What the world needed, a remake of George A. Romero's 1973 twist on the zombie flick. I could listen to an argument for a remake of Return of the Living Dead or even Dawn of the Dead. Remaking this 1980's video store standby is like covering Beatles tunes but only focusing on Yellow Submarine. This wasn't his best work and was far from being worthy of further attention.

Timothy Olyphant (A Perfect Getaway) and Radha Mitchell (Rouge) star as David and Judy Dutten , an Iowan couple. He is the local sheriff. She is the local sheriff's pregnant wife who is there purely as a means of putting the sheriff in continual and needless peril. A strange series of horrific murders hit their small town in the course of a couple of days. Soon the whole town is frenzied with violent psychopaths. A toxin has entered the water supply turning everyone insane. The whole community quickly descends into being a Darwinian carnival.

The townsfolk slaughter one another and eventually the State shows up and does what the State does best - it screws the whole thing to a point of complete collapse. Given how our Government works, this film gets the State's response completely wrong. In the movie the soldiers show up inside of a few days. In reality this would have gone on for another month before a commission would be set up to talk about the possibility of a response to a dangerous neurotoxin infecting a population. The zombies would have time to become domesticated and vote one of themselves mayor before our Government would step foot in the Midwest.*

The film is a paint-by-numbers affair with no surprises and nothing original. It is pap. There isn't anything wrong with the performances or even the execution (other than a reliance on gore - but you have to excuse that since that's the reason for making the movie). The problem with the film is that it is so painfully unoriginal. Even the DVD cover isn't new. The dragging of the pitchfork is a direct homage to the Coen Brother's Blood Simple where the implement was a shovel being dragging along asphalt.

You do not need to see this movie, so don't. It is a time waster and you have more to do with yourself than waste your time.


* - Unless it was Primary Season - this is Iowa after all.





Related Reviews:
Zombie movies
28 Days Later (2002)
Dead Snow (2009)


Other Critic's Reviews:
Beyond Hollywood
Film Freak Central



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Labels: film, George A Romero, movie review, Radha Mitchell, remake, Timothy Olyphant, zombie

A couple of couples are off the beaten path in Hawaii. Everything seems fine until the news that couples just like them are being murdered by a couple of murderers who, oddly enough, could be the other couple they're with.

In other words, you have young, attractive couples in lovely settings wondering if the other couple is the one who is going to kill them.

Yes, it sounds stupid. Primarily, that is because it is stupid. This is a very simple, movie that should be completely forgettable - notice the word "should". Writer/Director David Twohy (Pitch Black) takes what is an unimpressive premise and squeezes out a very effective, enjoyable thriller. His story isn't a marvel but it is engaging. He spices the film with great moments of tension and a couple of twists he shouldn't have been able to get away with.

The performances by Milla Jovovich, Steve Zahn, Kiele Sanchez and Timothy Olyphant are strong, considering the content and Twohy's dialog serves them well. Zahn and Jovovich work well together and prove to give the movie much of its best moments.

This is not a piece of art. It is a solid piece of pap cinema; a perfect back-up movie. If you never see it, you won't miss it. If you do see it, you will most likely enjoy it and not feel like you've wasted your time.


Related Reviews:
Milla Jovovich movies
Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)
Ultraviolet (2006)


Other Critic’s Reviews:
Screen Rant
The Seattle Post Globe





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Labels: film, Kiele Sanchez, Milla Jovovich, movie review, Steve Zahn, Timothy Olyphant

Screenwriters: Scott Kosar (The Machinist) and Ray Wright (Pulse)
Director: Breck Eisner
Actors: Radha Mitchell (Rogue), Timothy Olyphant (Meet Bill) and Joe Anderson (The Ruins)

Labels: film, Joe Anderson, movie trailer, Radha Mitchell, remake, Timothy Olyphant, zombie

A pretty effective trailer for what appears to be a rudimentary plot.

Pretty young white people go bad in paradise.

Notice how its all happy thoughts and living in Eden until one of the guys mentions the "wages of sin". Uh-oh someone mentioned consequences for behavior he must be a lunatic. Cue "danger music" Da-da-DAAAAA!

This was in and out of the theaters in a week or two so I guess of a get away people just wanted it to go away.





Screenwriter: David Twohy (Below)
Director: David Twohy (Pitch Black)
Actors: Chris Hemsworth (Star Trek), Milla Jovovich (The Fifth Element), Timothy Olyphant (Hitman) and Steve Zahn (Sahara)

Labels: Chris Hemsworth, film, Milla Jovovich, movie trailer, Steve Zahn, Timothy Olyphant

Labels: Bruce Willis, film, Justin Long, Kevin Smith, Maggie Q, movie review, Timothy Olyphant