3 stars (out of 5)
By R. Kurt Osenlund
While reading dozens of decade-in-review articles in December and January, I found more than a few film writers who pointed out the wave of zombie pictures that flowed through the '00s, citing titles like “Dawn of the Dead,” “Shaun of the Dead,” “28 Days Later,” “28 Weeks Later,” “Resident Evil: Apocalypse,” “Resident Evil: Extinction,” “Zombieland” and “Zombie Strippers.” Well, it's 2010, and though it may seem like vampires are the reigning movie monsters of the new decade, the arrival of “The Crazies” proves the zombie genre is still alive – er, undead – and kicking.
Whether or not that's a good thing is another story. A remake of a little-seen 1973 flick by the godfather of walking-dead cinema, George A. Romero (who serves as an executive producer this time around), “The Crazies” has the benefit of a narrative that especially emphasizes the particulars of the all-important virus element, and it has the knowhow to use those details to create some real, compelling drama. But the spine of this story, and its strenuously withheld foregone conclusion, feel all too much like the same old flesh-eating song (even if I didn't catch these bad boys actually eating flesh). Do we really need another zombie movie? Isn't anyone else all zombied out? Don't these bloody outings start to blur together? Outbreak. Infection. Reanimation. Hysteria. Rinse. Repeat.
Whether or not that's a good thing is another story. A remake of a little-seen 1973 flick by the godfather of walking-dead cinema, George A. Romero (who serves as an executive producer this time around), “The Crazies” has the benefit of a narrative that especially emphasizes the particulars of the all-important virus element, and it has the knowhow to use those details to create some real, compelling drama. But the spine of this story, and its strenuously withheld foregone conclusion, feel all too much like the same old flesh-eating song (even if I didn't catch these bad boys actually eating flesh). Do we really need another zombie movie? Isn't anyone else all zombied out? Don't these bloody outings start to blur together? Outbreak. Infection. Reanimation. Hysteria. Rinse. Repeat.
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