Review of The Crazies (2010) by Gabrieldsanchez — 04 Jul 2022

I'm a sucker for zombie and infections movies. I can't help but watch them. Most of these movies fall into the B-movie category; The Crazies is no exception.

The Crazies is an adaptation of a 1973 film of the same name. Gearge A. Romero directed the original; here, he's an executive producer. I discovered this fact while researching to write this review.

In The Crazies, David, sheriff of the fictional town of Odgen Marsh, Iowa, has to shoot a civilian who showed up armed with a shotgun at a baseball game. The civilian was clearly affected by something that prevented him from thinking. Here, I think the problems are already starting for me. Odgen Marsh is a small town, with just over 1200 inhabitants, but it seems that there are only two police officers in town: David, the sheriff, and Russell, his assistant deputy.

A man armed with a shotgun shows up at a high school baseball game, and no one decides to take shelter. David clearly shoots in self-defense, and yet it seems that some of the population condemn him for the act (but here, I can even see reality with today, where some values ​​seem inverted.).

David and Russell are super smart. Sometimes I don't like how protagonists can't seem to put the ends together, but David and Russell put them together accurately. In less than half an hour, they already knew they were dealing with some pathogen.

A scene that ends in a scare felt forced just to cause pointless tension. David and Russell were working as a team, but for no apparent reason, David decides to go out alone when he realizes the problem is serious. A bizarre scene ends with a pretty dumb scare, with a guy with no chance of seeing warning David that someone is right behind him.

There is little explanation about the pathogen. Despite an agent describing it as deadly, the only confirmed symptom is that the hosts become extremely aggressive. I couldn't close a pattern beyond aggression: at times, the hosts seem erratic; in others, they seem smart enough to set traps. The lack of consistency makes some scenes feel exploitative.

Some scenes are classic horror scenes, like when David can't restart the car he just turned off. Others are funny for the wrong reasons, for example, when Judy, David's wife, decides to take the towels off the line because of an anxiety attack. However, the film is consistent in keeping us tense and curious for the end.

One thing that annoyed me about the protagonists is the fact that they always walk on the road. At one point, they even ask if it's a bad idea, and indeed it is. Exposing yourself in this way is clearly idiotic; why not follow the road from a safe distance?

The climax was expected. The events are tense, but the main reason for the events themselves was obvious to me from the middle of the movie.

The outcome was acceptable. The scenes during the end credits, however, open the possibility for a sequel or a prequel, two aspects not explored until then. Considering the box office results, I imagine that these movies will not see the light of day.

Recommended if you are a fan of movies about infection. The film is very simple because it only focuses on the survival aspect without wanting to be scientific, but it works. These types of movies aren't for everyone, that's for sure.