Customer Reviews

The Dead [Blu-ray]

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

While I have an undeniable soft spot in my heart for the flesh eating undead, the zombie genre has been a bit overworked lately with projects (whether in film, TV, or books) of varying degrees of quality. Let's face it, the walking dead are everywhere! I'm certainly not complaining, but it's becoming increasingly difficult to find entertainment that still feels fresh and vital. Brothers Howard and Jon Ford, however, have come up with a surprisingly effective survival story in "The Dead" that looks great, feels different, and yet still honors the old school traditions of the classic Romero zombie. It's a simple film, almost minimalist in fact, that doesn't utilize a lot of expository dialogue or develop a grandiose plot. It simply puts you into a realistic scenario set in the barren environment of rural Africa. The desolate country and atmospheric quiet of the film begs the question "Where do you escape to if there's nowhere to go?"

The film introduces us to Rob Freeman as the lone American survivor of an evacuation plane's crash. Crossing the war-torn country, there simply appears to be no end to the horde of undead. He meets up with a local soldier who is attempting to locate his missing son, and the two forge an unlikely friendship and alliance. The film doesn't attempt to explain why the country is overrun with zombies, and it offers little backstory or actual character development. Instead, it showcases the two men as they travel the countryside looking for any sign of hope. If you are looking for non-stop action and carnage, this film may not fulfill your expectation. This tale is much quieter, more introspective. The success of the movie relies on the unsettling mood as zombies are present in almost every background shot. It is a haunting and ethereal vision, especially as the pair drive through the night.

In addition to creating an effectively somber and realistic ambience, the Ford Brothers make the most of their unique environment. The African backdrop is wholly unique, and the movie looks great. The effects are solid, but the violence can be a bit disconcerting considering the real life atrocities and genocide that they bring to mind. I really liked the old-school approach to creating the undead effect, the figures aren't particularly monstrous--but more like hollowed out shells of the people they used to be (but hungrier!). Their horror comes from their ordinariness and their sheer numbers, they are simply everywhere. The action is interspersed with much quiet and melancholy, and again--this causes the picture to feel very different, very real. It's an unorthodox approach and it makes "The Dead" stand apart as a refreshingly grown-up film for adult audiences that appreciate a good scare or two. KGHarris, 1/12.

An evacuation flight crash lands off the coast of Africa and now an American must try and survive against a zombie outbreak in rugged foreign terrain. I've been wanting to see this for awhile so I'm glad it was finally released. The movie just looks beautiful and of course that can be attributed to the wonderful locales. And then to add some rather amazing looking zombies to the mix, it adds a wonderful dichotomy. To be honest, the story is pretty standard stuff. People trying to survive in a land overrun by the undead. But it's the way that the material is handled that makes this movie so good. Also, it's really well acted. And actually, I'm not a hundred percent sure I like the lead. At times he was great and other he kind of hammed it up. But everyone else was pretty stellar. And then there's the FX work. Right from the get-go I was blown away. The first zombie shown had some incredibly make-up and a certain injury that kind of made me wince. Plenty of blood, plenty of zombie action and plenty of humanity. A great movie.

I was too impatient to wait for the USA release so, I've had this a while under PAL version from AmazonUK. Trust me, if you will, you will enjoy this film if you harken to the Romero Zombies that move slow, are in various stages of creeping necrosis, and quietly get close to you before, you are aware they are getting in arms reach. I really have enjoyed this film and after just a few months, have watched it about 9 times so far, and it has not gotten old yet - so wait and rent first if you wish, but my advice is to NOT be afraid of purchase. AND if you want extra horror --- check out the "making of video diary" (if they add it to the USA release)and see how much garbage they had to put up with just in trying to get this made, from illness to Port Authority issues and local Police issues.

The movie had me hooked from the beginning, before I pushed the "Play" button, listening to the African beat modern music. The opening scene is quick and tells a story. A man is traveling in the desert. He comes across a slow moving zombie, one with a broken leg and the bone is sticking out in 2 places. His bones creak as he ambles across the desert. Our armed man calmly walks around him and saves his head shot bullet for a soldier zombie. He robs the "dead zombie" of his weapon and bullets and tosses his cash to the ground. This informs the savvy audience that we are well into the zombie infestation, one where there is no hope of going back to before. I love it when a simple scene builds a story.

A plane leaving the African continent during its seasonal zombie outbreak, crashes off coast. One survivor (Rob Freeman) manages to make it inland alive and teams up with a local (Prince David Oseia).

Apparently the military doesn't have a zombie handbook. Oh they know to take the head shots, but the idea of securing an area and shooting all the zombies for sport, or experimenting on them, or using them as sex objects doesn't occur to them. Instead they gather up survivors and don't kill any more zombies than they have too. Apparently the oft taunted genocidal armies of Africa have more respect for the dead than the living.

Our American survivor just wants to go home. No matter where he goes in the sparsely populated grasslands of Africa, there are zombies, unlike in America where they congregate at malls. The movie demonstrates just how diverse cultures can come together during a zombie infestation unlike in England where people divide into factions and fight each other too.

Unfortunately the movie did not utilize that soundtrack, nor did they maintain that great special effect. The film was more of drama of 2 men traveling with a zombie background. The starring role would have fared better with Billy Zane as a machete toting "Zombie-nator" hacking off heads crossing Africa. Instead we get a "soft core" zombie film. Good performance by Prince David Oseia, but then that is not why we watch zombie films. While this film is superior to many low budget zombie films, it is inferior to others. Worth a rental. I regret ownership.

No f-bombs, sex, or nudity.

If you like zombie movies, then THE DEAD is probably one of the best of the bunch.

It was shot in Africa and stars Rob Freeman as an Air Force Officer, the sole survivor of a plane crash in an area of that continent where the dead seem to be coming back to life and attacking the living.

After several close escapes from the zombies, Freeman meets up with an African Army sergeant, Prince David Osei, whose village has been overrun by the dead creatures, and the two join forces.

Written and directed by Howard J. Ford and Jon Ford, The Dead has some very exciting, suspenseful action sequences and also features some nice scenery.

As indicated in the opening paragraph, if you are an aficionado of zombie movies, this one should be your cup of tea.

The DVD from Anchor Bay Entertainment includes audio commentary from thr Ford Brothers, deleted scenes and a "Behind the Scenes" featurette.

© Michael B. Druxman

So a 4 1/2 star zombie flick. Considering the budget and where it was filmed simply awesome. Enjoy its worth a watch if you like the genre. Slightly under 28 days later and Dawn of the Dead but really good none the less. Enjoy!

Shot in Africa by the talented writer-director brothers Jonathan and Howard Ford, this low-budget zombie movie is raw, grainy and thought provoking. The film, set on the scorching, pitiless landscape on which survivors fight a virus that animates the living dead, has all the required visceral jolts, but also tells a straightforward story that twists expectations and ends with a shock. Make no mistake, there's still life left in this venerable genre that shows no signs of dying.

2010's The Dead takes me back to old school zombie films and undead African cannibal exploitation films of the 1970s. The blow-by-blow of pretty much every moment individuals spend trying to survive in a world overrun by zombies may seem incredibly boring to many, but the lack of focus on frenetic action (these are slow zombies after all) and repetitive situations and challenges our heroes face feel incredibly real and immersive. Granted, I definitely feel the film runs a little long. But maybe the much more stretched out story arc of the zombie series The Walking Dead has given me the ability to better appreciate the nuances of this approach to zombie story telling.

The change of setting alone immediately captures your attention. The dry, barren African land is so expansive it is actually disarming, because you feel like everything is quiet and isolated so you put your guard down, then all of a sudden this lone zombie will crawl out from under a bush or amble out from behind a tree. This is the essence of what made the slow zombie era so effective. They sneak up on you instead of announcing themselves in the form of a roaring hoard.

The delicious super gory zombie cannibalism begins right away in The Dead, so you know this film won't be skimping on the nastiness. The film focuses on two men who have to work together to make it through the plains of Africa. Along the way, it delivers some awesome tension, jump scares, and excessive gore that fuel the pacing. For those who complain about the film being too long, boring, and repetitive with bad acting and bad zombie makeup, IMO, the original Dawn of the Dead, which many consider the ultimate zombie film, is all of the above too...

Seemingly coming out of nowhere is The Dead; a zombie movie with the most generic of titles, yet somehow it winds up being just short of a wonderful zombie/horror dirge. War torn Africa finds itself the breeding ground for a zombie outbreak, as an American Air Force Engineer (Rob Freeman) finds himself stranded in the desert as the undead lay waste to everything and everyone around them. After meeting and teaming up with a local military man (Prince David Oseia), the two make their trek across the increasingly dangerous terrain, with things getting very, very bleak. While The Dead has its share of flaws, from the occasional pedestrian acting from Freeman to the inconsistent pacing, this film manages to pack a punch regardless. Beautifully shot and featuring some fantastic blood, gore, and makeup effects; The Dead is something special in its own right. It's getting increasingly difficult to find good zombie films these days, which makes The Dead all the more worthy of your time. Check it out, you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Nuff said. However to come up with my other 18 words, here goes. In a bleak landscape there is nothing but sagebrush and zombies. Lots and lots of zombies. Very proper zombies. They are slow, they don't run off at the mouth, they don't drive cars and you know the only thing to do is shoot them in the head before they munch on you and turn YOU into a zombie. And this is how it should be. Over in Burkina Faso where this movie was made you can probably hire a first class zombie actor superstar for 35 cents and a couple of bottles of the local beer a day. We got zombies galore. I didn't lose count, I just didn't even try: So many zombies, so little running time.

Do we know what started the whole zombie phenomenom? No, and we really don't need to. So much for cluttering the plot up with a lot of trivia about how it all came about, any decent zombie movie aficianado doesn't need an explanatory foundatin for his zombie movie. Here are the zombies, they are here and coming after you and it's time to deal with them. This is all we need to know. In any decent zombie movie it is a given that there are zombies in the world and it is time to be alert; or get bit and become one yourself. Trust me on this. If Antonioni had made a zombie movie, this would be the one.