57/365 The Crazies

* I was on hiatus due to work and traveling for a wedding.  Now that I am back I decided to start at where I should be vs trying to play catch up.  Embracing that it is ok to not be perfect at this challenge.  If you knew me, you would know how much growth is in that one statement!

On to my review:

Starring: Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell, Joe Anderson

Genre: Horror

Discovery: I have said this before:  I’ll see any movie with Timmy O. plus I love me some George Romero-inspired horror.

Summary: Small town gets overrun by a virus that is turning the locals into crazy killers.  The town sheriff, his wife, and deputy try to get out and find their way to Cedar Rapids without being caught or killed.  The ‘enemy’ isn’t as straight forward as you think.

First Glance: So I NEVER like when a movie starts with a series of abstract closeups.  Not ever, but in this case it was such a small infraction, I forgive Breck (the director).  Not that he needs my forgiveness.  This movie is really well crafted.  It had the right blend of suspense, gore, and levity to keep you from being bombarded “in the bad way”.  Handheld camera work added to the sense of chaos. Timmy was pretty decent, as was Radha **BUT** the knock out star of this film was Joe Anderson who played Deputy Russell.  He just knocked it out of the park.  I need to keep my eye on that guy!

Deeper Look: One of the ways that I gage if I think a movie has ‘chops’ (meaning worth my time) is if I walk away feeling like I was entertained. It’s not always about how finely crafted a movie is, although that plays a part.  Often, if you fully engage in the story for all that it is; that’s a sign you got a good flick on your hands.  This movie achieved that.  From start to finish, I was invested and wanted to see where this journey through small town zombie world would take me- even the ‘yeah right’ moments won me over (and there were a few).  **Cough** THE ENDING** **Cough**  There was also some laughter to break the obvious abundance of gore.  I will mention this:  I absolutely can count the number of times I’ve jumped due to a scare on one hand.  I added one today.  That says something.

What I Took Away from this Movie: Don’t drink the water….

Final Glimpse: Very good remake of a classic.  Both are worth your attention.