The Mist

I recently saw this movie. I wasn't expecting much. Steven King movies are either really good (Stand By Me, Green Mile) or really bad (Pet Cemetery, Christine). This started off in typical fashion: small town, archetypal characters (the religious freak, the out-of-towners, army personnel). I thought I knew where it was going. I was kind of bored. But then it seemed to take a very disturbing turn. I will try not to spoil it for those of you that want to see it. Marcia Gay Harden plays the religious zealot, and her character was reminiscent of the mother in Carrie (which I think goes in the "good" King category). Instead of being a horror movie (which it still is), it made me think about what disastrous situations do to humanity; it made me think about how different people react in life-threatening situations. One thing that makes the movie more heart-wrenching that it centers around a man and his son. If he had been a single man, it would be a different story. But for those of us with children, our choices are very different than if we were alone. What could you do to save yourself and your kid(s)? Or if not save them, to spare them the agony of a tortuous death? That is what was so disturbing to me. It forced me to think about those question, which are not ones I enjoy pondering. I am pretty sure that I won't live through a situation exactly like the movie, however I am not guaranteed to never make a decision like that. I think back to what I have read about the Holocaust, and families were forced to make those decisions. I am sure people in parts of Africa still make those decisions today. For now, I live in a place and time where those things seem distant, and only in movies. Let's just hope it stays that way. Do I sound morbid? I hope not. I am really not depressed or anything. Just thoughtful. Movies do that to me. I do have to say, if you have seen the movie, I could not have done what he did. It does make me sick to my stomach thinking about it. OK, I will attempt to lighten to mood with a happier movie quote: "The planet of not wanting to die by a drive by shooting. Everybody, lock your doors."