woopak_the_thrill
"Finally, After Some Years...A Really Good Zombie Survival Horror Epic!"
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A zombie horror movie directed by Howard J. Ford and Jonathan Ford
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Set in Africa, a zombie outbreak has taken form and the population is being wiped out. An American soldier by the name of Lt. Brian Murphy (Rob Freeman) finds himself stranded in the country after a failed escape attempt. He joins up with an African soldier by the name of Daniel(Prince David Osier), and together they try to survive the zombie horror. -summary
+4
Amongst horror fans, I think it can still be agreed that the foreign regions such as Britain, Canada, and even France has been kicking the U.S.'s a** when it comes down to quality horror films over the last 5 years at least. Had it not been for films such as Eden Lake, Let the Right One In, Inside, The Horde, and End of the Line. There's a good chance I would have abandoned the genre completely by this time. The zombie genre more than anything else has been nothing but frustrating to weave through. Thankfully, The Walking Dead has breathed quite a bit of life into the genre, along with The Dead, directed and produced by Howard J. Ford. This movie proved to be an entertaining watch that relied more on its themes and atmosphere than an actual plot. The film was released in 2010, but it made it to American shores in 2012. As I always mention, if you're searching for a straight up zombie terror romp minus the comedic bullsh*t then here's the movie for you.
The plot follows Brian as he hopes to find a plane he can hopefully repair and leave the island. Daniel is clinging on to hope that his young son is out there still alive while trying to find him. After finishing this movie and giving it quite a bit of thought, the lack of a real plot quickly became a non issue. It seems to me Ford's true aim was to stimulate the audience's imagination, by creating a fully believable and even stressful environment with the small character roster to go along with it. He forsakes the used to death theme, "Is man the real monster?", and instead simply focuses on the setting which proves to be every bit as a lethal obstacle as the walking dead. The unforgiving sun, the lack of food, and very little water appeared to carry far more dramatic appeal than a group of survivors attempting to get along. The atmosphere is very well used all around; the small amount or complete lack of music during certain scenes enhances the creep factor quite a bit. The somewhat obvious moments where zombies are going to appear possessed more of an impact than usual for me, this was likely due to the stylistic choices in the build up.
The characters may feel like stereotypes, yet I still cared about their plight. I'll say this had something to do with their development, but more to do with the heavy use of its themes. It seemed indeed tough at times for them to cling to hope, when it became apparent that there was just nowhere to really escape to. I felt for Brian the most though, because he was completely out of his element. He was in a foreign land with no friends or relatives he can even dare to count on, and adding to his stress was the constant lingering thought of the plague reaching the US and taking his family there from him. His descent towards despair was indeed believable. Ford accomplished his task in making Brian into a sympathetic character for me.
Along with the set up and well use of atmosphere; the realistic-like zombie make up, prosthetics, and CGI free special effects stood out a great deal to me. This is definitely a world I wouldn't want to be a part of. The shambling zombies have a great deal of detail to them, when wearing the wounds gruesomely at times of being past meals, with torn up mangled faces and broken bones piercing through their skin. If I had to make a comparison between these and the Walking Dead, I'll probably call it even at least. The gore is in pretty large doses, with bullets going straight through eyes and heads, plus the zombie chow sessions are as disturbing as they should be. My only gripe would likely be is that there were many segments where it was quite dark, and I couldn't really enjoy the zombie mayhem the way I really would have liked to. While the acting was decent enough for the film, it was nothing I would dare claim to be special.
The Dead is a simple, yet very effective horror film, that relies heavily on its slow methodical atmosphere build up. Despite the bit of carnage to be found, I can imagine the pace being an issue for the more fast-paced zombie fan. If zombie films the likes of Zombieland is more your thing, then you probably won't enjoy this. The film maintains a very serious and consistent tone, and I can imagine the ending not being to everyone's liking. Personally, The Dead is probably the best zombie movie I seen in the last decade or so. I know that's not saying anything at all, but I tell you, if our foreign horror buddies continue to drop gems like these, then there's plenty of hope.
The movie clocks in at 105 minutes.
Pros:
-Heavy use of setting, quite a bit of action and gore
Cons:
-Slower moments, will not appeal to the "zomedy" crowd
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woopak_the_thrill
January 18
agreed. Great observations especially on its serious tempo and consistentcy. I did not like Zombieland that much....
Madpenguin
January 19
Oh man, don't even mention Zombieland. I'm thisclose to rewriting that entire review with at most a 2 rating. That flick does not hold up well at all to rewatches. I'm no longer looking forward to the sequel.
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FM_ALEX
January 17
Yeah I really liked this one, gave it a 4 as well.
Madpenguin
January 19
I figured you would have liked it more than that.
FM_ALEX
January 22
I actually should go back and give it a 5 since I was reviewing the DVD and it had great special features.
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More The Dead (film) reviews
The past few years, American zombie horror movies have since fallen into the area of mediocrity. Even the recent fan favorite “Zombieland” wasn’t all that great. Even the proclaimed zombie maestro George Romero (watch me get hate mail for this) have fallen with his “Survival of the Dead”. I looked into the pages of comic books and found the excellent zombie epic “The Walking Dead” but there really wasn’t that much in the way of cinema until the French … more
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*** out of **** "The Dead" possesses all the bare essentials of a zombie movie. That shouldn't be enough for it to succeed, yet here we are; with a respectable and well-made horror film with part-time elements of a road movie. Howard and Jonathan Ford (credited as The Ford Brothers) direct this familiar and not-so-original but nevertheless exciting take on the genre of the undead, demonstrating that they can uphold the task of making a few movies in one. Their film would not … more
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THE DEAD Zombie movies seem to be coming out like crazy over the last couple of years. And with the success of "The Walking Dead" on AMC I am sure they will continue to come out. For me personally I love it and if this film is a sign of things to come then thank you "Walking Dead". I say that because it seems like more serious zombie films are being made. Don't get me wrong I like most of the horrible ones but I love the … more
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With the success of AMC’s recent outing with a serialized zombie drama (“The Walking Dead”), there’s been a chorus of folks – critics, mostly – crowing about how interest in stories involving zombies comes and goes over the years. I think that’s incorrect. I, on the other hand, maintain that there’s always been an interest in zombie pictures. Why? Because zombies are the perfect ‘scare’ for average folks, … more
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This is not really a horror movie per say as it is much more a survival film and a really good one at that. I have to give credit to writer/director Ford Brothers for going with the less is more type of thinking here. Of course budget may have dictated that but still.
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About the reviewer
Madpenguin
Serious gamer and hardcore comic reader.
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About this movie
Director:
Howard J. Ford,
Jonathan Ford
Genre:
Drama,
Horror,
Thriller
Release Date:
2012
MPAA Rating:
R
Screen Writer:
Howard J. Ford,
Jonathan Ford
Studio:
Anchor Bay Entertainment
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