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Reviews
The Mist (2017)
Initially amusing but becomes like having a tooth pulled in slo-mo
I liked the novelette, The Mist, which reminds me of the Brunner classic, To Conquer Chaos. It was creepy, suspenseful and had a reasonably upbeat ending.
The 2007 film "The Mist" captured a number of the best elements of the novel but, IMHO, totally failed with the revised ending.
This series had some amusing moments at first but it just keeps going on and gets more boring as the series progresses. There are a variety of characters and sub-plots, so many at times you need a scorecard to keep track. I can't imagine it going on a second season...it'll either become monster of the week ala Kolchhak, Night Stalker or a weepy, creepy drama queen like a demented Days of Our Lives.
IMHO most of King's work is better as a stand-alone movie or short mini- series like The Stand or The Dead Zone. The Black Tower/Gunslinger might be the exception but not The Mist...it just doesn't have the legs, pun intended.
Cleverman (2016)
Still relevant in 21st century?
While it has a certain dramatic overtone, it's a very confusing and antiquated plot IMHO. It seems there are two "species" with one looking very much like Aussie Aborigines, "hairies" and the other European. What gets me is the overt discrimination and prejudice shown between these groups. The hairies are not particularly dangerous nor do they seem very detrimental to society as a whole yet are treated as slaves etc. It's not very sci-fi either IMHO and so not too interesting there. Might have been different if it had been made in the 40's or 50's but it doesn't make much sense in today's political and societal climate. I really like to think we have advanced pretty far in acceptance of others yet this series takes several giant steps back. A much superior and similar story line was shown in the eighties as the film "Alien Nation" which also spawned a TV series.