With The Crazies being the latest entry to the horror genre, just how many zombie movies do we really need? The way they keep multiplying, at a rate of one per year, that’s far too infrequent. Dead Air was last year’s favourite and with it a new trend: Let’s not say that the mindless automatons are zombies. The virus, manmade or not, is cause of it all.
With the DVD and the Blu-ray release tentatively set for June 29th, according to Amazon Canada, stores stocks will most likely be contained than flooded.
And over the years, only some of these films will stand out in the mass plethora of zombie flics. Leading the charge for this film is director Breck Eisner and George Romero is on board only as an executive producer. Eisner is remaking Romero’s film by following a traditional formula that everyone is well aware of.
Any videogamer will recognize the narrative and that leads to some predictability. There will always be an individual catapaulted into the situation and there will always be a final boss fight.
But this movie also runs ahead of the pack by showing an entire township getting involved than by introducing a handful of people to face the problem. This film also gives audiences shifting perspectives, with Sherriff David Dutton (Timothy Olyphant) and his wife (Radha Mitchell) watching their small Iowa life get turned upside down. Just when they think they’re ready to settle, various people are behaving oddly, leading them to become ultra violent.
The best part of the film is in how Eisner depicts small town life. It’s convincing enough to create a sense of security and serenity, away from the hustle and bustle of a large city. And when people start showing up in a weird daze, that’s when the bubble bursts. Eisner goes from calm and relaxed to a fast paced race through a township that is rapidly falling apart.
Instead of a gory film that’s reminiscent of George Romero’s earlier works, it’s more realistic than fantastic. The scenario is something that can conceivably happen when a virus gets unleashed and there’s no way to control it.
And with the subtext of what government and military power can do, the next time you look up in the sky, just know you’re not alone.
