No, this is not a post documenting an evening at Harbour Lights, but rather a quick take on the horror remake of a largely-unknown George Romero horror film which I have not seen since I was young. So I can't compare the two. On its own, however, this is a more effective film that most of the recent remakes/reboots that I have seen, which isn't necessarily saying that much (and, obviously, Matthew's the expert here, not me).
The Crazies establishes a suitably creepy atmosphere as small-town Iowa residents suddenly begin acting...well, crazy! Timothy Olyphant (whose new TV series Justified is supposed to be pure coolness) is fine as the local sheriff (our hero) and Radha Mitchell is...attractive (and mostly wasted in her role as doctor/wife). The film plays, to some extent, like a zombie flick, but these crazies aren't your run-of-the-mill brain-eaters. They just want to kill you, any way they can, and some of these scenes are very effective (though they quickly become monotonous and the film relies overly, as per usual, on fake scares designed to make the target audience jump and squeal and clutch their dates). The real villain of the film, however, is not the "crazies" themselves, but the military, who we soon learn are responsible for the behaviors and their containment. The military storyline could benefit from attaching an individual face to the villainy (I'm guessing the original fleshed out the military storyline?), but the filmmakers here don't want to slow down the action, so the film just rushes along toward an ending that is either (a) admirably bleak or (b) a final "fuck you" to the audience, depending on your particular worldview.
_Justified_ also has Walton Goggins! He played Shane in _The Shield_ and has the coolest last name since Noggle!
ReplyDeleteI didn't like Justified. Not gonna stick with it. I already have RuPaul's Drag Race on Tuesday nights anyway.
ReplyDeleteHaha, Beth, just about every reviewer in America has championed Justified, but I'll bet you're one of the few opting for Drag Race instead!
ReplyDelete(I haven't seen Justified yet but will watch the pilot soon).
You know, I saw Romero's original not more than a mere five months ago, and. . .I really don't remember it. . .at all. . .I may have even blogged about it. Jesus. Anyway. I have yet to see this remake. Isn't Radha Mitchell in SURROGATES, opposite Bruce Willis? That was a really fun and interesting movie that everyone ignored (probably due to the fact that there was virtually no promotional campaign -- or none that I was aware of).
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