The Fog, saved by the ...producers

Sometimes movieproducers make decisions that actually make sense. That was the case with the latest remake of The Fog (2005). And even I think most of the times they do more harm than good, I have to admit they played this one just right when they agreed NOT to pre-screen the movie for the press. They knew the movie was awful and tried to save their investment by keeping it away from journalistic scrutiny. This resulted in a massive box-office success the first week of its release, with a bit over 11 million. And for a film with a production cost of 18 million, this is a gift send by heaven. Truth to be told, there was no great competition for The Fog. I mean Flightplan (with Jodie Foster) and Elizabethtown (with Orlando Bloom and Kirsten Dunst) are just movies you can easily see on DVD.

But now the film has been released, the critics are mad as hell, and slamed this turkey down the toilet. The critics at Rotten Tomatoes gave the film an appalling 3%. Here is a selecting of what the critics had to say:



"proof that maybe even moviegoers should sue"
Keith Breese, FILMCRITIC.COM

"It attempts to apply too much logic to the events going on that it distracts the viewer from pleasure and replaces it with boredom."
Michael Ferraro, FILM THREAT

"It is all utterly formulaic and predictable, and there's not even a rooting interest in trying to figure out who might live and who might die."
Pam Grady, REEL.COM

"The Fog is a bore, laden with unspectacular special effects and dreadful acting from television-trained youth who don’t have the experience to truly deliver the goods."
Brian Orndorf, EFILMCRITIC.COM

"Horror remakes like this one paint all the others with a huge and objectionable brush, because this flick absolutely stinks of half-hearted effort and assembly-line cynicism."
Scott Weinberg, EFILMCRITIC.COM

"Who knows? Maybe if we ignore these pointless remakes enough, pretty soon they’ll all go away."
David Cornelius, EFILMCRITIC.COM

"...enduring The Fog is like trying to swim effortlessly through a giant bowl of dripping and sticky pea soup—it’s messy and just as pointless."
Frank Ochieng, MOVIE EYE

"A textbook example of how not to make a horror film."
Dustin Putman, THEMOVIEBOY.COM

"Lock your doors. Bolt your windows. And for heaven's sake, stay away from the multiplex."
Lisa Rose, NEWARK STAR-LEDGER


***Dutch Version***
21/10/2005: Slimme producers redden The Fog van de ondergang