But zombies? I love zombie movies, and I feel I am pretty prepared for the eventual zombie invasion that were just one viral mutation away from. So when our son suggested we record The Walking Dead I agreed wholeheartedly. Today we watched the first episode, DVR'ed last weekend. It was pretty good. There was all the obligatory character development and the struggle of the human soul in extreme adversity. My son asked me "Dad, could you shoot mom in the head if she had become a zombie?" To which I instantly responded "Yes, if she was absolutely, without a doubt, a zombie, I'd shoot her in the head to put her out of her misery." You can imagine my annoyance at one of the secondary characters who struggled with shooting his former-wife-now-staggering-and-gaunt-zombie via sniper rifle. She's just gonna try and eat you! Put her down!
Later in the episode, I made a note to self: "get a gas siphon". Really stinks to run out of gas in the middle of a zombie apocalypse without a siphon! And trying to siphon by mouth tastes terrible and can lead to mouth cancer - no thanks. There's zombies to take out!
The zombies are gruesome and realistic. The character development of the non zombies is thorough, and I guess, heart warming, in some ways... but I really love the zombie attack scenes, and wide angle panning and detail. Done superbly. When such nice people in such a pretty place run into such terribly hideous things. I think we'll be watching more of these DVR'ed episodes.
Note: on the movie poster.. I have driven into Atlanta on all 6 interstate approaches... and several US Highway approaches... and none of them have a 5 lane, no guard rail, railway side that I can recall (and it doesn't meet NHTSA requirements). But it is eerily depicted.
I just watched the first episode last night, and liked it as well. I'm undecided on the medium-speed-ness of the zombies though. They seem slightly faster, at times, than the usual (proper) slow-zombies. At least they're not superfast zombies. But it ticks all the boxes for a zombiegeddon series so far.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I DO NOT get is how do barely ambulatory, continually decomposing undead zombies differentiate between other zombies, and non-zombies / the infected and the yet-to-be infected? Bill Murray had it right in "Zombieland" - put on good makeup, shamble slowly, and apparently, the other zombies leave you alone.
ReplyDeleteDrawn to sound and light.. ok.. be vewwwy vewwwy qwwwiet. But does becoming a zombie instill you with infravision where you can see if someone else's body temperature? (I doubt it, the rods and cones couldn't mutate and re-wire the brain fast enough, especially while decomposing). Does zombiefication instill you with an enhanced sense of smell, to where you can detect someone who DOES NOT exude decomp? Again, I doubt it... but who knows? My mossberg, glock, louisville slugger & face shield (very nice touch for WD's main character to wear a face shield on his first baseball bat zombie braining) will make sure I don't find out.
But Ron, on the slow shambling... I DID like the fast "I am Legend" zombie vampires, and the maniacal "28 days later" 'infected', for a movie zombie scenario. I'd never ever want to encounter an actual accelerated zombie in person, but from a movie going perspective, it adds all sorts of additional variables and a degree of believability.
ReplyDeleteWho am I to say that ALL zombies MUST move slowly? Perhaps a brighter flame burns out more quickly (like a strip of magnesium) Granted, the "Night of the Living Dead" slow motion zombies, and MOST decomposing zombies have traditionally moved lethargically, but what's wrong with a speedy gait, and rapidly stumbling (not hyper-coordinated, just faster) undead whose REALLY hungry / rabid / driven?
Shaun of the Dead and The Mummy both used the "act like one of the stricken", to comic effect.
ReplyDeleteI heartily recommend World War Z, btw.
I love 28 Days Later, fantastic movie. I Am Legend was interesting. The book is so much better, the movie was a bit disappointing, although Will Smith did a great job I think. The ending was awful, but at least the alternate ending was pretty good.
ReplyDeleteThe fast infected in 28DL worked really well, but for reanimated dead, I prefer them in not so much of a hurry. I think Simon Pegg is on-the-money on this point.
mr pegg has a point, though i did find the full-tilt zombies in the 2004 Dawn of the Dead pretty damn scary.
ReplyDeletei was a little frustrated by the pilot of the AMC show. near misses (almost communicating via radio w/ his wife) frustrate me, and the affair between his wife and coworker seems a needlessly obvious setup for future confrontation.
i'll try to get past them as just clumsy devices demanded by formula and the series finding its legs.
Yeah, the near-miss didn't work for me, either. With the wife&coworker thing, I wondered if it was a pre-existing affair or just a new thing (preferrably the latter), but still not needed. It's zombiegeddon! How much addl drama do you need to manufacture beyond that??
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