The Crazies remake

[Neil]

Yeah, like the original movie too, it all starts very intense, and then slows down for the most part throughout the rest of the running time. Fortunately there wasn't too much of that raptor-sound crap, not much that was too obvious either, so I was able to ignore any moments - but yeah - why with that stuff? Human vocal chords aren't capable of it - STOP IT. The only other thing that bugged me was the intelligence/group mentality shown by some of the Crazies... Either they're mad or not... They started behaving as what best fit the script, instead of following a logical set of rules...

[MinionZombie]

The only other thing that bugged me was the intelligence/group mentality shown by some of the Crazies... Either they're mad or not... They started behaving as what best fit the script, instead of following a logical set of rules... Wellllll... I duno really. They're not zombies, they're still people - they're just messed up in the head. In other words, they'll have a much stronger mental capacity than an actual zombie, you know?

[Neil]

Wellllll... I duno really. They're not zombies, they're still people - they're just messed up in the head. In other words, they'll have a much stronger mental capacity than an actual zombie, you know? Yeh, I guess... It just didn't sort of sit right? If they've got the marbles left to not kill each other, why are they so intent on killing everyone else?

[MinionZombie]

Yeh, I guess... It just didn't sort of sit right? If they've got the marbles left to not kill each other, why are they so intent on killing everyone else? Not so sure about that really -   remember the scene with the guy and the pitch fork, he's full blown nuts and he kills a fellow crazy anyway (the dude strapped to a gurney laughing). Speaking of the three hunters themselves, perhaps there's some kind of recognition with them as a group - we see them all together really wanting to hunt, even though it's off-season, and then we see them again in crazy mode hunting the uninfected down ... I assume they've also been killing crazies too - anyone and everyone really.

[Neil]

Not so sure about that really -   remember the scene with the guy and the pitch fork, he's full blown nuts and he kills a fellow crazy anyway (the dude strapped to a gurney laughing). Speaking of the three hunters themselves, perhaps there's some kind of recognition with them as a group - we see them all together really wanting to hunt, even though it's off-season, and then we see them again in crazy mode hunting the uninfected down ... I assume they've also been killing crazies too - anyone and everyone really. Yes, I know, it just felt contrived rather than real...   ie: The woman and son knowing to go to the Sherrifs house, and still being able to speak/think clearly. And the hunters being able to use their guns etc, while the principle (you mentioned) seemed very basic intelligence wise... It all just felt a bit random and contrived rather then realistic...

[MinionZombie]

Yeah but it's not like the crazies are incapable of doing things though, like even in the original movie, just off the top of my head, a woman very calmly stabs that guy with a knitting needle, and Richard Liberty's character attacks his own daughter. I think, particularly in Romero's original, that what the crazies end up doing is somehow related to the inner workings of the individuals mind, so they all react differently. Plus, as in both movies, people with the virus often go in-and-out of the craziness ... although in the remake it seems that once you're all veiny, you're too far gone and you're just all crazy.   But before you go all veiny - why with the veins? *sigh* - you can be okay and then crazy, like the deputy as they walk along that road and encounter the government guy who he then shoots ... a while later he snaps out of it when the Sheriff takes his guns off him, and then he even thinks clearly enough to help them escape by giving himself up as bait. Of course, that's before the freakin' veins... ... As for the two that attack them in their home, I'd put it down to what I said before - something in each and every person which is suppressed until the virus removes any mental barriers that stop them seeking revenge, or doing something terrible. Also, what's with him using his stabbed-hand as a weapon - he'll get the infected blood all inside his hand ... although no doubt that's down to him having a natural immunity. They don't really cover that aspect much in the film as it all rips along at a fair old lick - hopefully these issues will be explored more in an extended cut, as surely there must be an extended version out there.

[Neil]

Yeah but it's not like the crazies are incapable of doing things though, like even in the original movie, just off the top of my head, a woman very calmly stabs that guy with a knitting needle, and Richard Liberty's character attacks his own daughter. I think, particularly in Romero's original, that what the crazies end up doing is somehow related to the inner workings of the individuals mind, so they all react differently. Plus, as in both movies, people with the virus often go in-and-out of the craziness ... although in the remake it seems that once you're all veiny, you're too far gone and you're just all crazy.   But before you go all veiny - why with the veins? *sigh* - you can be okay and then crazy, like the deputy as they walk along that road and encounter the government guy who he then shoots ... a while later he snaps out of it when the Sheriff takes his guns off him, and then he even thinks clearly enough to help them escape by giving himself up as bait. Of course, that's before the freakin' veins... ... As for the two that attack them in their home, I'd put it down to what I said before - something in each and every person which is suppressed until the virus removes any mental barriers that stop them seeking revenge, or doing something terrible. Also, what's with him using his stabbed-hand as a weapon - he'll get the infected blood all inside his hand ... although no doubt that's down to him having a natural immunity. They don't really cover that aspect much in the film as it all rips along at a fair old lick - hopefully these issues will be explored more in an extended cut, as surely there must be an extended version out there.   Well, it implies they probably were infected, as it shows the next town going down!

[thxleo]

I'm curious to know if it's a prerequisite to have a Johnny Cash song open a Romero remake or what?

[Neil]

I'm curious to know if it's a prerequisite to have a Johnny Cash song open a Romero remake or what? I liked that

[DubiousComforts]

Either way, in adjusted dollars, The Crazies (1973) was made for about $1.3m This is complete BS because the original budget numbers were either purposely fudged or simply a case of wishful thinking. There is nothing in the original that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

[hadrian0117]

Prof - aye, hopefully there'll be an Unrated Director's Cut, as yes, it did feel like it would benefit from a longer cut and a few more snippets of juicy gore. bd2999 -   I think the reason for packing everyone up (non-infected) and then shooting & burning them in the cattle trucks, is simply to be organised and get everyone, rather than roaming house to house, which would inspire panic and resistence, and would be a porous way to deal with the populace. Speaking of which, I thought that bit was really creepy, and a really good addition to the film. In GAR's version the government are generally incompetent, in this version they're generally sinister - likewise, I also liked the bit where the dude who played Aaron the bodyguard in 24 essentially just said "we lost a plane, what do you want me to say?" - so that this whole disaster is the result of a simple fuck up, that's now being dealt with mercilessly.   I thought that the military seperated the Crazies from the uninfected because they initially really did plan on evacutating the uninfected, but after the high school was overun decided just to shoot everyone instead. Look at how they treated the Crazies they captured. It appeared that they were running further tests (to indentify uninfected that had fevers for some other reason). They were also keeping their patients alive and under sedation instead of immediately euthanizing them. Did they plan on treating (or at least using them as test subjects or experimental treatments) or what? Also we saw people being taken out of the cattle cars (gee I wonder what those are supposed to remind us of ) and put onto buses at the same truckstop. That implies that at least some people were actually evacuted with Cedar Rapids (& a Crazy that slipped through screening would explain how the infection spread). Why did the writers pick Cedar Rapids over Des Moines anyway? Most people have at least heard of Des Moines, I had to google Cedar Rapids to see if it was real. I liked that they at least made an attempt to explain how this was coverup and addressed the phones & internet being blocked along with cellphones, but unless they plan on killing all the soldiers, medical personel, scientists, & government aides involved too the secret is going to leak out pretty fast.

[Danny]

I'm curious to know if it's a prerequisite to have a Johnny Cash song open a Romero remake or what? its because Johnny Cash makes anything better. flash fact.

[MinionZombie]

Who was probably infected? The Sheriff and his wife? No way dude - don't you remember, the town they're merely walking towards at the end of the film is at the end of their water system - the infected water has been travelling down stream for like a week, and the Sheriff and his wife were all the way at the end of the system in their town, so they hadn't had the infected water yet, but his deputy who was half-way down the system had drunk it recently. The town they're walking towards is the next target - no doubt having now just received the water (the Sheriff and his wife having not drunk the town's infected water yet, and hadn't drunk any during the 48 or more hours since the chaos began - enough time for the water to reach the town they're walking towards and start to cause trouble.

[Danny]

Who was probably infected? The Sheriff and his wife? No way dude - don't you remember, the town they're merely walking towards at the end of the film is at the end of their water system - the infected water has been travelling down stream for like a week, and the Sheriff and his wife were all the way at the end of the system in their town, so they hadn't had the infected water yet, but his deputy who was half-way down the system had drunk it recently. The town they're walking towards is the next target - no doubt having now just received the water (the Sheriff and his wife having not drunk the town's infected water yet, and hadn't drunk any during the 48 or more hours since the chaos began - enough time for the water to reach the town they're walking towards and start to cause trouble.   well he had an open cut from the knife in his hand which, whilst still in his hand he drove the knife into a 'crazies' throat, drowning his wound in trixie infected blood. as for the wife they assumed the temperature was from her pregnancy but maybe she was some carrier?, spread it and had no symptoms, or the pregnancy just delayed the virus' incubation period. i know the wifes stretching but its pretty much a given the cops infected, and lets face it only one of them really needs to be. but i think its not supposed to be a given, just to show a ruthless military that must kill all survivors regardless.

[MinionZombie]

well he had an open cut from the knife in his hand which, whilst still in his hand he drove the knife into a 'crazies' throat, drowning his wound in trixie infected blood. as for the wife they assumed the temperature was from her pregnancy but maybe she was some carrier?, spread it and had no symptoms, or the pregnancy just delayed the virus' incubation period. i know the wifes stretching but its pretty much a given the cops infected, and lets face it only one of them really needs to be. but i think its not supposed to be a given, just to show a ruthless military that must kill all survivors regardless.   No, they took the Sheriff's wife initially as her tempterature was up - they didn't know she was pregnant - they assumed she was infected. The whole point being that she isn't because she's running a fever cos she's got an Olyphant-in-the-oven. As was explicitly mentioned in the original (but not so much in the remake), the male lead has a natural immunity to the virus (although in the original his pregnant wife is infected), and indeed this would be the case. They never make any mention or reference to him getting infected blood all over his open wound for the rest of the film - if I remember correctly - because if it was going to have some sort of affect, they would have at least hinted at it directly. I don't see it as a given at all that the Sheriff's infected - indeed "natural immunity" screams loudest for me with that character. Perhaps this is stuff that'll be expanded upon in a (hopefully) extended cut of the movie on DVD (with more gore too )