Not so long ago I reviewed the George A. Romero original version and today it’s time for the new version, and 30 something years later they’re still pretty crazy…
Taking a leaf from another modern Romero remake, Zack Snyder’s 2004 take on Dawn of the Dead this version decides to amp up the scare factor to 11. Much like its remake companion, this film is a pretty loose re-do of the original, seeming to take only the title and basic premises from the first version, not necessarily a bad thing in that it distances itself from a cult classic. Whilst this version didn’t have as much to live up to as the Dawn remake it still never completely steps out of Romero’s shadow. Unfortunately it also falls under Snyder’s shadow by adapting the techniques that made his film a hit, most notably the use of contemporary Johnny Cash song for the films opening, though seemingly minor, it is these things that makes this film feel like a watered down sequel.
The real imposing threat of the original to me was the military presence; however these villains seem pretty much squandered here. Keeping the iconic gas masks but dropping the chemical suits would seem to be a plus, but in doing so these characters lose that something which made them memorable. The problem with this version is that it needlessly humanises the soldiers. Obviously in this current war stricken climate it isn’t easy to portray a normal foot soldier as a heartless killer, especially when it comes to shooting unarmed civilians; but this change in turn just sucks all of the terror out of these characters.
Not to say that this film is a complete wash-out, the problem is it’s just a bit bland. For every exciting sequence such as the car wash there are twice as many clichéd ones, every great bit of gore just gets overused and whilst Timothy Olyphant might give a great performance everyone else is just a bit unmemorable.
It’s got its fair share of scrapes and scares but these Crazies never really get going, a paint by numbers horror film that drops the social commentary and chills for action and jumps. A fair but forgettable remake that doesn’t quite live up to its potential.
5.5/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0455407/
Extra: Bought Romero’s Survival of the Dead on DVD today, eep!
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