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The Crazies
The Crazies is a remake of the 1973 cult classic that saw a small
town in America destroyed by a zombie-like infection. The
mastermind behind this was of course writer/director George A. Romero,
the granddaddy of Zombie films but just like all the other horror
remakes of the 21st century, the director in charge (Breck
Eisner) has to put their own touch on the story. Does it work? At times.
Is it any good? That’s debatable but after watching the film, it was
like eating a candy bar, enjoyable at the time but ultimately forgettable.
This was no Dawn of the Dead remake!
The story of The Crazies revolves around the townsfolk of a small town
in Iowa called Ogden Marsh. One by one, the townsfolk are turned into
crazed killers. The film begins with a BANG from its first scene that
has Sheriff Dutton (Timothy Olyphant) shooting dead one of these crazies
in front of the townsfolk during a baseball match. As the movie
progresses, we soon learn that a government plane crashed in the river
near Ogden Marsh which was carrying a deadly virus and to compound the
situation, this river flows into the water supply of the town.
As the
townsfolk fall victim to this infection one by one (Zombie fact #812), Dutton takes the lead and
attempts to get his pregnant wife Judy (Radha Mitchell), Russell (Joe
Anderson), his deputy and Becca (Danielle Panabaker), a receptionist at
the local medical centre safely away from this madness. Unfortunately, the
military are involved in order to thwart this outbreak, so Dutton and
his team are fighting two fronts, the crazed zombie-like townsfolk and
the military. It’s a classic zombie archetype story and thankfully the
characters are quite relatable which makes this rather over the top
story easier to swallow.
Video/Audio
The
video quality is presented in 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen that is
acceptable on DVD but there is way too much grain for my liking. The
transfer from film to DVD seems a little lacklustre as are the colours
in this release. The audio supports Dolby Digital 5.1 which boasts clear
dialogue, good use of surround sound and a very powerful soundtrack.
Special Features
For
special features, this release is pretty damn impressive that boasts
behind the scenes featurettes, commentary, trailers and a really cool
motion comic that acts as a prequel to the movie. Lots of content here
for fans or those wanting to know a little more about how this remake
was created.
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Audio Commentary with Director Breck Eisner
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Behind the Scenes with Director Breck Eisner
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Make-up Mastermind: Rob Hall in Action
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The Crazies motion Comic Episode 1
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The Crazies motion Comic Episode 2
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Visual Effects in Motion
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Teaser Trailer
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Theatrical Trailer #1
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Theatrical Trailer #2
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The Crazies motion Comic Trailer
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The Crazies Featurette: X Screening Video
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Storyboard Gallery
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Behind the Scenes Photo Gallery
In the end, The Crazies will leave you with a been there,
seen that type of experience that doesn't add anything new to this genre
at all. As opposed to the remake of Dawn of the Dead which left most
viewers gobsmacked, The Crazies rests on its laurels a little too much
and becomes just another archetype zombie film. The Crazies isn't a bad
movie but it sits somewhere between good and mediocre that I'm sure most
mainstream horror fans will enjoy but zombie lovers a little sad. |
