Hits & Misses: How'd Darabont Do?

[bassman]

Bass: This thread wasn’t intended to be about credit or praise but simply constructive criticism. The same constructive criticism anyone creating any work of art would and should expect to receive. No...right, I get that. Just pointing out that Darbont isn't the only person behind this show. It's kinda like that "fired" writers thing from a week ago. A few writers leave the show and somehow it's automatically Darabont's fault?

[Ghoulman]

I just ran into a friend, whom I did not know was an avid viewer of The Walking Dead, and she said she distinctly did not like the vato or the CDC arcs and ultimately asked me if they were in the source material. I love hearing what my friends have to say about this show as none of them are fans of the genre or have ever read the comics but love this series. I'm not sure where to file this little tidbit but I did find it interesting nonetheless. Perhaps a "miss" as a very definite anti "Vato's" consensus seems to be forming around the net.

[Gryphon]

Well, Darabont is the executive producer and developer of the show for AMC, and I am quite shocked he let the VATOS episode go through as is... From what I have read... although he only directed Episode #1, he did extreme oversight on the remaining episodes. I am just shocked he let the writer from the comic (name escaping me atm) use that shitty script for VATOS... I also blame the director of that episode for it being so weak. I mean that was just piss poor stuff, and while I have eased on it a bit since first viewing, it still sits at the bottom of the pile. I honestly think, from what I read, that Kirkman was only really interested in the zombie attack and killing Amy, which explains the rest of the episode

[JonOfTheShred]

I'm predicting a showdown between him & his brother at some point though, inevitably Daryl will soften more towards the current bunch of survivors, while Merle will likely end up the insane leader of a group of arseholes hell bent on revenge, thats the usual storyline for such scenarios, but I could be wrong! I actually had this exact thought a few days ago. Edit: And I don't think I'm as terribly anti-Kirkmans episode either. The entire time it was showing the group discovering how Merle managed to escape the building was pretty good stuff. The kidnapping was good, although the hispanic kid they managed to kidnap was a TERRIBLE actor. Just horrible. The Vatos were the anti-Governor. They appeared evil at first, but their true colors were revealed after the old lady stumbled into their conversation with Rick. Which was fucking stupid, I agree with the rest of you. Total buzz-kill.

[DEAD BEAT]

I actually had this exact thought a few days ago. Edit: And I don't think I'm as terribly anti-Kirkmans episode either. The entire time it was showing the group discovering how Merle managed to escape the building was pretty good stuff. The kidnapping was good, although the hispanic kid they managed to kidnap was a TERRIBLE actor. Just horrible. The Vatos were the anti-Governor. They appeared evil at first, but their true colors were revealed after the old lady stumbled into their conversation with Rick. Which was fucking stupid, I agree with the rest of you. Total buzz-kill. Trust me when i say this is how at least in latino family's, put a vatos grandmother in front of him he is tuff no more! Of course until you give him no choice but he will at first try to avoid confrontation...but with threats like "ill find you later!" So that to me was as true as true can be!

[krisvds]

Darabont and co did really well. Zombies are shambling into the mainstream and if that means we'll see more ghouls in cinema's I'll be one happy deadhead-fan. However; it wasn't perfect and doesn't come close to the original trilogy IMO. 1. Cheesy dialogue. Some 'laugh out loud' moments, like the opening dialogue between Shane and Rick. 2. Several lame moments: Vatos, the sci-fi feel of the CDC, covering your body with entrails was stupid in the comic and here as well. 3. The soap series idiom: when focussing on the characters becomes an excuse to turn the zombie apocalypse into a soap. The extra focus the 'Shane has slept with his best friends wife' is getting here as opposed to the comic (which focussed more on how insane this apocalypse can make even the best of men) has me a bit worried for the 2nd season. 4. Not enough dread, several episodes were running low on walkers. But overall: damn fine series. It's just VERY different from Romero and I still can't understand why people keep comparing them. Romero's undead films (even the more recent ones) have always been outside of the mainstream. To the point of being subversive even. TWD is at times too 'cosy'...

[bassman]

It's just VERY different from Romero and I still can't understand why people keep comparing them. Romero's undead films (even the more recent ones) have always been outside of the mainstream. TWD isn't getting any sort of special treatment. EVERY zombie effort is compared with Romero. It's part of the "godfather of the genre" title. And he's outside of the main stream? Just about everyone on the face of this planet has seen Night, and Romero's trilogy is generally regarded as THE zombie series. Not quite outside of the mainstream. More like invented the zombie mainstream....

[krisvds]

TWD isn't getting any sort of special treatment. EVERY zombie effort is compared with Romero. It's part of the "godfather of the genre" title. Sure, ok. I get it. Romero basically invented the shambler as we know it. Still pointless though. And he's outside of the main stream? Just about everyone on the face of this planet has seen Night, and Romero's trilogy is generally regarded as THE zombie series. Not quite outside of the mainstream. More like invented the zombie mainstream.... Wasn't every ...of the dead outing, except 'Land', an independent production? Wasn't night shown mainly in matinees? Sure it gathered lts of acclaim years later. But at the time of release? A smalltime, indie release. Everyone has seen it? I wish

[Thorn]

Hits: -Casting -Overall story telling -Two very solid offerings, and the rest were not far behind. -FX -Growth of the Lori/Rick/Shane love triangle -The camp attack, and subsequent transformation scene were very well done. Best I have seen in a long time. Misses -The whole CDC thing did not work for me at all. -Vatos in general was a pile. -Some of the dialogue was weak, needs to be worked on. -Merle. Liked his acting, hated his character. Do not mind the cliff hanger. I thought he would become the Mayor as well, that could work but would not be my first choice. -Need more zombies, even if they are just shown to keep the sense of dread and the theme of the show rolling, subtle reminders. Maybe in the last episode someone watching a monitor with them milling about outside. Or just a scene stat starts outside showing them and then pans down into the facility.

[bassman]

Wasn't every ...of the dead outing, except 'Land', an independent production? Wasn't night shown mainly in matinees? Sure it gathered lts of acclaim years later. But at the time of release? A smalltime, indie release. Everyone has seen it? I wish What does the time of release have to do with it? That was forty years ago. I'm talking about now. And you can think it's pointless all you want, I'm just letting you know that around here....every zombie film is in some way compared to Romero's. It's just how it goes. It's like watching a shark movie. At some point or another, there is going to be a comparison discussion about Jaws...

[EvilNed]

Good points? The first part of the show, or rather first half, was rather interesting and kept introducing new things. Characters, situations, dilemmas etc. etc. My favourite being the absolute terror you'd have to feel if you would be stuck in Merle's situation, handcuffed to that bar. Stuff like that was great. The show was pretty uncompromising, just like any zombie fiction should be. Bad points? But one thing that dragged the show down was the fact that it was never really that epic. The zombies were dumb, lame and hilariously inept. The second weakest zombies I've ever seen. They were few, easy to dispatch and easily distracted. Scare factor? 0. Believability factor (Could these have caused the end of times)? 0. Sorry. It also didn't help that the cinematography was incredibly bland. There was probably not one interesting shot in the entire series, apart from maybe the tank shot in Episode 1. It was all shot pretty straight forward, with a somewhat shaky camera (but not too shaky). Apart from the pilot, we never got any wide shots of... Anything. At all. Orienting yourself around the camp itself got pretty confusing even after a few episodes there. I still can't tell you how the layout of it was, and it seemed to be a pretty small camp. What was the point of that? Probably nothing, but that is unfortunately something that has become somewhat of a mark of the series.

[krisvds]

What does the time of release have to do with it? That was forty years ago. I'm talking about now. Time of release has got everything to do with it actually. This was the end of the sixties. Same time Rosemary's baby was released. A brilliant film but also a big budget production. Totally different from what GAR was doing. Night was under the radar at the time. That's exactly my point. By operating outside of Hollywood he and his crew had more liberties to do the crazy shit they did. That amount of (again, for the time) gore and dread would have been unthinkable within Hollywood. TWD is a bloody good time and quite graphic for cable television but still. It feels kinda safe and cosy at times. And you can think it's pointless all you want, I'm just letting you know that around here....every zombie film is in some way compared to Romero's. It's just how it goes. It's like watching a shark movie. At some point or another, there is going to be a comparison discussion about Jaws... Point taken. True enough.

[AcesandEights]

TWD is a bloody good time and quite graphic for cable television but still. It feels kinda safe and cosy at times. I've noticed this with the television version of TWD, as well. I think the serialized nature of the project coupled with the tv medium is naturally going to lead to some difficulties the characters might encounter to be taken for granted and glossed over, but I do hope they ratchet up the grittiness and lethality of the world for the protags a bit more in season 2.

[MoonSylver]

But overall: damn fine series. It's just VERY different from Romero and I still can't understand why people keep comparing them. And you can think it's pointless all you want, I'm just letting you know that around here....every zombie film is in some way compared to Romero's. It's just how it goes. It's like watching a shark movie. At some point or another, there is going to be a comparison discussion about Jaws...

[bassman]

Damn moon. You're keeping an eye out for subjects to put into an image, arent ya?