Genius Products have brought us a stacked 2-disc standard definition package of Frank Darabont's The Mist (in the theatres as recent in November of last year!). The color theatrical version is on disc one and a black and white 'Director's Vision' complete version is on disc 2. It is the exact same film but we have compared some frames below to give you an idea of how the b+w image is represented. 

Image quality is strong but not pristine (I may be getting spoiled by Blu-ray). I have no obvious complaints but colors can be a shade dull yet detail is quite adept. I wouldn't expect any strong disappointment, from most, in how this transfer looks. The black and white might have showed a smidgeon more noise - but anyway it is minimal through the film. Not enough to deter viewing. Both discs are dual-layered, progressive and anamorphic in the film's original 1.85:1 ratio. Both discs are coded for region 1 in the NTSC standard. One difference between the two versions are that the black and white doesn't offer the same French 5.1 DUB found on the color theatrical. Both have optional English (SDH) or Spanish subtitles.  

Extras on disc one include a Darabont commentary for the theatrical color release. He has a relaxed tone but can talk fairly quickly - like a restrained enthusiasm. He describes what are many of the digital enhancements (things I would not have guessed - like parts of the crashed tree into the house). He pauses for both effect and to let important scenes run a bit - he pats the cast and crew on the back, shows his admiration etc. - typical stuff but enjoyable enough to be worth a listen in my opinion. There are 15 minutes of eight deleted scenes with optional commentary by Darabont, a featurette on a very interesting artist entitled Drew Struzan: An Appreciation of an Artist. It runs only 8 minutes but I enjoyed learning about this individual and his compositions and style. There are three Behind the Scenes Webisodes, with Darabont as kind of 'host', running about 10 minutes and a trailer gallery of three different adverts for The Mist.

Disc 2 has Darabont introduce the black and white version for about 3 minutes. There are also some featurettes - When Darkness Comes: The Making of The Mist goes into some good detail of production and development with input from many - and it runs almost 40 minutes. Taming the Beast - The Making of Scene 35 is interesting in that it dissects one pivotal scene from the film with focus on the incredible detail involved. Two more featurettes: Monsters Among Us: A Look at the Creature FX is exactly what you might expect and runs 12 minutes while The Horror of it All: The Visual FX of The Mist is 15 minutes more on the extensive FX. Whewww. You have to appreciate the director getting involved in so many of the supplements - he is all over the place giving, commentaries (feature and deleted scenes), explanations and generally being a part what's going on.

The film? I am usually not overly partial to the modern Horror genre, but this has so much of the cheesy 50's intent (that I love!) I'll admit I was quite thrilled with my two viewings (theatrical and BW). I *think* I may have enjoyed the black and white version more (I actually watched that first - them did the color with the commentary running) but it's more an aura transposition than effecting the guts of the film. Scary?... D-uh, yeah! I suspect many who approach this with a shade of playfulness, disregarding any strokes of attempted depth, may get the most out of the movie. I'd love to watch something just like this again - Darabont positively knows how to make films (great pace, extracts excellent performances etc.) but don't get your hopes up for more than a simple thrill and adrenaline ride - which I believe was the main intent. It's extreme (definitely NOT for family viewing - R-rated!) and dives right into the horror element quickly with dynamic energy. Best Horror film in while? - yep. If this sounds like your cup-of-tea I don't anticipate you will be disappointed. The single-disc edition is only $3 cheaper so, it's my opinion to go for this one and reap the benefits.

Gary W. Tooze