Movie Review: “The Crazies”

Seen on: February 26, 2010

The players: Director: Breck Eisner, Writers: Scott Kosar, Ray Wright, Cast: Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell, Joe Anderson, Danielle Panabaker

Facts of interest: Remake of George A. Romero's 1973 flick.

The plot: The film follows what happens to a group of people after a strange virus infects a small-town population.

Our thoughts: Breck Eisner’s remake of “The Crazies” delivers the goods. It’s not a perfect horror flick, but it sure boasts enough energy and thrills to keep viewers entertained to the fullest extent. I didn’t think I would say this, but this one fully captured my attention and got my heart to race more than once.

The people of the small town of Ogden Marsh are living a peaceful existence, until one of them shows up acting all crazy with a shotgun at a baseball game. Next thing you know, more and more inhabitants display unusual behaviors, and before you can blink, bloody chaos breaks out as the once happy town goes into full lockdown.

At the center of all the mysterious madness is David (Timothy Olyphant), a committed sheriff who quickly suspects the worst. With the help of his deputy Russell (Joe Anderson) and his wife Judy (Radha Mitchell), he sets out to discover what exactly is happening to the people and why everyone resorts to violence.

This sets up the global atmosphere of “The Crazies,” a dark, intriguing and often quite suspenseful horror film that jumps right into the action and doesn’t really calm down until it’s over. Not many recent horror remakes managed to make me nervous in terms of solid thrills and scares, but this one sure succeeded. It’s a fun experience.

The story remains simple throughout, and that’s fine, considering the plot is loaded with overall intriguing action sequences. The main characters obviously spend the entire movie battling for survival while trying to understand how it came to this chaos in the first place, and while this is nothing new, it’s still amusing to watch.

The technical aspects of “The Crazies” are part of the reasons why it works so well. Production design and visual effects are incredibly solid, and even the sound design and edgy editing help boost the threatening atmosphere. The cast delivers as well, with Olyphant, Mitchell and Anderson turning in a set of fine performances.

Freaky quote: "Is he dead?" - Joe Anderson, as a deputy with a lot of firepower

The final word: All in all, this is a remake I can only recommend, and that doesn’t happen often. I won’t call “The Crazies” a masterpiece, and even though it’s certainly not innovative, it’s entertaining without being all too stupid or dull. Kudos to Eisner and his team for creating a good horror film with punch. What can I say? I liked it.

Article by Franck Tabouring