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Fog, The [2005]


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Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

As remakes go, The Fog has some grisly deaths that gore-mongers will appreciate, and star billing for Tom Welling is guaranteed to attract younger views and Smallville fans; however, the movie will have most horror buffs thinking fondly of John Carpenter's original. A combination of ghost story and slasher thriller, it's a typical example of why remakes are a risky endeavor, especially since the 1980 film does not rank with Carpenter's best. This time, residents of the seaside community of Antonio Island, Oregon, are falling prey to deadly specters that emerge from a spooky fog and are seeking revenge for one of the town's darkest secrets. As the body count rises, Selma Blair livens up this otherwise lukewarm horror pic in the role originated by Adrienne Barbeau, and genre buffs will enjoy in-jokes that refer to the original film and Carpenter's career in general (including one character named "Nick Castle," a reference to one of Carpenter's closest collaborators and fellow directors). Unfortunately, the film's also lost in its own fog of narrative confusion and lack of casting chemistry, but that shouldn't stop die-hard horror fans from checking it out. --Jeff Shannon


poor
Review date: 2008-06-06 Rating: 2 out of 10

if i had to make a list of the ten worst films of the last 8 years this film would a strong contender for 1st place

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Reviews


AN INSULT - NO ATMOSPHERE AT ALL!!!
Review date: 2008-05-12 Rating: 2 out of 10

This is as bad as it gets! There's none of the atmosphere, location or great cinematography of the original. The casting is APPALLING - once again we have characters all played by soap standard 20 somethings!
Its more of a Teen Movie than even The Final Destination offerings :-(
The casting in Carpenter's film was excellent, bringing vigour to what were essentially cliched characters - this is just woeful, REALLY woeful!
One of the originals strength's was that Antonio Bay was almost a character in its own right - in this film it might as well be Baywatch!
Even the FX can't save this - I actually prefer Carpenter's Fog even in this respect - sometimes less is more!
The phantom pirates here are laughable - imagine the SciFi channel cobbling together a Pirates Of The Caribbean rip off - You get the picture! Blake has none of the presence that Rob Bottin created back in 1979. It's SO bad! Even the fog itself has not been improved whatsoever - so much for CGI.
I think there are two half decent killings here - one is actually quite good where the weather man is incinerated & the other where a woman is instantly decomposed by the leprosy infected spectres. I still would rather have the attack on the three sailors as seen in the original though.
Bottom line, The Fog (1979) is one of my favourite horror films. It's atmosphere is almost unrivalled & as a ghost story, it ranks alongside
The Shining, Ghost Story, Legend Of Hell House, The Changeling etc
This is just a turd of a movie - ive seen better on Zone Horror on Sky TV.
It gives a very bad press for remakes as Ive actually liked some of them such as Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Hills Have Eyes, Dawn Of the Dead, Assault On Precinct 13. Even The Amityville Horror remake is a masterpiece compared to The Fog.
John Carpenter says he likes this version. Mr Carpenter is a VERY kind &
gracious gentleman...

..ok then...
Review date: 2008-04-18 Rating: 2 out of 10

Tom Welling is great in it and so is ..erm the other lady and i know they can act because of other films they have done but sereously the script was rubbish and no one could rescue it no matter how good an actor. its definetly not scarey, i laughed the whole way because of the sereously melodramtic points and stupidly wierd moments, eg. some guys is burning to dether YOU CAN SEE HIS SKULL MELTING - YET HE STILL MANAGES TO SCREAMM...humm im not a doctor but is that possible? i havent even seen the origional film its taken off of but i just dont know what was going through the filmmakers heads while it was in production, it starts of looking really good and then its all over the top and american. part from a certain someone taking there top off at one point and a rather steamy shower scene (although out of place) is was kinda random all the way through. and the plot was hard to follow...ok ok i have to calm down, if you can buy it for cheap then get it but anymore than a fiver and noooways!

DECENT WHEN LOOKED AT ON IT'S OWN BUT BAD WHEN IT'S COMPARED TO THE ORIGINAL
Review date: 2007-10-31 Rating: 6 out of 10

The town of Antonio Bay is ready to celebrate it's 100th Anniversary of it's founding, when a mysterious fog bank rolls onto shore, causing several residents, including fisherman Nick Castle, (Tom Welling) girlfriend Elizabeth Williams, (Maggie Grace) disc jockey Stevie Wayne, (Selma Blair) Spooner, (DeRay Davis) and several others, to think something is wrong. When dead bodies start to turn up, the past of the residents in the town is fully revealed, putting the town in jeopardy from the fog bank. As they to survive it's curse, the group of citizens has to find a way to survive.

The Good News: Say all you want about this one, it's not all that bad if looked at objectively. One of the best things about this version is that it does an outstanding job at evoking suspense. The set-up for the attacks are just breathtaking, and are almost as good as the original's way of going about things. The first attack at sea is a classic example, and is surprisingly creepy and very well-done. The fog is completely real and haunting, and that goes a long way to building up a great level of suspense in this. It's one of the few things this does right, as well as keeping the highlight sequences from that one in here as well. The house attack is just as good, keeping it pace with the original while also trying a couple new ideas that make it work. The mystery about the characters in the fog is much greater in this one, and is one of the few issues that was a problem in the original. This one makes much more sense and is handled quite well. The increased body count is a plus, and makes it a little more threatening group.

The Bad News: If looked at objectively, this isn't all that bad, but when compared to the original, this one falls way short of it's status. Not that it was trying to be, but it does make the comparison's stand. The scenes are close enough to allow it. On it's own, though, there are still a couple nagging problems with it. First and foremost is the long set-up that really just drags on. It makes the beginning pretty hard to get through, as so many scenes are stretched far longer than they should be. The walk through town is a great illustration, as it did nothing to and was just a time-filler. There's several other really dead moments in here, but that's the most obvious one. The other really obvious problem is the PG-13 rating. This kills it much more than anything else. It's only allowed to go so far before it becomes unacceptable for the younger crowd. This could've really benefited from some more blood and gore, and maybe some nudity thrown in as well. Whatever could've been done, though, to bump up it's rating would've helped this one greatly. It's just too clean for it in this incarnation.

The Final Verdict: If you're a fan of the original and hold it in very high regard, skip this, as it thoroughly makes a mockery out of it. If you're prepared to look at it objectively, then it can have it's moments. Take it depending on how you view the original.


PANTS WITH A CAPITAL 'P'
Review date: 2007-10-26 Rating: 2 out of 10

The original version was basic but okay. This remake is absolutely awful i'm afraid. They have removed any fear/suspense and replaced it with the 'A' Team of horror films.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Kenneth Walsh
Maggie Grace
Selma Blair
Mary Black
Tom Welling

Creators:
Tom Welling (Primary Contributor)
Maggie Grace (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
EAN: 5035822033832
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Dubbed, PAL, Widescreen,
Release date: 2006-06-26
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 100 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2005
Language: Icelandic (Subtitled)
Language: Dutch (Subtitled)
Language: Romanian (Subtitled)
Language: Greek (Subtitled)
Language: Hindi (Subtitled)
Language: Czech (Subtitled)
Language: Hungarian (Subtitled)
Language: English (Subtitled)
Language: Bulgarian (Subtitled)
Language: Arabic (Subtitled)
Language: Turkish (Subtitled)
Language: Polish (Subtitled)
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: Polish (Dubbed)
Language: Hungarian (Dubbed)
Language: Czech (Dubbed)

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