The Crazies (2010)

I like almost every movie where the main theme is an apocalypse, a deserted town, zombie infection or some kind of a virus. This film falls into that category very nicely since I liked it from the beginning all the way to the end, without saying something trashy about some of the scenes or a decision that was made from the main characters. The infected, not zombies in this case, were very very carefully designed and made to look pretty awesome, they looked scary and evil, but pretty original that depicted them from other movies with similar ideas. The acting crew was well chosen, with Radha Mitchell who is already a well known horror acting person, especially from Silent Hill. The story progressed well, altho I would've liked to see a more explained ending. All in all, a good horror/thriller movie, with great visual effects and great acting, decent enough story and average decision making, because there were some moments were the obvious has been said and has happened.

A world where 2011's The Thing reboot exists is arguably a worse world than one where its titular monster is real and eating us all. Old film franchises brought back from the dead to make a quick buck almost never end well. To this day the only one that lived up to its original glory was Mad Max Fury Road. The Crazies' 37 year revival wasn't as amazing as Mad Max Fury Road, but at least it wasn't The Thing, or Terminator Genysis; and this is partially because Romero was actually involved in its creation. Sure he wasn't a director, but since most horror remakes are done without any real talk with the original director, it's a blessing here. The film concept isn't quite a zombie concept, but the film sure as hell acts like one. Its score is decent, cinematography is nice, the acting and script are well done even if they take a bit of liberties with reality. Overall it's a nice film to see.

The Crazies stars Timothy Olyphant as small town sheriff David Dutton. Residents of Ogden Marsh, Iowa are starting to act, well, crazy. Some tainted water has infected them, turning them into violent empty shells of their former selves. On the surface, they aren't identifiable like zombies or the undead. But they appear to be uncontrollably prone to extreme violence. It's up to Sheriff Dutton, his wife, and the uninfected to figure out who has been turned by the water, how to stop them, and how to stop more from turning in this horrific tale.The preview made me think The Crazies had potential to be a really good scary movie, something not many successfully achieve. I don't particularly think horror movies are that scary and I'm usually more curious about how certain special effects are done than scared by the end result. Horror and thriller movies that leave more to the imagination are much more entertaining to me. 1408 with John Cusack, Seven with Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, The Skeleton Key with Kate Hudson, The Strangers with Liv Tyler, 10 Cloverfield Lane with John Goodman, those are the kinds of movies that get me going and this looked like it could be one of the good ones. The Crazies doesn't waste any time getting the action going. Within the first ten minutes, we witness three occurrences. In the next ten minutes, we learn why. Five minutes later, the movie grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go for the next hour with non-stop action, terror and gore. It's a little difficult to tell the difference who the "crazies" actually are once the government steps in to control what's happening in Ogden Marsh. The "crazies" are not like zombies, but they are definitely not all there. And the government agents act with the best interests of the town as their last priority as they contain and cover up what has happened. Without giving away the ending, you are made aware that another Crazies is coming.I initially predicted a 3.5 stars but knocked it down to 2.5 stars. The Crazies was entertaining, but it was a one-time deal that I probably won't watch again and won't own. Olyphant is perfect as the small town sheriff, but unlike the other thriller movies I mentioned above, The Crazies was a little too over-the-top for me with not enough subtlety to truly make it scary. But, if you haven't seen it, it's worth a rental.

I still have the habit never to read a brief description of a film in advance, let alone I would watch the trailer. In most cases the most crucial things are being told or shown in such a way that most of the surprises are screwed up more or less. In case of a blockbuster it doesn't really matter in most cases, since the content is usually known. With movies like "The Crazies" you'll start with a complete ignorance and it can sometimes be a pleasant surprise. Based on the movie poster (which I find very intriguing though) and the genre, I was ready to be overwhelmed.I must admit that the opening scene immediately gave me high hopes. Beautifully filmed and subtly supported by an appropriate soundtrack of Johnny Cash ("We'll Meet Again"). The first half hour was extremely good. A beautifully portrayed image of a small town in the U.S.. A village where everyone knows each other, with its traditions. A village where the local police still raises an admonishing finger because somebody is shooting after the hunting season and other trivialities. The main characters are introduced immediately : Sheriff David Napping and his pregnant wife Judy and deputy Russell Clank. The performances of these three were extremely successful.The moment the first signs of an epidemic occur won't take long and is convincing. Slowly the mystery unravels bit by bit and the sheriff and his assistant realize that they're in deep sh*t. And then you realize that it's again a zombie-like/epidemic-catastrophe story. The only difference is that the zombies are not more than comatose residents of the community, who transform into aggressive creatures with a "killing spree" mood after drinking the contaminated water. The fact remains that "The Crazies" is above the standard, compared to other horror movies. It's excellent in terms of imaging, dialogues and acting. But after a while the clichés are piling up in such amount that it eventually starts to irritate.Of course, the army shows up to rectify their mistake. They try to cover this whole mess up and start to wipe this community off the map. The sheriff escapes death an awful lot of times in the nick of time. And as always people make wrong decisions. Why bother telling someone to stay at some place. You know that he/she will eventually leave to have a look at something. Then there are the predictable situations. You know in advance already who ultimately will survive. And the end will be a deja-vu situation in other words everything will start all over again ! The biggest disappointment was the lack of tension. The gore part was absent. Only a heap of dead-bodies and the cold blooded liquidation of civilians by the U.S. army was kind of horrifying. Fake blood was apparently very expensive at that time cause it's used so scarce. And shocking scares were nonexistent. That's why this really wasn't a Horror / Drama to me, but rather a Thriller/Drama. Disillusionment. The end was also disappointing and felt as if they made it up quickly.Final conclusion: not bad, but nothing new. Some haunting images and moments (f.e. the pitchfork) but mostly annoying hackneyed clichés and situations.More reviews at http://opinion-as-a-moviefreak.blogspot.be/