Overall Rating:*
The Fog @ IMDB
Synopsis:
A quiet coastal town is terrorized by a mysterious fog that seems to have a life of its own. Vengence is in the air as ghosts come to claim what is theirs from the descendents of thier murderers. This is a remake of the classic 1980 horror flick John Carpenter’s The Fog.
Review:
This movie was an utter disappointment. I didn’t have high hopes when I went to see it, but I did have some. There is a long list of things that were wrong with this movie, and a very short list of things that were right. The plot can’t be criticized that much, though it was changed from the original which I don’t think helped the movie at all. Of course the biggest problem was pretty simple: it wasn’t scary. I remember seeing the original, and being afraid. Of course I saw it as a child, which makes a difference I’m sure, but I would expect the new version to at least have some shock value.
I was not at any point during the movie scared or surprised. In fact, for most of it I was bored. Most horror movies these days employ two principle methods, gore and surprise. Most people get scared when they see a lot of blood or when something jumps out at them. This movie used neither. If it had, it might have fared better in my mind. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like excessive gore, but a few ghosts popping out of closets would have made this movie more entertaining.
The movie was also a lot of history and not a lot of action. While I was watching it, I hoped that the first hour and a half, which was slow and dull, would build up to an amazing closing ten minutes. Not suprisingly, the last ten minutes were as much of a let down as the first ninety. If you do watch this movie, feel free to fast forward through more than half of it.
The acting wasn’t necessarily bad, but I can’t say that it was good either. The actors really were under utilized in this movie. They had nothing to do. The dialogue was poorly written so acting really wasn’t necessary. Tom Wellings (Clark Kent on Smallville) plays Nick Castle, boyish captain of a charter boat, and our hero. I personally am a fan of Wellings’ acting on Smallville. I think he does a good job on the series, but he didn’t have anything to do in this movie. His character was shallow and weak. Not much to perform. I even think Maggie Grace (Shannon on Lost) who plays Elizabeth Williams was under utilized. Considering the fact that I don’t think she’s the greatest of actresses, that’s saying a lot.
Overall, not even worthy of a rental. I personally wish I hadn’t spent the matinee price for this one. If you’re interested in the plot, check out John Carpenter’s The Fog. Though I haven’t seen it in many years, I’m sure that it is a lot better than this modern day remake.