Review of The Crazies (1973) by Lance S — 27 Nov 2010
When people hear of Romero they think of his zombie movies and this movie is about as far away from that as you can get. The concept is really interesting, and I think the problem I have with it is that it lacks direction.
Half of the movie follows the military and the other follows a small group of survivors and it is tough to tell who to root for if anybody. It also didn't seem that the disease was that dangerous or at least not that infectious.
That also lessened the impact for me. However the reason that I enjoy this movie is of course Romero's commentary on the government and the reaction of such an event. That is really interesting to show that side.
So often Romero focuses on the people surviving and the dynamics between various groups and philosophies. However this is more based on how far does the government have to go to contain this disease and is it right to do what they are doing.
That to me is really interesting and raises some really cool questions to be discussed. This movie is as pertinent as it is today as it was then. That was the one thing I thought the remake missed, but the remake wasn't trying for that so I can't knock them on that.
I believe that this movie has its place and no it isn't Dawn of the Dead or even Night, but it holds its place. Check it out.
This review of The Crazies (1973) was written by Lance S on 27 Nov 2010.
The Crazies has generally received mixed reviews.
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