MovieChat Forums > The Mist (2007) Discussion > The ending ... redux

The ending ... redux

posted 4 years ago by Andy91042 (85)
10 replies | jump to latest

Endless comments pro & con have been expended over the Darabont's ending to The Mist. Personally I favor King's original ending, & I'm suspicious about his suggestion that he wished he'd thought of it himself.

Here's why ... King's original ending—suggesting that the mist, & what it brings, extends indefinitely—places the story firmly within the realm of cosmic horror, a genre with which King has explored in It, The Langoliers, N, Crouch End & a few others. Most successfully, I might add.

Darabont's ending changes it altogether, from cosmic horror to BEM. After all, some of that genre's conventions hold that the monsters are finite in scope, as was Darabont's mist; and they are usually destroyed in the end. The finale is typically a return to normality—not quite the case in The Mist, at least not for the protagonist. But for everyone else.

So it's not just the ending that's changed here, but the entire genre the story occupies.

[–] ExTechOp (2770) 4 years ago

I agree with the OP and personally hated Darabont's ending when it happened, and I've never grown to appreciate it over the years.

That said, King has stated himself, I believe even before the movie, that the story's intended genre is BEM more than cosmic horror. I believe he used terms like "B-movie" and "drive-in theater"

I never saw it that way myself, but King's intent is obviously a legitimate consideration

Still ... my objection to the ending has little to do with genre and more to do with it just being unnecessarily cruel. Audiences are expected to identify with the protagonist, after all, so it's cruel to the audience as well as to David Drayton

For example, "Shawshank" benefitted from Darabont's ending where Andy and Red reunite.

It would NOT have benefitted by having them both be swept away by a tsunami just before they see each other on the beach.

[–] Forky (1739) 4 years ago

What does BEM mean?

[–] ExTechOp (2770) 4 years ago

"Bug-Eyed Monsters"

(I had to look it up)

[–] Forky (1739) 4 years ago

Thank you!

[–] Andy91042 (85) 4 years ago

I think that's a good point about it being unnecessarily cruel, at least from the personal standpoint. The novella, after all, is told from Drayton's pov, so an ending like that would be impossible. Ironically, King's ending might be much, much worse, because if the mist keeps spreading, there's no hope for them anyway.

[–] TandyMan (11120) 4 years ago

Certainly not the best ending for the story, but that "god damn..." jaw drop I had the first time I saw this movie was priceless. And that's definitely what the filmmakers were shooting for.

[–] pjl69 (2647) 4 years ago

That's funny, I appreciate this movie mostly because of the ending. Otherwise it was quite a standard CGI-monster movie, and not a very good at it. If its praised, its probably because of Darabont, from Shawsank fame.

[–] Andy91042 (85) 4 years ago

I'm curious, have you also read the novella? King's work is usually very literary, difficult to translate to the screen. Darabont did a good job, by & large. But I can see that going just by the film one gets the impression it was a standard cgi-monster flick. Still, I think the novella & its ending conveys a sense of cosmic horror, largely through Drayton's narration, that is lacking in the film adaptation.

Incidentally, I hadn't realized Darabont did Shawshank. That's another ending I don't like as much. In the novella Dufresne tells Red about the rock under which he put papers & money prior to his imprisonment, but never suggests Red follow in his footsteps. After Red's paroled he finds himself unable to adapt to the wider world. He considers committing a minor crime in order to be sent back to prison, but starts looking for Dufresne's rock as sort of a Hail Mary. It's a surprise when Red finds the rock, a note from Andy & money that will permit him to travel south & join him in Mexico. I liked that ending better. Not sure why Darabont changed it. (sorry, if you've already read the novella, than disregard).

[–] Moonglum9 (11311) 4 years ago

I liked both endings. The books was more bleak for mankind in general, while the movie was more bleak for the protagonist.

[–] Kowalski (76313) 4 years ago

I HATED THE ENDING IN THEATERS...AFTER SOIME YEARS OF RETROSPECT...I LIKE IT...CONSIDERING WHERE THE BOOK LEAVES US...I ENJOY WHAT DARABONT DECIDED TO DO.