The Crazies (2010) reviewed
A remake of the 1973 cult classic from cinema’s “Zombie Grandfather,” George A. Romero, The Crazies is a solid, well-made horror movie. The film is nothing exceptional but neither is it trash – deliberate or unintentional – making for a refreshing change given many other entries in the genre recently. In time The Crazies 2010 will probably even develop a greater following, as memories fade of the film’s trailer, which unfortunately spoils many of the movie’s best moments. So don’t watch the trailer if you want to have a much more enjoyable, unpredictable time with The Crazies.
Essentially a rabid zombie movie without zombies, The Crazies centres on the peaceful fictional farming community of Ogden Marsh, in the American Midwest. Life is good for sheriff David Dutten (Timothy Olyphant), his newly pregnant doctor wife Judy (Radha Mitchell), their friends and neighbours. But this all changes when an engineered virus is accidentally unleashed in the town, turning residents into homicidal maniacs and cunning, cruel killers. Not only do David and Judy have to contend with the locals, but they also have to outrun the military – who have initiated severe containment procedures.
Now admittedly The Crazies could have been much more intense, and therefore more uncomfortable, for movie audiences than it ultimately is. I had the same wishes for The Happening in fact. With The Crazies I expected to see townsfolk slaughtering each other on the street, or acting on various sick, R-rated urges they’ve long suppressed.
The reality is that The Crazies follows an episodic format – focusing solely on David and Judy as they attempt to flee the town, and the various hurdles they encounter on the way. This said, while The Crazies avoids depicting mass panic and insanity, and generally skirts away from degrading torture porn territory, the film’s simplified approach to horror works well. There are perhaps five set pieces in which the film’s heroes have first-hand encounters with “crazies,” and these scenes are exceptionally well executed. The viewer really shares in the characters’ anxiety. And without spoiling things too much, the Car Wash and Diner sequences are perhaps the best, and most effective, of these set pieces.
Kudos to the filmmakers too for minimising the movie’s number of infuriatingly dumb moments, which audiences have come to expect of horror films. While not written with any great depth, the characters generally behave logically and intelligently. And the leads – especially Mitchell – are actually given the screen time to react emotionally and credibly to their circumstances.
Utterly serious in tone, The Crazies is a good old fashioned horror film that relies more on mounting tension and scare moments instead of gore and CGI for its thrills. The film may be hampered by missed opportunities and trailer over-revelation, but that still doesn’t mean The Crazies isn’t one of the best horror films to release this year.
Such a pity it took nine months for the movie to reach us in South Africa…
Essentially a rabid zombie movie without zombies, The Crazies centres on the peaceful fictional farming community of Ogden Marsh, in the American Midwest. Life is good for sheriff David Dutten (Timothy Olyphant), his newly pregnant doctor wife Judy (Radha Mitchell), their friends and neighbours. But this all changes when an engineered virus is accidentally unleashed in the town, turning residents into homicidal maniacs and cunning, cruel killers. Not only do David and Judy have to contend with the locals, but they also have to outrun the military – who have initiated severe containment procedures.
Now admittedly The Crazies could have been much more intense, and therefore more uncomfortable, for movie audiences than it ultimately is. I had the same wishes for The Happening in fact. With The Crazies I expected to see townsfolk slaughtering each other on the street, or acting on various sick, R-rated urges they’ve long suppressed.
The reality is that The Crazies follows an episodic format – focusing solely on David and Judy as they attempt to flee the town, and the various hurdles they encounter on the way. This said, while The Crazies avoids depicting mass panic and insanity, and generally skirts away from degrading torture porn territory, the film’s simplified approach to horror works well. There are perhaps five set pieces in which the film’s heroes have first-hand encounters with “crazies,” and these scenes are exceptionally well executed. The viewer really shares in the characters’ anxiety. And without spoiling things too much, the Car Wash and Diner sequences are perhaps the best, and most effective, of these set pieces.
Kudos to the filmmakers too for minimising the movie’s number of infuriatingly dumb moments, which audiences have come to expect of horror films. While not written with any great depth, the characters generally behave logically and intelligently. And the leads – especially Mitchell – are actually given the screen time to react emotionally and credibly to their circumstances.
Utterly serious in tone, The Crazies is a good old fashioned horror film that relies more on mounting tension and scare moments instead of gore and CGI for its thrills. The film may be hampered by missed opportunities and trailer over-revelation, but that still doesn’t mean The Crazies isn’t one of the best horror films to release this year.
Such a pity it took nine months for the movie to reach us in South Africa…
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