Release Date: February 26, 2010
Studio: Overture Films
Genre: Horror/Sci-Fi/Thriller
Rated R   1 hr 41 mins

CAST:

Timothy Olyphant:  David Dutton
Radha Mitchell:  Judy Dutton
Joe Anderson:  Russell Clank
Danielle Panabaker:  Becca Darling

When I first heard about The Crazies several months ago, I really had no desire to see the film. That’s just my normal reaction to remakes, which seem to be at least fifty percent of the horror film market anymore (we’re due for A Nightmare on Elm Street and Child’s Play later this year, but you probably already knew that). However, once I finally saw the trailer, my tune changed rather dramatically. This actually looked pretty good! But once again my hopes where dashed when I did some research and found out the film was directed by Breck Eisner, whose last film was the generally disliked Sahara, starring Matthew “They Stay the Same Age” McConaughey.

The Crazies was looking more and more like a rental until mostly positive reviews started rolling in after opening weekend. After having to watch Repo Men because of my local cinema’s lack of ability to update the simplest website imaginable, I ventured back not two days later to watch The Crazies, which I was now highly anticipating. The worst part about the entire event was the fact that I had to call the theater (gasp!) to find the time of the film, rather than just checking the non-updated website. Naturally, The Crazies was the last listed, so I had to sit through five minutes of “Alice in Wonderland in 3D is rated PG for fantasy action and violence involving scary images and situations, and for a smoking caterpillar. Showtimes are…” A smoking caterpillar? This is how movie ratings are described now? Thank you, MPAA, for making everything clear to me.

Back to the topic at hand, The Crazies turned out to be an extremely competent and enjoyable film. Timothy Olyphant and Radha Mitchell star as a loving husband and wife living in the small town of Ogden Marsh, Iowa. Olyphant plays David, the town’s sheriff. He’s at a local baseball game when one of the townsfolk wanders onto the field, shotgun in hand. David, assuming the man is drunk, tries to reason with him. The man is despondent and eventually raises his shotgun, forcing David to take action by killing the man. In defense of David, the drunk did pull first, so the shooting was justified (that’s a not-so-subtle reference to Olyphant’s entertaining new show, Justified, by the way).

But wait! The toxicology report comes back (remarkably fast) and it’s determined that the dead drunk guy wasn’t so drunk at all. Smelling something fishy, David and his deputy Russell (Joe Anderson) do some investigating only to find a downed plane in the river, which just happens to be the town’s water supply. More and more citizens are showing signs of being batshit crazy, freaking our heroes out. Eventually, while David is busy trying to shut off the town’s water, the government steps in and quarantines the quiet little town of Ogden Marsh.

Many may have been comforted to find that the government was here to help, however things don’t go so smoothly for David and company. Anyone with a temperature is taken away, including David’s wife Judy (Mitchell), who also happens to be pregnant. The military has no real tolerance for anyone acting out-of-hand; numerous people are killed even though they have not been infected. David must rescue his wife and dodge both the military and those crazy bastards, all while trying to get out of town.

The problem with The Crazies is that it’s about as formulaic as they come. Anyone who has spent time watching films of a similar nature (zombies!) over the years will have seen everything The Crazies offers before. There’s a lot of running around, some pretty neat death scenes, paranoia as to whether or not the people David is with are infected, along with the requisite splitting up for no reason other than to create tension in the film. But I’m also not condemning the film. The Crazies is as solid as mainstream horror comes. It’s a fun and entertaining way to spend two hours. I just don’t see anyone remembering it in a few years with more than, “Yeah, that was pretty good movie. Haven’t seen it in awhile, though.” There’s never that one defining moment that stands out to make the film especially memorable, or even a cult classic. Still, I certainly am recommending the film. Genre fans will most likely be pleased (although not blown away). It may not be the horror event of the year, but it’s certainly worth the price of admission.

The Crazies

March 26, 2010

DIRECTOR:

Breck Eisner

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Reviewer: Gregory J.