The Crazies
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Movie Reviews of The Crazies
Movie Review: More bark than bite
Summary: 2 Stars
Talk, talk, and more talk; with some action scenes randomly inserted. I felt like I was watching C-SPAN with a bad science fiction twist. The movie delves too much in wordy technical political blunders. I wish Romero were more clever in incorporating the social satire with the action as he has done with Dawn and Night. The movie is as bland as a licking a paper plate. The real problem here was the dialogue. I felt like I had to trim fat off a piece of meat to get to the real message underneath this sea of people talking in a room. The movie felt as if it never ventured beyond the same rooms the entire time. We hear so much about how the virus is so dangerous, yet this point was never illustrated. We do see the corruption of the army just when they break into people's homes and quarantine them and when they go into mild gunfights. That's about it and it only makes a small fraction of the entire movie. It was basically the army and some doctor switching back and forth with arguments about the virus and blah blah blah. There's too much excruciating detail delivered only in words.
Part of the brilliance in filmmaking is using visuals to convey a message in imaginative ways. And there's nothing imaginative about seeing people argue in a little room for hours. I found the arguments between the "rebels" more appealing than the army's. But it still didn't hold up for the entire film. The whole movie revolves around some black army guy arguing with some bearded scientist most of the time. The people who were on the run were secondary, even though I found them more exciting.
"The Crazies" is a movie only for Romero collectors, such as myself. Other than that, I recommend you just get Martin, Creepshow, Dawn, or Night, because this will disappoint you if you were looking for a crazy thriller or political horror film. I do give credit though for Romero's ambition to try and convey a message about Vietnam and the Cold War paranoia, no matter how dull it came out on screen and for that one scene where a guy gets shot through the head, which emphasizes the cruel nature, the characters are in.
Movie Review: Probably Romero's worst movie
Summary: 2 Stars
With the announcement that George Romero is planning on a 2009 remake, I decided to watch the original 1973 version of "The Crazies". Not only was I incredibly disappointed, but it's so bad that I had a hard time believing it came from the great mind of Romero.
A plane carrying a bio-weapon codenamed "Trixie" accidentally releases the cargo on the unsuspecting town of Evan's City, Pennsylvania. It turns out the side-affects of this weapon are certain insanity, a nearly guaranteed fatality, and indescribably bad acting. The government is in a wild frenzy trying to quarantine the town and contain the virus.
There really isn't a lot to like about "The Crazies". The actors are poor at best, with two of the main characters looking like shaved versions of the Geico cavemen. In tune with their appearances, the lines are delivered in abrupt Cro-Magnon like grunts and meaningless monosyllabic blasts. The drama is nonexistent as they meander about the town with three other characters who are clearly using the opportunity to audition as the undead for Romero's next zombie flick. They must evade the institution of martial law, the inevitable spread of the virus, and seemingly overzealous Army occupation.
The other half of the movie is a jumbled, incohesive mess, as a nondescript member of the military argues with an incompetent scientist - who insists on screaming EVERY LINE - about the need for inoculations and voice recognition over CB radio, as non-connected scenes and stock footage provide the antithesis of what a script and acting should look like, not to mention the atrociously incomplete ending.
It's boring, bland, and somewhat irritable, and there is no doubt that the remake is slotted to right past wrongs. I trust Romero will make amends.
Movie Review: Terrible Waste of Time
Summary: 2 Stars
This low budget zombie-esque film is a complete waste of time, I rented it thinking that it would at least have some frightening moments but what I got instead was a test in patience. The details concern a toxic agent released by some dumb witted morons in the army in a small town and soon everyone gets the disease. The military, or what appears like extras in cheap army clothing, start to order martial law except a few hot headed guys break out. Each time the military is shown on the screen, Romero has some corny drum beating like we are too stupid to figure out that the army is there. Absolutely no suspense and an awful ending to boot....
Movie Review: Not the George Romero we all know and love
Summary: 2 Stars
This movie was not what I expect from a Romero flick. Not alot of the blood and gore that is his staple. The story itself isn't that exciting and neither are the actors really. I will buy all the Romero movies due to my love of most of his work. If you are just a fan of the "Dead" series you should pass this movie up. There is no comparison between "The Crazies" and the Dead movies!! Not even in the same league.Movie Review: I think Romero was the crazy one here...
Summary: 1 Stars
I have a terrific idea for a horrifying movie. Imagine: A movie comprised almost entirely of bland and tedious dialogue that gets so caught up in trying to convey a message that the actual content of the movie itself becomes a complete afterthought! Oh wait, I just watched that movie, it was called The Crazies. George A.Romero has created some excellent movies in his time. He has also created some very bad ones, and this is the category that The Crazies falls into.
The crash of a plane carrying a harmful biochemical toxin leaves a small rural town's water supply tainted with the virus. The prognosis for those infected suggests only two grim outcomes: Death, or irreversible insanity. The government sends in the army to quarantine the town which erupts into a full scale war between the soldiers and the residents who aren't willing to conform to the governements plans for them.
The Crazies is a very blunt commentary on not trusting your government and the power of the common man. That's all fine and good, but when it's diluted with so much needless and plodding dialogue, that message takes off like a lead balloon. This is about 100 minutes long, but if you trimmed all the fat from it, there would probably only be about a half and hour of actual story. But let's suppose that you're a fan of Romero's Living Dead series and simply want to check out The Crazies to see some good action and gore (And who would blame you?). Save for a handful of short shootout scenes between the soldiers and the civilians, you won't find much to write home about here.
Overall The Crazies was one of the dullest and ultimately pointless movies I've watched in quite a while. I urge you, do not let the Romero fanboys pull the wool over your eyes this time, even by B-movie standards this is pretty bad stuff. Pass on this one for sure.