I don't care how bad things might have looked…
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debunkerboy — 9 years ago(September 01, 2016 09:12 AM)
It's really quite simple.
Darabont had a wicked dilemma - the mercy kill had to fit the message/theme that fear made them act irrationally.
Suppose they had acted rationally instead? Imagine them trying everything and waiting until (as Drayton muses in the novella) push came
right down to shove
and a monster was about to strike. Then they pretty much
have
to take the route that does not entail dismemberment or cocooning. This is rational, but it fails the story. If they act rationally there goes the message about keeping your head in a crisis. Now when the army comes the only message is what, fate is a cruel biatch? Nope, obviously not what Darabont was looking for!
The mercy kill also had to be unexpected in order to create the shock of the big twist.
But how do you make them do something we don't think they will do without changing their fundamental character?
The people in the car have not been defeatist or fatalistic. If anything quite the opposite. So they cannot be
easily
made to carry out Darabont's plan for the end. They would not do it as it played out. Darabont gives up trying to
carefully construct a believable answer
to this problem and instead brings in a group of impostors to play the role - has our plucky group of fighters, who have already demonstrated good spirit and fight, just give up in a way that
everyone
feels is out of character with their established behavior so far. Everyone says it 'felt rushed'. It
feels
like a violation of our vicarious investment in their plight. We feel violated. Surely most everyone says to themselves "no, not yet!". Some people refuse to accept this violation and others rationalize it away, ignoring the crude way it is all set up to defeat your expectations.
The only way not to feel that is to rationalize.
Was the ending even possible? Was there a subtle way to pull it off? There was probably some scenario in which a good father, tormented by fear, would
preemptively
(before he really has to) put a gun to his your son's head and pull the trigger. But getting that delicate situation
right
is a serious problem for a serious writer. Darabont's way is all smoke and mirrors, a cheap shot cheat he hopes you will just ignore. But it is hard to ignore it when it feels so off. -
HalBanksy — 9 years ago(September 02, 2016 06:35 PM)
Yeah they drove FOR MILES - and now they can't drive any further. They hoped to find a way
OUT
of the mist and failed. They are now stranded with no possible way of returning. Ever thought the only reason they were able to survive that long is because they were in a
moving
car Now they are stuck with no escape.
They could've walked
wtf are you talking about? Walk where? The mist is full of horrific monsters that want to rip you apart. The father was faced with no happy options at that point: A quick death (while asleep for the child) .. Or terrified stumbling in the mist hunted by giant beasts .. Or sit in the stationary car slowing going crazy and waiting for some hellish spider to come smashing through the windscreen, giving you seconds to shoot your child anyway - Only this time while everyone is screaming, with their worst nightmare inches from their face.
Try to view this in the context of a fictional film with a message to portray.
The point is that the mist has finally drained these people of all hope.
They held out longer than anyone else in the store, but the mist still got them in the end. That's where the horror of the film is! - Not the ridiculous tentacles.
You say they should have waited - but for them that was just prolonging the inevitable. A chance of rescue was not even a remote idea in their minds at that time, they had accepted that only death was left for them now. Perhaps the father had already considered this last resort before even leaving the store.
And just when he had been forced to carry out the unthinkable and is literally crying out to be killed himself - the situation actually gets
worse
. Yes, a powerful ending. And if it didn't leave any impact on you - that's your problem, not the films. It's certainly more brave than a cliche idea of them leaving the car and being picked off by monsters one by one - Which is unsurprisingly exactly the kind of ending countless other lazy horror films settle for.
I'd have been totally cool with them getting splattered under an enormous monster foot
Yeah, and audiences would have laughed for a few seconds and walked out the theatre never to think of this film again. I prefer the ending with depth - Which people are still discussing a decade after the film was made (including you.) -
andrewpi7 — 9 years ago(September 03, 2016 03:00 AM)
Yeah they drove FOR MILES - and now they can't drive any further. They hoped to find a way OUT of the mist and failed. They are now stranded with no possible way of returning. Ever thought the only reason they were able to survive that long is because they were in a moving car Now they are stuck with no escape.
Correction, during their drive they stop the car and turn it off to watch the giant beast go by. They peacefully sat there without any problems. Earlier in the movie, bright lights attracted the flying creatures to the store & now they just drove FOR MILES and stopped all without a single attack, much less sight of one that's a sign of hope. Ever thought the only reason they were able to survive that long is that just because there were a lot of monsters at the store did not mean there were a lot of monsters everywhere in the mist? The mist only hindered their vision - hiding humans and monsters. It would be quite pretentious of them to think only they (mere civilians, including 2 elderly & 1 child) could have survived.
Walk where? The mist is full of horrific monsters that want to rip you apart.
Both the ending of the movie (not just the soldiers, but the dozens of survivors being driven out of the mist in the back of an uncovered vehicle) and their entire drive (no crashes into monsters or swerving to avoid any or flying beast attacking their 10 giant headlights, etc) proved the opposite that the mist was
not
full of horrific monsters everywhere just because they were at the store. They let their fear of what might be in the mist cause them to make rash irrational horrific decisions. Which would have been ok if these 4 adults were shown earlier as paranoid and/or defeatist and/or suicidal and/or crazy etc.
he father was faced with no happy options at that point: A quick death (while asleep for the child)
Correction, the father murdered the child without any explanation after the boy awoke and looked at his dad and the gun in fear. It made the whole ending look even more fake, as if a sudden mass suicide of 4 adults without any real discussion and completely out of character wasn't fake enough.
Or sit in the stationary car slowing going crazy and waiting for some hellish spider to come smashing through the windscreen
Really being scared of what's in the dark/mist would make you slowly go crazy? By that logic they were all crazy before they left the store slowly becoming crazy after the monsters broke in the store the 1st time. You also are adding powers to the spiders that were never in the movie to do everything that you are so worried about - like knowing they are even in the vehicle.
The point is that the mist has finally drained these people of all hope. They held out longer than anyone else in the store, but the mist still got them in the end. That's where the horror of the film is!
You say they should have waited - but for them that was just prolonging the inevitable. A chance of rescue was not even a remote idea in their minds at that time, they had accepted that only death was left for them now.
First, there were plenty of people alive in the store when they left and it's wild speculation at best to say everyone in the store died after they drove away when nothing in the movie suggested that. Your imagination had you see a different movie. If anything the ending with the truck of unprotected civilians showed lots of people survived in the mist.
It's obvious the director meant these 4 adults lost all hope - hence the mass suicide. It is not that this movie involved a mass suicide or a child murder, but how poorly the director went about that. The mass suicide and child murder looked all rushed as the 4 adults suddenly all shared the exact same mind and all lost hope at the exact same time without any real discussion plus being in contradiction to the characters the audience got to know earlier. The ending was so fake.
And just when he had been forced to carry out the unthinkable and is literally crying out to be killed himself - the situation actually gets worse.
It didn't get worse. The situation shows everything better for everyone, except the dad. Once the dad murdered his own son while the boy was looking at him in fear I stopped caring what happened to the dad. A dad who kills their child only because the dad was scared of monsters in the dark/mist that weren't even there he can rot in a mental hospital or jail.
It's certainly more brave than a cliche idea
Brave and stupid are not mutually exclusive with movie endings.
I prefer the ending with depth - Which people are still discussing a decade after the film was made (including you.)
Some people also like Jar Jar Binks and defend that possibly saying people still talking about Jar Jar Binks must mean it was a great idea and a deep character. People talk about lots of disappointments long after they happen such as a date ending badly, a job ending sadly, a movie ending poorly. -
HalBanksy — 9 years ago(September 03, 2016 05:27 AM)
Well lots of lovely "corrections", sadly you don't seem to understand the majority of what I wrote.
during their drive they stop the car and turn it off to watch the giant beast go by. They peacefully sat there without any problems.
haha. Are you joking? The people were clearly in shock and finally coming to terms with how screwed-up the world has become. They didn't just stop the car and sit back enjoying the lovely view. "peacefully" lmao
the mist was not full of horrific monsters everywhere
Yes - the
audience
knows that by the end the film. The point is that the
characters
in the car do not. Quite simple.
the father murdered the child without any explanation after the boy awoke
Are you seriously suggesting that was the plan That he intentionally waited for the boy to wake up, and then shot him?
Obviously
the idea was to kill him when he was asleep. The writers had him wake up first to make the decision seem even more tragic. Again, quite simple - Not sure why you have to have this explained to you.
it's wild speculation at best to say everyone in the store died after they drove away
I didn't "speculate" that at all, in fact the film heavily implies that everyone at the store survives until the end. When I say "they held out longer than anyone else in the store" I didn't mean they literally were alive longer, but they mentally held on to their senses for longer. Everyone in the store was willing to murder the woman and child - ergo they have "lost it." The film is showing how far people can be pushed until they reach their breaking point - the religious woman was the first to snap because she was clearly unstable already. The people who were left in the car were the last to cling onto humanity and
HOPE
.
It didn't get worse. The situation shows everything better for everyone, except the dad.
JFC I'm clearly talking about the situation
from the fathers p.o.v- Why are you being purposefully obtuse about this? The film is
his
story, and it only ever got worse for
him - Denying that fact is complete delusion.
the dad was scared of monsters in the dark/mist that weren't even there
Again, why TF are you judging the actions of the
characters
from the knowledge of a
viewer
? That's not how cinema works The monsters
WERE
there in the minds of the people in the car. There is not a single piece of evidence in the film to suggest they had any idea that help was so close. They were driving away from it the whole time.
Really being scared of what's in the dark/mist would make you slowly go crazy?
They let their fear of what might be in the mist cause them to make rash irrational horrific decisions.
Yes - Well done! Showing that is the entire purpose of the film. Good bye.
- Why are you being purposefully obtuse about this? The film is
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andrewpi7 — 9 years ago(September 03, 2016 04:55 PM)
haha. Are you joking? The people were clearly in shock and finally coming to terms with how screwed-up the world has become. They didn't just stop the car and sit back enjoying the lovely view. "peacefully" lmao
lmao I never said they were enjoying the view. I said "peacefully" as in waiting while they were
not
attacked despite stopping the car & turning it off. I was not talking about their state of mind, which surprisingly their quietness meant hopelessness to you.
Yes - the audience knows that by the end the film. The point is that the characters in the car do not. Quite simple.
Quite simply, the characters in the car do not know if the mist if filled with monsters or not. You're the only one who imagined
"The mist is full of horrific monsters that want to rip you apart"
,
no one
in the film stated that much less any of these 4 characters so again your imagination saw a completely different movie.
Are you seriously suggesting that was the plan That he intentionally waited for the boy to wake up, and then shot him?
No, I never said that.
Obviously the idea was to kill him when he was asleep. The writers had him wake up first to make the decision seem even more tragic. Again, quite simple - Not sure why you have to have this explained to you.
Thanks Captain Obvious, but while I agree obviously having the boy looking at the father is more tragic, the problem is the way the director did it makes the dad appear even more crazy and his sudden transition into crazy land even more unbelievable. The boy didn't wake up like a piece of toast jumping out of toaster with the bullet already shot out of the gun. The boy slowly woke up while the dad poorly and coldly decided let the last thought of his son be that of fear and betrayal of his dad murdering him, unlike if the boy was asleep or looking away or agreed to suicide with his dad. Apparently this dad of the year couldn't wait to kill his son. If any parent kills their son because they are afraid a bully/stalker/animal/alien *
might- be in the dark to hurt & kill his boy then that parent is crazy and should go to jail. At that point, the dad became a monster in this film which is all tragically fine IF the ending wasn't so rushed and soo fake.
I didn't "speculate" that at all, in fact the film heavily implies that everyone at the store survives until the end.
Nothing at the end suggests the remaining people in the store didn't survive.
When I say "they held out longer than anyone else in the store" I didn't mean they literally were alive longer, but they mentally held on to their senses for longer. Everyone in the store was willing to murder the woman and child - ergo they have "lost it." The film is showing how far people can be pushed until they reach their breaking point - the religious woman was the first to snap because she was clearly unstable already. The people who were left in the car were the last to cling onto humanity and HOPE.
Again, your imagination saw a very different movie. Nothing suggested
everyone
else in the store was crazy and willing to murder. We see a crowd circled for the big confrontation and
some
of the people grab weapons (
some
of those
may
murder), others chant/pray (
never
grabbing weapons), others yell like kids in a school yard watching a fight, and others stand and watch (possibly planning against the dad or the crazy religious lady), but we never know exactly what each non-speaking minor character is thinking much less that
everyone
not in the dad's group had "lost it" and were 100% behind the religious lady wanting crazy murder.
JFC I'm clearly talking about the situation from the fathers p.o.v - Why are you being purposefully obtuse about this? The film is his story, and it only ever got worse for him - Denying that fact is complete delusion.
Again, why TF are you judging the actions of the characters from the knowledge of a viewer? That's not how cinema works The monsters WERE there in the minds of the people in the car. There is not a single piece of evidence in the film to suggest they had any idea that help was so close. They were driving away from it the whole time.
sigh
At best, you're being completely obtuse to what I said. Of course, the dad is the protagonist and doesn't know help was in the mist. As far as they knew outside the vehicle were aliens (intelligent? friendly? hostile?) or humans (friendly? hostile?) or just nothing alive for miles. Yet, even IF the movie ended after the 4 bullets there is not a single piece of evidence in the film for any of the 5 people in the vehicle to think monsters were definitely close to the car or for any viewer to think any of the 5 people were slowly "losing it" to create imaginary monsters in their minds. If only the dad suddenly snapped going crazy then it might have been more believable. For all 4 unique strong adults to all suddenly mentally "lose it" and all the exact same way & all surprisingly being quietly ok with mass suicide & child murder simultane
- be in the dark to hurt & kill his boy then that parent is crazy and should go to jail. At that point, the dad became a monster in this film which is all tragically fine IF the ending wasn't so rushed and soo fake.
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taran-rod — 9 years ago(May 11, 2016 06:57 PM)
This scene gives the term "unhappy ending" a whole new perspective! Why do I see so many threads here that are beep on the ending? If you are blind to the point that you can't see why this endings is powerful, you might really need to watch more movies!
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debunkerboy — 9 years ago(May 13, 2016 03:07 PM)
I agree with you and so have probably most people who have seen the film, but I think there is more going on here than the scene as you describe it. Yes, they could they and should they have waited, but our frustration at their lack of fight goes beyond this, because we also never see them make any effort to siphon gas or get off road to seek shelter. Nothing. Inexplicably they go from actively fighting to passive surrender, totally squandering their hard fought chances outside the store. And then just passively going to a mercy kill involving a dad blowing his kid's head off is infuriating because it is so far out of character from what has gone before. It's as if a whole different group of people have replaced Drayton and his crew. Our vicarious investment in their struggle is cruelly mistreated just so the director can work in rather obvious and facile twist. People hate this ending so much because it is such a cheat!
We don't care if they all die, we don't want a happy ending, we want an ending that is true to the film. The ending is absolutely false and out of character, even defenders of the ending feel it. It's just that some people are so blown away by the phony melodrama they rationalize this error away. -
evolution_500_2 — 9 years ago(May 15, 2016 11:15 PM)
"we want an ending that is true to the film."
But the ending
is
true to the film, though. The movie is about how fear causes people to behave in irrational ways, making some of the most stupid and costly mistakes imaginable in the process. -
zigomanis18 — 9 years ago(August 28, 2016 07:29 PM)
Totally Agree here.
The way it all ended abruptly made absolutely no sense. They were determined to fight to the endSo, would think that as they were slowly drivingnothing attacked them and As they drove on and on, it obviously became apparent that there was no ending to the mist. Now, of course that was not true because the Army was cleaning things upbut they did not know that. So, as the car started to run low on gas, common sense would dictate that you need to find gas as a first priority. You may want to siphon gas, or maybe just use a gas pump. The pumps probably still worked and I am sure between 4 adults they probably had a credit care for the pumps. Yeah, the 10 minutes or so to stop would be potentially very dangerous but the alternativehaving the car run out of gas leaves you with absolutely NO chance at all.it just does not make sense that they would keep driving the car as it went to fumes..and then immediately make a quick decision to kill themselves off. So, as the care was running low on gasyou would think there would be a discussion about what will happen when the car runs out of gas. -
theroscoevine — 9 years ago(September 01, 2016 10:13 AM)
I would most definitely have been more satisfied if they had just gotten eaten, or blown up, or split apart, or whatever. The suicide pact was just straight up corny beep A bloody end with a monster attack would've made waaaaaaay more sense.
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mountaindewslave — 9 years ago(July 14, 2016 08:43 PM)
I agree that its a bit strange that they gave up as soon as the car went down
however to give them a TINY bit of credit, earlier in the film ANYONE who walked for like 3 seconds in the Mist seemed to die. It did seem rather inevitable that some sort of monster would kill them immediately when they left
The ending is poor because of the practically impossible timing, he kills them in pity/goodness (lame I know but whatever) and 1 minute later the military rolls through? pretty sure you'd hear that in advance if they were entering the area battling. Granted I guess the fog was moving back/away but still
its lame in some respects but very effective
she fell through a hole, and was never seen again -
StinkyGreenBud — 9 years ago(July 17, 2016 08:53 PM)
So many of these same threads on how tough all of you are. None of us have been in a situation like this before. You have no idea how you would react. Everyone thinking they are action heroes. Life is not a movie guys. The stress and fear from this would show your true colors.
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andrewpi7 — 9 years ago(July 19, 2016 06:27 PM)
The original post said (s)he would just stay in the car. That's not movie action hero stuff at all. They said they may fight to the end or may do suicide after the car is attacked - they didn't say they knew 100% for sure.
Life is not a movie and we all know what happens to people when they kill their kids only because one day they find themselves stressed or scared. -
Minus_The_Beer — 9 years ago(August 29, 2016 08:23 AM)
Kind of seemed a hopeless situation to me. Then again, I actually paid attention to the movie.
Being killed instantly by a bullet would be preferable to being harvested by giant insects, but hey, what do I know?
Anyone here mentions Hotel California dies before the first line clears his lips. -
zigomanis18 — 9 years ago(August 29, 2016 06:19 PM)
Yeah it was hopeless, but why would you not stop for gas and take a chance rather that let your car run out of gas and know you left yourself with no chance. The book ending ( Alternative ) he says he has about 90 miles left and will look to siphon gas. That actually makes much more sense.
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Minus_The_Beer — 9 years ago(August 30, 2016 02:57 PM)
The book ending ( Alternative ) he says he has about 90 miles left and will look to siphon gas. That actually makes much more sense.
Sure. But if they had gone with that ending, we wouldn't be talking about it right now. It's just not a terribly compelling stopping point. Fact is, love it or hate it, the ending they chose really helped to define the movie.
Anyone here mentions Hotel California dies before the first line clears his lips. -
zigomanis18 — 9 years ago(August 30, 2016 03:07 PM)
I gotta give you that. It does define the flick. Cannot argue that.
But for me, I still would have liked the flick as much with the book ending..which to me is FAR more gloomy. Yeah, the 4 characters are dead, but otherwise it's a happy ending. The mist is gone and humanity has won. TEH book ending is FAR more hopeless and creepy overall. -
debunkerboy — 9 years ago(August 30, 2016 03:38 PM)
Without the ending the movie would be unremarkable. As it is the film will be talked about for a very long time. But that doesn't make it right. There are good and bad ways to attain notoriety. Ryan Lochte for example.
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zigomanis18 — 9 years ago(August 30, 2016 04:15 PM)
I actually disagree. The ending makes people talk..but the movie was great either way. I cant think that the last 5 minutes of the movie was THE sole reason for the popularity. I disagree. We will never know of coursebut I think this movie with the book ending ( Which can be seen as the alternative ending on youtube ) is just as strong.