The populus of seaside Antonio Bay is besieged seemingly by the title meteorological occurrence with an apparent axe to grind, whilst everyone is busy celebrating their forefathers. Tom Welling and Maggie Grace are the recently reunited young lovers, Selma Blair is local DJ (and certified MILF) Stevie Wayne, De Ray Davis is the token Wassup Dude, Rade Sherbedgia a mystery man, Adrian Hough a secretive and disillusioned priest, and Kenneth Welsh the resident a-hole town Mayor.
This 2005 Rupert Wainwright (“Blank Check”, the overstylised “Stigmata”) remake of the popular John Carpenter film is much like the original; visually wondrous and atmospheric, but featuring flat performances (Jamie Lee Curtis and Tom Atkins back then, Tom Welling and Maggie Grace now), boring characters, and a rather uninteresting story. This one has the added problem of changing the ending (just about the only thing they do change in an otherwise commendably faithful remake), and changing it very much for the worse…it makes no damn sense.
Blair ain’t no Adrienne Barbeau, but playing the film’s only interesting character, she still walks off with it, just as Barbeau did in 1980. They certainly get the fog itself right here, looking fabulous throughout, maybe even moreso than in the original. Not as bad as you’ve heard, and since the original had its flaws, I think the idea of a remake was certainly a valid one. Screenplay by Cooper Layne (“The Core”) needed a new set of characters, the standard African-American best pal and pretty young couple just don’t cut it (though Grace’s character had it tough to begin with considering I spent the entire first season of “Lost” screaming ‘Die, Die you insufferably whiny, selfish cow!’ I just hated her character and don’t much recognise her acting talents, either). Mind you, Carpenter himself and his late colleague Debra Hill (who died shortly after) also had a hand in the script, so at least they invited the Master to the table. Wonderfully shot by Nathan Hope (TV’s “CSI”).
OVERALL SUMMARY
All up, it’s worse than the original, but not much worse, and still watchable if you have nothing better to do. Hey, at least the fog itself still looks pretty!
