Warning! The following review may stink of an over-defensive horror geek. But this defenses it not without reason. While "The Mist", directed by Frank Darabont, received better-than-mediocre reviews, and has taken in more than double its budget at the box office, I always had the feeling the film wasn’t understood, wasn’t appreciated, and I alone was the defender of it. When I saw this movie in theaters, I was blown away. This was the monster movie I had been waiting for, one that just hits all the right notes. However, everyone else I knew passed it off as “cheesy”, and the special effects “was trash”, and whenever I tried to explain to people that there is a certain level of intentional cheese on the movie, I was dismissed. Thankfully, the film has received an incredible double-disc treatment. For those unfortunate enough to not have caught "The Mist" in cinemas, the story concerns David Drayton (Thomas Jane) and his son (Nathan Gamble) head into town after a terrible storm wrecks their home. While in the shop, a mysterious mist covers the town, and anyone who goes out into seems to end up dead. The supermarket is packed with a wide array of characters, including skeptic Brent (Andre Braugher), timid store manager Ollie (Toby Jones), and insane religious-lady Mrs. Carmony (Marcia Gay Harden). The people in the store, being trapped and frightened, begin to butt heads, especially when supernatural monsters begin to appear outside the store. Is this the end of days, or a giant military mess up pouring in on the town, or both? While the inhabitants of the store try to answer these questions, they slowly turn on each other. To me, "The Mist" is a perfect film. Darabont, while familiar with working on Stephen King adaptations, he really is out of his comfort zone with "The Mist", but this really just goes to show how talented of a writer/director he is. "The Mist" is shot almost like a documentary with wild zooms and hand held shots, really aiding the film with its realistic feel. While the movie’s dialogue is very unrealistic at times, I would hardly bill it as cheesy, as many others have. What we are offered is a modern spin on the classic monster movie dialogue, which feels both new and nostalgic. The monster designs are top notch, and I’ll try to keep it at that, because I’d hate to spoil what they look like at all. The choice to use very minimal soundtrack also compliments the film immensely, as it really helps the tension build; only using music at very key moments. And then there’s the film’s ending, which has been billed as one of the most shocking endings in movie history. I’m not sure if I would go that far, but for a Hollywood film, the ending is very unusual, but really amazing. If having the theatrical cut wasn’t enough, the disc also includes a black and white cut of the film, of which Darabont originally intended to release. The studios didn’t know how to market a black and white horror film, so we are very fortunate to get this version of the film in the set, because it makes a perfect movie even more perfect. The black and white colors help emphasize the monster movie feel of the film, and also serves to mask up many of the admittedly amateurish-looking CG effects (which actually turn out looking amazing in black and white). In the opening scene of "The Mist", David Drayton is painting a movie poster in his gallery. In the background hangs the poster for one of my all-time favorite movies, "The Thing" (1982). I never thought that "The Thing" could be topped by another monster-horror film, but am glad to say that I think our generation has found its incarnation of the John Carpenter classic. "The Mist" captures a certain essence only a few movies have been privy to, and while audiences today may not appreciate, I have a feeling in 20 years, people will praise the adventure of Thomas Jane in the same regard as Kurt Russell’s artic escapades of the 80’s.
Video
Both versions of the film are presented in 1:85:1 widescreen mastered in 4K 2160p 24/fps using HEVC code and can be viewed with either Dolby Vision or HDR. For the purposes of this review I chose to watch both versions of the film, the color version and the black and white version. The Color Version: This is a decent upgrade over the older releases of the film. There are imporvements in sharpness, detail, texture, and more importantly colors. There's a decent amount of film grain that's retained. The previous complaints were that the colors looked too saturated and not natural. This isn't an issue here with good looking skin tones. Black levels are solid and deep too. The Black and White Version: This is the director's preferred version, and frankly it's my preferred version too. The film takes on a whole new atmospheric sense of dread in this version reminiscent of horror films from years past. I'm so happy that the studios and distributors allowed for this version to exists and be accessible to fans. 4K really makes black and white pop, the blacks are rich and deep and the white levels look stunning, grey detail holds up exceptionally well. Film grain is still present, I'm happy to report that DNR is not an issue here. Well done all around.
Audio
There are two audio options included here, the 4K versions of the film are presented in English Dolby Atmos, while the Blu-ray disc features the film in English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround. I viewed the 4K discs, so the Atmos track is what I reviewed. It does not disappoint, the dialogue is clean and crisp, the surround activity is complex and rich immersing the viewer right into the film, the score is prominent and well mixed. No complaints here. Optional subtitles are included in English for the hearing impaired, French, and Spanish.
Extras
Lionsgate has released this film with a host of previously released supplements. An amazing wealth of extras packed into this 4-disc set, including an audio commentary, deleted scenes, featurettes, a documentary, some webisodes and theatrical trailers. They are described below: DISC ONE: 4K UHD This disc features the "Theatrical" version film in color and includes a feature-length audio commentary by director Frank Darabont and producer Denise Huth. Darabont is very lively and rarely ever stops talking. He is constantly talking about how certain effects were achieved, what sort of homages the movie offers, and is overall just a really pleasant guy to listen to. This great commentary compliments the already great film. A part of me wishes that Stephen King could have been brought in, as the chemistry between the author and Darabont is legend. DISC TWO: 4K UHD This disc features the Black and White "Director's Version" of the film and includes the same feature-length audio commentary by director Frank Darabont and producer Denise Huth as on the previous disc. DISC THREE: BLU-RAY This disc features the "Theatrical" version film in color and replicates the optional feature-length audio commentary by director Frank Darabont and producer Denise Huth. Deleted and Extended Scenes are next with optional audio commentary by writer/director Frank Darabont, with 'Play All' option - 14:47) as he offers insight into why certain sequences were cut from the film. They are: - “Steph says goodbye" (2:07) in which David gets to see his wife one last time on-screen, as well as offering some character development for Brent. - “After the Loading Dock” (2:04), in which David, Ollie, and others discuss how to keep people in the store. - “Carmody’s First Speech” (1:50), in which people doubt Norm’s disappearance, and Carmody acts crazy. - “Carmody and Amanda” (3:00), in which the conversation in the store bathroom is extended. - “Norton Holds Court” (1:14), in which Brent thinks aloud, trying to work out the facts. - “Hattie and David” (2:14), in which in which David attempts to comfort a fellow store patron. - “Jim and Myron” (1:07), in which Myron gets in a fight with Jim (William Sadler) over his new-found faith. - “Confronting Jessup” (1:07), in which the dissenting crowd grill Jessup. An Interview with author Stephen King and writer/director Frank Darabont (12:17) these two have a conversation about how great they both are among other things. "When Darkness Came: The Making of The Mist" documentary (37:27) this is a comprehensive look at the passion that went into making The Mist. This feature really shows that Darabont, while not having experience in directing a monster movie, really has a drive to do so unlike any other director with 2 films such as "The Shawshank Redemption" (1994) and "The Green Mile" (1999) under their belt. This making-of interviews Stephen King, Darabont, and producers, tracing back to the source what drew Darabont to the story. "Taming the Beast: The Making of Scene 35" featurette (12:10), outlines the specific production that went behind a particularly action-heavy sequence. Interviews with many members of the film’s crew emphasizes how complicated the scene was. "Monsters Among Us: A Look at the Creature FX" featurette (12:44), is a very interesting featurette showcasing all of the movie’s baddies, both in how they were designed and how they were brought to life on film. "The Horror of it All: The Visual FX of The Mist" featurette (16:02) takes a look at how Darabont found his special effects crew through Guillermo del Toro. The visual effects team had the work through the challenge of inserting FX into a fast paced, hand held film. Also, this featurette shows how involved Darabont was in the creation and feel of the visual effects. "Drew Struzan: An Appreciation of an Artist" featurette (7:31) and serves as homage to the famous movie-poster artist. This movie really compliments the near-meta movie feel of the film, letting Darabont gush about Drew, as well as letting the artist speak about his method. Also included are 3 webisodes from the film’s production (with 'Play All' option - 10:13) they are: - "Day 10: Earthquake" (3:16) in which the department store set is shaken. - "Day 18: Burn Man" (4:01) in which the method behind a character being lit on fire is shown. - "Day 34: Franny, the Flamethrower" (2:55) which is a behind the scenes look at a character taking out a monster with a makeshift flamethrower. Theatrical trailers (with 'Play All' option - 7:16) include: - Original Theatrical Trailer (2:29) - Theatrical Trailer #2 (2:31) - Theatrical Trailer #3 (2:16) DISC FOUR: BLU-RAY This disc features the Black and White "Director's Version" of the film, along with an Introduction by writer/director Frank Darabont (3:16) The package also includes a 4K Digital Copy of the Color version of the film.
Packaging
This is the Best Buy Limited Edition Steelbook edition. A regular edition has also been released in a 4-disc amaray case with a cardboard slip-case.
Overall
I can't recommend this film enough, the ending is brutal and may put some people off but this is one hell of a ride and worth checking out. If you're already a fan this is a no brainer pick up.
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