Improving on the original Romero "classic" (as some call it) is not hard. The original had a shoe-string budget which-combined with poor acting- gave it an almost most 70's porn film production value. That aside the central premise is solid and this remake executes it well.
An army bio-weapon, code named Trixie, is accidentally dumped into a small everyday Americana white picket-fenced homes in a farm town's water supply. Once ingested Trixie sets off a "viral" madness which grows exponentially out of control....
The thunder has been stolen from this concept in recent years- the "28 days/weeks double being the most significant- but there is no use in complaining about that when you have flogged to death horror franchises and their rebooted efforts on the horizon every other month! Jason, Michael and Freddy please take note.....
The film focuses as much on the military containment efforts- and the "clear-up" process which has shades of the Third Reich's final solution. These elements are more emotionally affecting than the well made horror action set-pieces, as the real horror is being treated like cattle by your own; ring-fenced with razor wire and bar-coded without explanation.
What would have improved the film? A little more focus on the initial townsfolk, a flamboyant one take tracking camera shot of various acts of murder, madness and odd behaviour in the town- weaving through homes, back out into the street etc, just for a minute or two to give it scope. Another element which is played on, but not fully examined is "Do I have the virus or do you?" paranoia. This could have created a truly unsettling atmosphere and racked up the tension even more.
One missed opportunity: I have an indeliable memory of a scene from the original. Although this version is flawed, it still had one of Romero's ace scenes in it- Picture if you will.... The view from inside the gas mask of a soldier who finds one of the locals in the infected town; a little old lady, smiling-rocking back and forth in her chair. The soldier is concerned, urging her to come with him and leave the house. She gets up- seemingly in total compliance- & whilst still smiling, drives the knitting needles into the soldier! Now that could have been left in as a homage to the original. The ending of this remake has no real surprises, left open for an unnecessary sequel, but this film is a decent afternoon's popcorn entertainment horror flick.
An army bio-weapon, code named Trixie, is accidentally dumped into a small everyday Americana white picket-fenced homes in a farm town's water supply. Once ingested Trixie sets off a "viral" madness which grows exponentially out of control....
The thunder has been stolen from this concept in recent years- the "28 days/weeks double being the most significant- but there is no use in complaining about that when you have flogged to death horror franchises and their rebooted efforts on the horizon every other month! Jason, Michael and Freddy please take note.....
The film focuses as much on the military containment efforts- and the "clear-up" process which has shades of the Third Reich's final solution. These elements are more emotionally affecting than the well made horror action set-pieces, as the real horror is being treated like cattle by your own; ring-fenced with razor wire and bar-coded without explanation.
What would have improved the film? A little more focus on the initial townsfolk, a flamboyant one take tracking camera shot of various acts of murder, madness and odd behaviour in the town- weaving through homes, back out into the street etc, just for a minute or two to give it scope. Another element which is played on, but not fully examined is "Do I have the virus or do you?" paranoia. This could have created a truly unsettling atmosphere and racked up the tension even more.
One missed opportunity: I have an indeliable memory of a scene from the original. Although this version is flawed, it still had one of Romero's ace scenes in it- Picture if you will.... The view from inside the gas mask of a soldier who finds one of the locals in the infected town; a little old lady, smiling-rocking back and forth in her chair. The soldier is concerned, urging her to come with him and leave the house. She gets up- seemingly in total compliance- & whilst still smiling, drives the knitting needles into the soldier! Now that could have been left in as a homage to the original. The ending of this remake has no real surprises, left open for an unnecessary sequel, but this film is a decent afternoon's popcorn entertainment horror flick.