The Dead Walk!

Rating: Null/10 (21 March 2002)

Walking into the theater to watch this, I was filled with trepidation: another video-game franchise to film stinker? As a fan of the entire Capcom RE series, and an ardent consumer of all things horror, (most notably Dawn of the Dead, etc.) I figured that even if the film was a cheeseball affair, it would taste reasonably well going down. An hour and a half later, I walked out, thrilled and incredulous that Anderson had pulled it off. Genuinely creepy set pieces that echoed the game's sense of isolation were in place, somber, non-humorous atmosphere pervaded the film like a (ahem) virus, and the acting, while not worthy of an nod from oscar, was believable. This is a zombie film, so treat it as such. If you're going to suspend your disbelief for that premise, than everything else follows accordingly. CG is used, but not to the point of ad nauseaum. The story is perfunctory, your typical barricaded/outnumbered/who will survive? outline, but the challenge of making the plot work for fans of the gaming series and walk-in viewers was met admirably. Some gripes: whatever happened to gruesome gore in genre films? I'm no sadist, but if a head is going to get lopped off, then, dammit, I want to see some arterial spray! I haven't seen any graphic madness since the late 80s/early 90s, but I suppose that's a personal issue. Also, continuity: don't have characters dispatching zombies with twenty gunshots while having other characters disposing of said undead with a kick to the head- it doesn't mix. That's about it. Great ending, engaging sense of tension and some effective 'jump' moments made this a helluva good rollercoaster ride for everybody in the movie theater I attended.