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This probably isn't going to be a popular review.
For whatever reason the "horror community" and by "community" I mean the plethora of other horror sites out there have kind of stuck it to THE CRAZIES from the get go. From the casting to the camera work I have read poor review after poor review of this ( in my humble opinion) one of the best films to come out of this whole remake craze we find ourselves mired in.
So I am here to sing it's praises. I loved this movie.
It just worked for me. I remember watching the Romero classic (?) a long, long time ago and thinking, "what the hell? This is from the same guy that did Dawn of the Dead and Creepshow? " I just didn't get it. It was dry and filled with INCREDIBLY boring dialogue and very little action or gore.
Proponents of the film will scream about its riveting political commentary of the time but you know what, I didn't really care about that, I wanted to see jaw dropping effects and blood, lots and lots of blood. I didn't get turned onto Romero's THE CRAZIES until after some of his more modern masterpieces and to me THE CRAZIES was a step back.
But this remake, it kicks butt on just about every level.
It starts out quick and just ramps up from there.
SPOILERS AHEAD - WATCHOUT!!!!
The film opens in the small town that is Ogden Marsh. It's rural America at its best and a local baseball game is the center of attention. Most of the town is thee including the town sheriff David Dutton played by Timothy Olyphant. Suddenly one of the locals wanders into the outfield, shotgun in hand. It's obvious something is wrong but the sheriff is just chalking it up to the dude being drunk. Things escalate way to quick and before you know, the man is dead.
Things balloon rapidly from there and before you know it the government has arrived, the town is in quarantine and folks are being held in a concentration camp style lockdown.
Through a series of events Dutton's wife ends up being tagged as being infected and is hauled away to a "medical lab" that has been set up in the town school. She's a doctor, she knows she is fine but still finds herself strapped to a gurney with a bunch of infected psycho's wandering around.
The film is taught with tension and suspense. You don't know who to trust, who's infected, what's the government up too.
It makes for a real edge of your seat viewing experience.
Oh yeah, and they don't skimp on the blood. Rob Hall handled the FX and they rock, they truly do. I think Hall is probably the best FX dude on the scene right now and he really shines in this one.
THE CRAZIES just kind of winds itself from one memorable scene to another. Great stuff in the morgue, even better stuff in the school. Some really messed up stuff at the truck stop.
Director Breck Eisner has a great eye for taking the mundane and making it creepy. He does it throughout the film but all the while infusing enough heart into the film that we actually care what happens to those stuck in the situation.
He's supposedly attached to a couple other horror remake projects (Escape from New York, The Brood) and based on what I'm seeing here I say, bring it on!!
And THE CRAIZES doesn't sell out at the end. Sure, it leaves the door open for a sequel but it does it in a smart way without selling the story short.
I'm telling you, don't listen to the nay-sayers. pick this bad boy up, strap in and enjoy. It's a really fun ride and I highly recommend it.
Special feature wise, more goodness.
- The Romero Template Featurette
- Paranormal Pandemics
- Behind-the-Scenes Featurette
- Rob Hall Makeup Featurette
- Audio Commentary
- Still Gallery
Love the way they give the master his due with the ROMERO feature.
The BTS stuff is fast moving and fun to watch and I really, really enjoyed the Rob Hall segment. The dudes a genius and it's awesome to watch him do his thing.
As a whole I would have to say that THE CRAZIES just may be one of my most favorite releases of the year.
THE DVD and BLU-RAY hits stores Tuesday June 29th.
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