The Crazies (2010)

Review by Adam C. Thomas



The Crazies is a new take on George Romero's 1973 classic. Let me start this review by saying I purposely did not watch the original first, solely to approach this review objectively. That being said, let's start the review:

The Crazies takes place in the small farming community of Ogden Marsh, Iowa. Life is all coke floats and 5-for-a-penny candy until one day, during a baseball game, the town drunk wanders on to the field with his shotgun. The town sheriff and his deputy just so happen to be watching the game, and Sheriff Dutton goes out to try and talk to him. Also, Rory (the drunk) has a nose bleed. Remember this, it will be important later. Long story short, Dutton Kills Rory, and badaboom, badabing, the story begins.

The town is set upon by some kind of unknown plague that makes people crazy. Who would have guessed? After about 6 hours of catching the crazy, military personnel donning full hazmat garb, puffy suits and gas masks included, and begin invading the town full throttle. They herd the people into tents like cattle, picking the infected from the non-infected by means of taking their temperature. They don't listen to anything anybody says, because they've got a conspiracy to hide... er, rather a small farming community to save!

The acting was not as bad as I would have expected, and the cinematography was actually pretty good. The effects and gore were realistic enough, but nothing you wouldn't see in any other high-profile hollywood movie. The story was believable enough, I suppose. It was a bit far-fetched, but it was a horror movie, and almost every horror movie has a far-fetched, what-if-worst-case scenario to it.

Overall, I enjoyed this movie. I can't really hate on it. I haven't seen the original yet, but once I do, expect my review of that one as well.

"The Crazies" was directed by Breck Eisner. I give this one 7 out of 10.