THE CRAZIES
RYAN: The Crazies is a new zombie movie starring Timothy Olyphant and Radha Mitchell, which is a remake of a ’70s flick.
CAROLINE: I don’t love horror movies as a rule, but this one was OK. Nothing special or different though. It felt like an unfunny Zombieland. Haven’t we seen this movie several times before?
RYAN: I think you’re oversimplifying it. Yes, it’s derivative and not a typical zombie movie, but I thought it was pretty good. I was totally into it and scared throughout as opposed to checked out and bored.
CAROLINE: It definitely had some scary moments but it started to drag in the last thirty minutes. I wanted it to end sooner. I just felt like I’d seen it all before and I knew exactly where it was going.
RYAN: It’s kinda gross, which is to be expected. But it was gross in a fun way.
CAROLINE: The scares weren’t cheap; they felt genuine. But I almost felt like I could anticipate them. You knew when someone was gonna jump out at someone, and when another person was gonna come in with a gun and save the day.
RYAN: Timothy Olyphant isn’t one of my favorites, but he’s not at all annoying in this movie.
CAROLINE: Yeah, he was decent. We hated him in Live Free or Die Hard. And though I don’t want to say he’s growing on me, I definitely don’t hate him as much as I used to.
RYAN: His performance felt more natural to me in this. He doesn’t force it or put on a show like he has in some past movies.
CAROLINE: Other than Radha Mitchell, who’s been in a few flicks, there aren’t any other famous people in it.
RYAN: It has some good secondary plot lines, and I liked the editing and the music. For a derivative movie, it wasn’t cliché at least.
CAROLINE: I don’t if I agree with that, and I don’t think I liked it as much as you. I’d lump it in the “You’ve seen one zombie movie, you’ve seen ’em all” category. It’s not horrible or anything, but I wouldn’t recommend it. I’ve liked other horror movies we’ve seen in the last couple years much more.
— BOTTOM LINE —
RYAN: Scary movies like this often don’t have advanced screenings because the studios know that people will either see them or not depending on if they like horror movies. I’m glad this one screened for critics though. I think it’s a good one and I enjoyed it.
CAROLINE: I hear you, but I’m just not that jazzed about it. A lot of the scares were obvious to me, and you can see exactly how it’s going to end. Plus the title is a little silly and unimaginative. I’m sure the kids will go out and see it though, if they’re not too busy seeing the Tracy Morgan movie.
RYAN: I kind of like the title. It inspired some jokes and funny lines during the film.
— RATING —
