I'm almost ashamed to say that I've never seen the Romero original, so I'm going into 'The Crazies' totally blind. On the whole, it's a better movie than many recent remakes. The generic script, riddled with genre clichés, is thankfully salvaged (in part) by director Breck Eisner. He has a visual flare and a sympathetic approach to characters and location that lifts the movie above its drive-in origins. The tension is built with some success in several scenes, though it's too-often cut short before it reaches nerve-wracking heights. The Crazies themselves are barely-glimpsed, and on the rare occasion we get to see them they are disappointing carbon copies of every madness-inducing virus victim thrown up in the last ten years. Though the film carries an R certificate, there's little on screen to warrant the rating, and the violence and brutality necessary to make these guys truly terrifying is sadly missing.
The primary problem, however, is a screenplay that never manages to convey any real sense of urgency. Characters seem free to wander aimlessly at will and the Crazies are so small in number as to be easily avoided. Imagine '28 Days Later' with barely a dozen Infected in the city and you get the idea. As such, there's rarely any sense of immediate danger. The film is entertaining and Eisner and his cast can't be praised enough for their attempts to boost a dull screenplay into something of quality (hence my rating). It's just a shame that newcomers Overture Films seems to share the disregard that more established production companies have for horror and scupper their product from the outset by hiring hack writers.
The primary problem, however, is a screenplay that never manages to convey any real sense of urgency. Characters seem free to wander aimlessly at will and the Crazies are so small in number as to be easily avoided. Imagine '28 Days Later' with barely a dozen Infected in the city and you get the idea. As such, there's rarely any sense of immediate danger. The film is entertaining and Eisner and his cast can't be praised enough for their attempts to boost a dull screenplay into something of quality (hence my rating). It's just a shame that newcomers Overture Films seems to share the disregard that more established production companies have for horror and scupper their product from the outset by hiring hack writers.