Friday the 13th: A New Beginning marks the gradual decline of the Friday the 13th series. People often bash this film for the exceptionally thin plot, the exceptionally thin characters, and lack of Jason. This might be one of the worst films in the franchise, but boy is it entertaining. Much like Part 3, which was often unintentionally hilarious, Part 5 is so contrived and over-the-top that the end result is a very entertaining slasher film.
The story picks up several years after Part 4, and Tommy Jarvis is now in a mental institution. Shortly after arriving, some kid gets ax-murdered by one of the patients after a dispute over a chocolate bar. That scene pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the film; extremely goofy and violent. Soon after, a copycat Jason goes around randomly killing people on his way to the mental institution. We then get a final showdown sequence, and after faux-Jason is dispatched, it's revealed that the killer was the father of the kid that got ax-murdered. It's a pretty lame twist, but at least there was a twist instead of the killer just being the crazed ax-murderer. A lot of people complain about this movie because Jason isn't actually in it. I personally thought this was a refreshing plot point. By slightly distancing itself from the other films, Part 5 prevents itself from copying the exact same plot of the previous 4, giving a bit of fresh air into the series.
The characters this time are thinner than ever. Several characters are introduced only to be killed five minutes later, and the only character with any depth is Tommy, but much of his character is just carried over from the previous film. That's not to say these characters aren't hilarious, though. All of the teens at the mental institution are comically over-the-top with their delivery, and because of the lack of character development, many of the characters seem to act at random, making for some very unexpected laughs here and there. The minor characters are hilarious, too. There's a foul-mouthed hillbilly and her son, who live next to the institution and do nothing but act like rednecks and swear. It's extremely juvenile but entertaining. There are also two greaser-looking kids who show up pretty early in the film. They get killed off quickly, but their time on screen is hilarious; one of the characters starts randomly singing to himself before getting killed by faux-Jason, and it's as funny as it is very unfitting for a slasher movie.
The death scenes are all very ridiculous and over the top in Part 5, which makes this film very enjoyable. There's a bizarre death by belt to the face, and an equally weird death by road flare to the mouth. There's a few generic axings and the obligatory "someone gets stabbed while in bed" scene. The makeup effects are pretty decent throughout, but for some reason we rarely seen any violence on screen. Most of what we see is the aftermath of the killing, which doesn't take nearly as much effort to pull off as a special effect. As someone who loves special effects, I couldn't help but feel slightly cheated.
Overall, this is a very campy and ridiculous slasher film. It doesn't feel like a Friday the 13th movie, but more of a parody of the series. The ridiculousness doesn't seem intentional however, and we're left with a slasher movie that doesn't realize how hilariously terrible it is. It's definitely a terrible movie, but it's just as enjoyable as the first four films, just not in the same way. This is definitely a film worth watching if you like the campier stuff.
Entertainment- 4/5
Quality- 2/5
IMDB Page- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089173/
June 8, 2012
Movie Review- Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter is far from the last movie in the series, but it might as well be. The series really goes downhill from here, but this is a pretty nice end to the series if you ignore the eight films that followed this one. There's the right balance of scares and camp that were imbalanced in the previous two sequels. It's still not as good as the original, but it gets pretty close.
The story is still the typical "promiscuous teens die in the woods" storyline, but there's an addition of a young Corey Feldman that somewhat shakes things up. The pacing is still the same as the rest of the series, but this time we have a much shorter flashback to the previous films, this time it's a creepy montage set to the Jason campfire story from Part 2. The death scenes are also more frequent, and its well before the 45-minute mark before one of the main characters dies. We still have the typical cast of paper-thin twits, but Crispin Glover is one of the dumb teens, so that makes up for it.
Crispin Glover and Corey Feldman are the best part of the film, outside of the death scenes. Crispin delivers his usual weirdo performance, and in a notoriously goofy moment, does a really spastic dance-thing halfway through the film, and that alone makes the movie worth watching. Corey is a rare feat, a not-annoying child actor. He plays a strange little kid who's obsessed with monster masks and video games, and he gives off an equally strange performance to match the character. And he kills Jason, which is pretty cool, too.
The death scenes are really top-notch, too. Tom Savini returned to do the special effects, and it really shows. We get some really gross and brutal offings, ranging from a neck-stab while eating a banana, a meat cleaver to the face, and a harpoon gun to the crotch. Jason's face is also really well done, albeit weird-looking. He no longer looks like the mongoloid hillbilly from Part 2, nor does he look like the pig-man from Part 3. Instead we get a Jason that looks strangely like a zombie, which is a rather uncanny foreshadowing to the later films. Friday the 13th Part 4 doesn't hold back in the least, and it really helps make this film memorable.
There's not a whole lot wrong with this film to point out, unless I wanted to nitpick, but there are few weird plot holes. Part 4 doesn't take place anywhere near Camp Crystal Lake, so it raises the question why Jason chose to hunt down teenagers that were nowhere near his home. Jason also starts to seemingly exhibit teleportation powers, as he manages to pop up in places around the woods far faster than humanly possible. Jason's still human in Part 4, too, so this comes across as really ridiculous.
Overall, this is a great Friday the 13th sequel. It's not as much fun as Part 3, but it manages to properly balance between scary and campy, giving us a film that's on par in quality with the original. The previous storylines are all nicely interwoven and ties everything together for a nice finale. This wasn't the last film in the series, of course, but it ends the arcing storyline of the first four films, and paves the way for the Tommy Jarvis storyline in the next two films.
Entertainment- 4/5
Quality- 3/5
IMDB Page- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087298/
The story is still the typical "promiscuous teens die in the woods" storyline, but there's an addition of a young Corey Feldman that somewhat shakes things up. The pacing is still the same as the rest of the series, but this time we have a much shorter flashback to the previous films, this time it's a creepy montage set to the Jason campfire story from Part 2. The death scenes are also more frequent, and its well before the 45-minute mark before one of the main characters dies. We still have the typical cast of paper-thin twits, but Crispin Glover is one of the dumb teens, so that makes up for it.
Crispin Glover and Corey Feldman are the best part of the film, outside of the death scenes. Crispin delivers his usual weirdo performance, and in a notoriously goofy moment, does a really spastic dance-thing halfway through the film, and that alone makes the movie worth watching. Corey is a rare feat, a not-annoying child actor. He plays a strange little kid who's obsessed with monster masks and video games, and he gives off an equally strange performance to match the character. And he kills Jason, which is pretty cool, too.
The death scenes are really top-notch, too. Tom Savini returned to do the special effects, and it really shows. We get some really gross and brutal offings, ranging from a neck-stab while eating a banana, a meat cleaver to the face, and a harpoon gun to the crotch. Jason's face is also really well done, albeit weird-looking. He no longer looks like the mongoloid hillbilly from Part 2, nor does he look like the pig-man from Part 3. Instead we get a Jason that looks strangely like a zombie, which is a rather uncanny foreshadowing to the later films. Friday the 13th Part 4 doesn't hold back in the least, and it really helps make this film memorable.
There's not a whole lot wrong with this film to point out, unless I wanted to nitpick, but there are few weird plot holes. Part 4 doesn't take place anywhere near Camp Crystal Lake, so it raises the question why Jason chose to hunt down teenagers that were nowhere near his home. Jason also starts to seemingly exhibit teleportation powers, as he manages to pop up in places around the woods far faster than humanly possible. Jason's still human in Part 4, too, so this comes across as really ridiculous.
Overall, this is a great Friday the 13th sequel. It's not as much fun as Part 3, but it manages to properly balance between scary and campy, giving us a film that's on par in quality with the original. The previous storylines are all nicely interwoven and ties everything together for a nice finale. This wasn't the last film in the series, of course, but it ends the arcing storyline of the first four films, and paves the way for the Tommy Jarvis storyline in the next two films.
Entertainment- 4/5
Quality- 3/5
IMDB Page- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087298/
June 7, 2012
Movie Review- Friday the 13th Part 3
Friday the 13th Part 3 is best known for two things; it's the movie that gave Jason his iconic hockey mask, and it's only Friday the 13th movie that was shot in 3-D. And boy does this movie love 3-D effects. This is one of the campiest films in the series, and that makes it all the more enjoyable. The film still takes itself seriously and tries to be scary, and while it fails at that, it make the film a lot more entertaining.
The film is riddled with gratuitous 3-D effects, ranging from popping popcorn to flying eyeballs. I was not able to see this film in 3-D, but I imagine it would even more fun to see everything popping out of the screen. Even the opening titles fly out at the audience. Some might say the film goes overboard with the 3-D, but I think it makes film a lot more interesting.
The script is a lot better this time around, relatively speaking. There's still an extended recap of the previous film, just like in Part 2, but Part 3 is a longer film and uses its time wisely, so the film doesn't feel rushed like Part 2 did. The characters in this film are a lot more distinguishable than the previous two films, and while they still aren't very developed characters, at least the audience can tell them apart. There's an attempted subplot in which the comic relief character tries to woo one of his friends and get over his self-consciousness, but the plot doesn't really go anywhere because both of them end up dead before anything can happen. It's nice that the writers tried to add some drama to the film, even though it wasn't very good. There's also a few minor things throughout the first act that end up paying off at some point during the end, and it helps make the script seem competent, despite the campy storyline.
The death scenes are hilariously over-the-top, and that alone makes this film fun to watch. And while none of the main characters die until an hour into the film, the minor characters that get axed before then get the boot in some really creative ways. When it does get time to kill off the main cast, the film doesn't hold back; there's a death by spear gun and a guy who gets chopped in half mid-handstand to name a few. Most of these scenes are done with really silly special effects. You can often see the wires supporting various flying objects, and that makes it all the more campy. The special effects makeup for Jason isn't as good this time around, however. We no longer get the mongoloid hillbilly from Part 2, instead we get a vaguely pig-looking version of Jason. That's no big deal, though, since we finally get to see Jason in his now-famous hockey mask, which he wears for the last half-hour of the film.
The end fight scene is great, too. Jason is still human in this installment, and he really gets a beating. He's stabbed, hanged, and has a bookshelf dropped on him. He's finally dispatched with an ax to the head, but he still manages to keep going for several seconds afterwards. This has one of the best end fight scenes in the series, and it's definitely lives up to the buildup throughout the film.
Overall, this is one of silliest but most enjoyable movies in the Friday the 13th series. The death scenes are ridiculous, the acting is hammy, and the 3-D effects are everywhere. The best part about this film, though, is that it doesn't realize it's being campy. Friday the 13th Part 3 tries to be just as creepy and intense as its predecessors, but it miserably fails. The end result is one of the funniest slasher films out there, and one that's definitely worth the watch.
Entertainment- 4/5
Quality- 2/5
IMDB Page- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083972/
The film is riddled with gratuitous 3-D effects, ranging from popping popcorn to flying eyeballs. I was not able to see this film in 3-D, but I imagine it would even more fun to see everything popping out of the screen. Even the opening titles fly out at the audience. Some might say the film goes overboard with the 3-D, but I think it makes film a lot more interesting.
The script is a lot better this time around, relatively speaking. There's still an extended recap of the previous film, just like in Part 2, but Part 3 is a longer film and uses its time wisely, so the film doesn't feel rushed like Part 2 did. The characters in this film are a lot more distinguishable than the previous two films, and while they still aren't very developed characters, at least the audience can tell them apart. There's an attempted subplot in which the comic relief character tries to woo one of his friends and get over his self-consciousness, but the plot doesn't really go anywhere because both of them end up dead before anything can happen. It's nice that the writers tried to add some drama to the film, even though it wasn't very good. There's also a few minor things throughout the first act that end up paying off at some point during the end, and it helps make the script seem competent, despite the campy storyline.
The death scenes are hilariously over-the-top, and that alone makes this film fun to watch. And while none of the main characters die until an hour into the film, the minor characters that get axed before then get the boot in some really creative ways. When it does get time to kill off the main cast, the film doesn't hold back; there's a death by spear gun and a guy who gets chopped in half mid-handstand to name a few. Most of these scenes are done with really silly special effects. You can often see the wires supporting various flying objects, and that makes it all the more campy. The special effects makeup for Jason isn't as good this time around, however. We no longer get the mongoloid hillbilly from Part 2, instead we get a vaguely pig-looking version of Jason. That's no big deal, though, since we finally get to see Jason in his now-famous hockey mask, which he wears for the last half-hour of the film.
The end fight scene is great, too. Jason is still human in this installment, and he really gets a beating. He's stabbed, hanged, and has a bookshelf dropped on him. He's finally dispatched with an ax to the head, but he still manages to keep going for several seconds afterwards. This has one of the best end fight scenes in the series, and it's definitely lives up to the buildup throughout the film.
Overall, this is one of silliest but most enjoyable movies in the Friday the 13th series. The death scenes are ridiculous, the acting is hammy, and the 3-D effects are everywhere. The best part about this film, though, is that it doesn't realize it's being campy. Friday the 13th Part 3 tries to be just as creepy and intense as its predecessors, but it miserably fails. The end result is one of the funniest slasher films out there, and one that's definitely worth the watch.
Entertainment- 4/5
Quality- 2/5
IMDB Page- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083972/
Movie Review- Friday the 13th Part 2
Friday the 13th Part 2 is the shortest of the Friday the 13th films, barely clocking in at 86 minutes. It uses its time very poorly, leaving us with an uneven but still entertaining slasher film. It's a pretty generic story as far as sequels go, but in comparison to some of the later films in the franchise, this is definitely one of the better ones. It's also the last film in the franchise that tried to be even remotely realistic, so I'll give it points for that as well.
As I said, the pacing is really off because the script makes poor use of its time. The first 15 minutes of the movie are used for pointless flashbacks and to kill off Alice, the sole survivor of the last film. The rest of the movie plays out like the first Friday, but crammed into a shorter running time. This leads to some very disappointing moments. Jason isn't in this film nearly enough. Mrs. Voorhees was at least present throughout the first film, even if she was off-screen. There's not enough time to even remotely like the characters, either. I had no idea who anyone was throughout the film other than the stereotypes associated with their characters, and I really couldn't have cared less when they died. And if I'm going to harp on any plot holes, I'm going to bringing up the strangest of them. Jason uncharacteristically leaves Crystal Lake at the beginning of the film to kill Alice. This raises the question of how Jason was able to track her down, and how he managed to put a severed head in her fridge without her noticing. Granted, this is a slasher film, and they're not meant to be taken seriously, but this really took me out of the film.
In comparison to the original film, Friday the 13th Part 2 holds up fairly well as a sequel, but it borrows several elements from the first and doesn't feel very original. If anything, this film feels more like one of the numerous knockoffs that had started to show up. The cinematography still has that moving-camera going on, so we're never quite sure if we're watching the characters through Jason's eyes. The story arc is also very similar to that of the original, although the end fight scene is slightly more intense. The scene where Ginny tries to convince Jason that she's Mrs. Voorhees is pretty creepy, but there just aren't enough creepy moments to keep this film as fully afloat as it could have been. There are long stretches in the script where nothing really happens, and I often felt myself starting to get bored. Those first fifteen minutes really offset the rest of the film, and the time spent waiting for the main characters to die just doesn't have the payoff to counteract the wait.
The death scenes are really lacking as well. Jason just kinda meanders about, waywardly killing people, and doesn't get around to killing any of the main characters until more than halfway through the film. There are a few deaths beforehand, but they were all minor characters with less than ten minutes of screen-time. Even when the deaths do occur, they leave much to be desired. Tom Savini didn't do the makeup for this film, and so the deaths here don't have the punch that the first film's did. There's a somewhat entertaining scene where Jason kills a guy in a wheelchair, but that's really the only memorable death in the movie. There's also a pretty goofy scene where Jason double-impales two camp counselors. It could have been a cool effect, but I thought it turned out kinda lame. Even Jason gets a lackluster defeat; he gets hit in the shoulder with a machete. That would probably kill someone, but it just isn't that creative of a way to defeat the villain. The only good part of the film in terms of makeup is the reveal of Jason's face at the end. He looks like a mongoloid version of Hagrid, but it's still a pretty creepy look, and the makeup still holds up today.
Overall, this is pretty standard slasher fare, and a pretty decent sequel. It's not as campy as some of the later installments, and it's not as creepy as the original. We're left with nearly the exact same movie as the first, but crammed into a shorter running time. But despite the shorter length, the film still drags in places, and the buildup to the main character's death doesn't a big enough payoff to justify the wait. It's certainly not a terrible movie, and there are a few entertaining moments, but don't go into the film expecting it to be as good as the original. If you enjoyed the first Friday the 13th, it's worth watching, but the casual viewer should steer clear.
Enjoyment- 3/5
Quality- 2.5/5
IMDB Page- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082418/
June 6, 2012
Movie Review- Friday the 13th (1980)
There's not much that can be said about the original Friday the 13th that hasn't been said already. Along with Halloween and the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, this one of the pioneers of mainstream slasher films. Friday the 13th has hugely affected American pop-culture, with constant homages and parodies still seen today. Despite the commercial success of the franchise, the films have always been critically panned. But are they really that bad? Over the next week, I'll be reviewing this legendary horror franchise to determine such.
The original Friday the 13th might seem cliched by today's standards, but several of the film's plot devices and scare tactics were still fresh to an extent. There are "don't go in there!" moments, cheesy acting and dialog, and paper-thin characters galore. These were still inexcusable flaws thirty-two years ago, but these moments are pretty restrained and not painfully campy like those of later slasher films. There's still an air of creepiness to the film, despite the campy moments. The script manages to lull us in to a false sense of security, only to jolt us right back with a character's death. The cinematography also relies heavily on moving camera shots, which often feel like the point-of-view shots associated with the killer, so we can never be quite sure if the characters are being observed.
The story itself is pretty standard slasher fare, and probably the first in a long line of "promiscuous teens go to the woods and die" movies. The characters are also pretty dumb, and their levels of common sense seem to vary as necessary to the plot. The characters' personalities are as thin as you can get, and there's almost no character development as is typical of most slasher films. And despite the 95 minute run-time, I can't help but feel that we didn't get to see enough of the characters. They're on screen, but nothing really happens with them. Even the villain is given a disappointingly small amount of time. As most people forget, it was Jason Voorhees's mother who was the killer in the first film. Her motive of avenging her son's death makes sense, but this plot point is not touched upon enough to make it truly effective.
The death scenes are not entirely inventive, which is fine because our villain is human, but they lack a feel of originality. The generic kinfings and axings lack originality; you don't have to have fancy weaponry to make a memorable death scene, but the actual killing part can make or break a good death scene. For example, there are numerous deaths throughout Friday the 13th, but the only one that people remember is Kevin Bacon's death scene, where he's stabbed in the neck with an arrow; the murder weapon isn't all that original, but the special effect of the arrow coming out of his neck is a lot more interesting than a generic stabbing. That being said, the death scenes are really convincing, as is to be expected from makeup-maestro Tom Savini. Except for the really goofy-looking decapitation scene at the end, the makeup effects still hold up today.
Overall, there's not a lot I can say about this film, because there's been so much said about it already. Friday the 13th is riddled with cliches, and is just as cheesy as you would expect a slasher film to be. This movie is heavy on the violence and low on pretty much everything else, but therein lies the charm. It's also one of the only installments in the franchise that actually tried to make sense, so I'll give it points for that. If you're new to the slasher genre, or you just haven't gotten around to this campy classic, it's definitely worth the watch.
Enjoyment- 4.5/5
Quality- 3/5
IMDB Page- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080761/
The original Friday the 13th might seem cliched by today's standards, but several of the film's plot devices and scare tactics were still fresh to an extent. There are "don't go in there!" moments, cheesy acting and dialog, and paper-thin characters galore. These were still inexcusable flaws thirty-two years ago, but these moments are pretty restrained and not painfully campy like those of later slasher films. There's still an air of creepiness to the film, despite the campy moments. The script manages to lull us in to a false sense of security, only to jolt us right back with a character's death. The cinematography also relies heavily on moving camera shots, which often feel like the point-of-view shots associated with the killer, so we can never be quite sure if the characters are being observed.
The story itself is pretty standard slasher fare, and probably the first in a long line of "promiscuous teens go to the woods and die" movies. The characters are also pretty dumb, and their levels of common sense seem to vary as necessary to the plot. The characters' personalities are as thin as you can get, and there's almost no character development as is typical of most slasher films. And despite the 95 minute run-time, I can't help but feel that we didn't get to see enough of the characters. They're on screen, but nothing really happens with them. Even the villain is given a disappointingly small amount of time. As most people forget, it was Jason Voorhees's mother who was the killer in the first film. Her motive of avenging her son's death makes sense, but this plot point is not touched upon enough to make it truly effective.
The death scenes are not entirely inventive, which is fine because our villain is human, but they lack a feel of originality. The generic kinfings and axings lack originality; you don't have to have fancy weaponry to make a memorable death scene, but the actual killing part can make or break a good death scene. For example, there are numerous deaths throughout Friday the 13th, but the only one that people remember is Kevin Bacon's death scene, where he's stabbed in the neck with an arrow; the murder weapon isn't all that original, but the special effect of the arrow coming out of his neck is a lot more interesting than a generic stabbing. That being said, the death scenes are really convincing, as is to be expected from makeup-maestro Tom Savini. Except for the really goofy-looking decapitation scene at the end, the makeup effects still hold up today.
Overall, there's not a lot I can say about this film, because there's been so much said about it already. Friday the 13th is riddled with cliches, and is just as cheesy as you would expect a slasher film to be. This movie is heavy on the violence and low on pretty much everything else, but therein lies the charm. It's also one of the only installments in the franchise that actually tried to make sense, so I'll give it points for that. If you're new to the slasher genre, or you just haven't gotten around to this campy classic, it's definitely worth the watch.
Enjoyment- 4.5/5
Quality- 3/5
IMDB Page- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080761/
June 4, 2012
Movie Review- Night of the Living Dead (1990)
On paper, this movie sounds like a great idea. The original Night of the Living Dead reinvented the zombie genre, and the only major flaw in the film is the special effects, which were pretty lame. A remake of this film could have potentially taken the already violent film and make it even more gruesome with better special effects, and smooth over any of the minor problems in the original. With special-effects wizard Tom Savini directing, this seems like it would be a great remake. Heck, George Romero even wrote the screenplay. What could go wrong? Nearly everything, actually.
The main problem with this movie is that it's very distant from its predecessor.There was a lot of room to expand creatively on the original because of modern technology, but instead the film opts to outdo the original by trying to make everything bigger and more in-your-face. The story moves a lot faster, the characters' personalities are over-the-top, and there's a lot more zombie action. Again, this sounds great on paper, but the end result feel strangely hollow and watered down, despite the bigger budget that put into the film. There are also several from the original film that are reused here, but they never quite work given the new context.
The story definitely moves faster than the original, but unfortunately this kills the suspense. The famous opening sequence and accompanying line "They're coming to get you Barbara" are crammed into the opening title sequence, and from there we're treated to approximately eighty minutes of people nailing boards on doors and yelling at each other. The characters' personalities from the original film have been taken to the extreme, with the exception of Barbara; she becomes the complete antithesis of her character in the original, doing most of the zombie-killing in the movie. For example, Harry Cooper, the jerk from the original, is taken to the extreme. His character is nearly villainous, with almost no explanation for his behavior. At least in the original, they play up the fact that he's worried about his daughter. This plot point is rarely mention in the remake, leaving with a very evil and annoying version of the character.
With Tom Savini in the director's seat, one would think that this movie would at least have some good makeup effects for the zombies. Savini had previously worked on Dawn of the Dead, and one would think that he would produce similar results. Unfortunately Tom was not actually one of the makeup artists, and only worked as the director. So instead of some great gross-out effects and makeup, all we get are a bunch of lame zombies that look like a failed attempt at making an Evil Dead-themed Halloween mask. While one could argue that the zombies in this film are ones that just haven't started to decay, the only reason there needed to be a remake was to amp up the special effects. There's also very little on-screen violence. For a movie about zombies, there's almost no brutality towards them. There's the occasional gunshot to the head, but there's little to no bloodshed. Everything happens off-screen, and not in a "the real horror is what you imagined happened" kind of way. It's quite obvious that despite the increase in budget, it just wasn't enough to cover the special effects. Without good special effects in a zombie movie, you have to counter it with a strong story, like in the original. The remake however, can't combat this.
Another huge problem with this film is the ending. Up until the ending, this was a fairly close retelling of the original film, but the last fifteen minutes or so departs from the original completely. The 1968 version of Night of the Living Dead has one of the most famously pessimistic endings of all time, and none of the main characters make it out alive. But of course the remake tried to amp the ending up by giving us a very unnecessary look at the zombie-hunting group from the original film. In this version of the film, Barbara is the only one who makes it out alive. She somehow manages to hold off several zombies by wielding a gun at them until she is rescued by the zombie-hunting team.
Cut to the next day, and we see a very dumb look at what goes on in the zombie-hunting groups. Several of the zombies are tied up for shooting practice and forced to fight each other in a makeshift boxing ring. This scene drags on for far too long, and I get the feeling we're supposed feel sorry for the zombies, particularly because of a rather stupid line of dialog "They're us. They're us and we're them". I can only assume this was supposed to be a thought provoking line for the audience to think about after the movie. But ultimately the "maybe we're the monsters"-type message loses its impact because it was never touched on until then.
Overall, this is a very lackluster and ultimately unnecessary remake. The only thing that would have made this film worthwhile is if it had better makeup effects, but those too are lacking. This film tries to be bigger and better than the original, but fails to do so, leaving us with really lame special effects and a series of suspenseless jump scares. There are so many ways this film could have helped improve the original, but it tries to do its own thing while simultaneously bringing nothing new to the plate. If there is anything positive to be said, at least Barbara isn't the catatonic and blubbering mess that she was in the original. She's given a tougher, "we couldn't get Sigourney Weaver to sign on, so here's the best we could do"-type personality, but at least she's more interesting than the original Barbara. Other than that, this is a very trite and insipidly boring remake. There's not much substance to this film, and it's really not worth your time. Not recommended.
Enjoyment- 1/5
Quality- 2/5
IMDB Page- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100258/
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