woopak_the_thrill
"Hopefully The Beginning of A True Zombie Epic Series!"
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TV Series produced by AMC and directed by Frank Darabont
< read all 2 reviewsHopefully The Beginning of A True Zombie Epic Series!
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Nov 2, 2010
- by woopak_the_thrill
- posted in Pass The Remote!
Rating:
One of my favorite comic book series currently is the horror-action series called “The Walking Dead” written by Robert Kirkham and illustrated in black and white by Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard. The series had a very ambitious, darkly brilliant premise that just went to push the envelope while maintaining sincerity with its character-driven approach. I truly believed that it out “Romero-ed” George Romero himself (yep I said it) in creating a zombie epic that just grabs one by the throat and never lets up until one actually passes out.
+4
Well, when I heard about AMC upcoming plans for a live-action series, I was both excited and optimistic, but at the same time afraid that TV would ruin one of my favorite comic series. I was excited and optimistic since I know a series is the best bet for this premise to succeed and worried because the series is being made by AMC and not HBO or the other guys. Frank Darabont is at the show’s helm as producer and director and so I was more worried since his movies are a hit and a miss with me.
The following is my review of the 79 minute pilot movie that launches the first season of “The Walking Dead” and in no way does it reflect any of my feelings of the series that may develop with my future viewing.
A sheriff’s deputy named Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) wakes up from a coma to find the hospital he is confined in deserted with dead bodies being loaded up a huge truck. Puzzled, Rick wanders around and finds that the small town he had served as a deputy has been deserted, and his own home seems all but abandoned. Frustrated, Rick stumbles upon a father (Lennie James) and son (Adrian Kali Turner) team holed up in a house nearby. Apparently, the whole town has been overrun by the ‘walking dead’ and everyone has fled to the larger cities for protection. Rick now sets his sights to Atlanta where he believes that his wife, Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies) and his son Carl (Chandler Riggs) may have fled. But Atlanta is not the city that Rick had hoped to find, and coming there may not be a reunion but the end of his life….
I know what you are thinking…so is this series a watered down version of the comic series? Well, honestly it is too early to tell but it is pretty violent for a movie-pilot. Of course I am pretty sure that this series can never match the sheer dark appeal of the source material, but for a pilot movie, it is stunningly faithful to the comic series’ first storyline “Days Gone Bye” (this pilot has the same title). There are some differences in the script but Darabont keeps things on point with the source material (writer Robert Kirkham is present as consultant) and I was happy to see that this movie managed to expand on the father and son (Morgan and Duane) characters this early on and may have set up the groundwork for future development . The source material was a character-driven endeavor so this pilot seems to have established its footing as such.
I am glad to report that this pilot actually carries a lot of the emotion in the comic series. I was so happy that the series seemed aimed to mimic the black and white approach of the source material by muting its colors, I thought it had the bleak and somewhat gloomy atmosphere that mimics the grittiness of the source material. For a premiere episode, it grabbed my interest and satisfied my needs as a fan of the material; it had enough blood and gore to keep me interested, but it never wallowed in its violence. The make up effects are very good as we see some pretty unnerving sequences, but I was a little turned off by the CGI blood. This pilot also had some added flavor but only time will tell whether it’ll be able to maintain its momentum, since it may mean that it showed its aces so soon. The comic series was successful because of the way it timed its bleak and unnerving mood and balanced out the light and blackness in its premise.
The acting was good. I loved that heart-breaking scene with Morgan Jones wanting to end the existence of his “zombie” wife; I have to say that this was a welcome addition to the storyline. Lori and Shane’s (Jon Bernthal) relationship appears to have shown its nature too soon that may ruin its future episodes but as I said, it is too early to speculate. I loved the set designs and they appear to have been ripped from the pages of the comic as the camp gave me a sense of nostalgia. Dale and Andrea (Jeffrey DeMann and Laurie Holden) already make appearances. Darabont is also to be commended that he made the characters immediately recognizable to the source material's fans--this is a sign of great casting and character designs.
For a pilot movie, I have to say, Darabont’s “The Walking Dead” has my attention. So do I think it will be as great as the comic series? Well, not really, but I am at least given more reason to be optimistic. But however, I am a realist, and I know this will divert some from its thrilling dark premise since it is on late night cable. On the bright side, I do feel that it will give the source material justice judging from this pilot movie. Now let’s hope that it can keep up the momentum, it'll surprise the devoted fans of the comic series and recruit more folks to love zombie epics.
Good Luck, Frank, may the zombies be with you...
Highly Recommended! [4 Out of 5 Stars]
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Full Review coming tomorrow evening. Pretty good start...
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William (woopak_the_thrill)
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Based on the groundbreaking comic mini-series that became an international sensation, AMC's "The Walking Dead" takes the viewer to the depths of human error, the questions of morality and what humans would do to insure their survival.
Directed by Frank Darabont and produced by AMC, the series is set to air every Sunday at 10 pm starting Oct. 31, 2010
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Hey, did you know they originally asked George Romero to direct this series and he refused? The comic's writer is a HUGE fan of his.