127 reviews
This is a zombie movie in Africa which contains old school, slow walking zombies. The lead characters are people with families who are just trying to get home or find their loved ones. They are not trying to solve the mystery of the outbreak, which makes it a simple, but very entertaining piece of film.
There is a huge difference in picture quality; Sometimes you are looking at dark images with too much artificial grain, at other times you are seeing beautiful African scenery with some nifty shots. Meanwhile, the undead are never far away. This resulted in the best feature of the whole movie; you never felt safe EVER. The threat of slow zombies always shambling towards the main characters gave me that freaky feeling only Romero delivered. It worked.
This movie doesn't really excel at anything, but it is still very enjoyable. It has some minor continuity flaws (like cleaning a blood smeared face with just a dry cloth) but it doesn't get in the way. It doesn't deliver perfect acting, but it isn't terrible to watch either. It lacks a film score but there's still enough tension without it. Even with these minor flaws, I feel The Dead was a welcome change in the zombie genre and I would recommend it to any zombie fan.
There is a huge difference in picture quality; Sometimes you are looking at dark images with too much artificial grain, at other times you are seeing beautiful African scenery with some nifty shots. Meanwhile, the undead are never far away. This resulted in the best feature of the whole movie; you never felt safe EVER. The threat of slow zombies always shambling towards the main characters gave me that freaky feeling only Romero delivered. It worked.
This movie doesn't really excel at anything, but it is still very enjoyable. It has some minor continuity flaws (like cleaning a blood smeared face with just a dry cloth) but it doesn't get in the way. It doesn't deliver perfect acting, but it isn't terrible to watch either. It lacks a film score but there's still enough tension without it. Even with these minor flaws, I feel The Dead was a welcome change in the zombie genre and I would recommend it to any zombie fan.
"I'm just trying to survive." Lt. Brian Murphy (Freeman) is part of the last evacuation plane out of Africa. The country is in a war where the dead come back as zombies. When the plane crashes he is the lone survivor and now he needs to make it to the airport on his own. When he meets a local sergeant they decide to work together to make it to safety. I will start by saying that I have never really liked zombie movies (except for "Shaun of the Dead"). The "Dawn Of The Dead" and "28 Days" movies never were my thing. This movie however was great. Much like the movie "Let Me In", which I thought was what the world would be like if vampires actually existed, this movie is the most "realistic" zombie movie I have ever seen. If zombies did exist I think it would be like this movie and not the glorified gore that other movies show. For someone who doesn't like movies like this I was very impressed. Overall, one of, if not the, best zombie movie I have ever seen. I recommend this. I give it a B+.
- cosmo_tiger
- Dec 31, 2011
- Permalink
The dead are returning to life and attacking the living. After surviving a plane crash American Air Force Engineer Lieutenant Brian Murphy teams up with a local army Sgt. Daniel Dembele and they try to stay alive in dead infested war-torn Africa.
It's well filmed with the competent naturalistic visual style reminiscent of Monsters, less is also more in The Dead's case. Imran Ahmad's music score complements the on screen deeds and while not particularly memorable it is subtle and effective enough.
The African setting is a welcomed change, the on location shoot gives it an eerie real feel. The costume design appears authentic. Dan Rickard's special effects and Max Van De Banks' makeup are first rate, bones sticking out of legs, wounds, bites and the dead getting hit and shot at are executed perfectly. The traditional shambling sluggish dead are creepy enough and retain an air of menace.
The zombie/virus market has been saturated with countless sub-par films. There have been a few welcomed additions arguably - the Dawn of the Dead remake, cross genre Australian film Undead, 28 Days virus flicks, comedies including Shaun of the Dead, Zombieland and actioner Le Horde, Eaters, Mutant to name a few. I personally I like sober zombie films and The Dead is probably the most grounded undead film since Romero's original trilogy. Director and writer team Howard and Jonathan Ford manage to give their zombie offering scope, emotion and anxiety that arguably lacked in Land and Survival of the Dead respectively.
Due to the constraints of the story there's little dialogue. That said, what there is rings true and the characters are given time to develop. The acting all round is of a high standard, with fitting performances from both leads Rob Freeman and Prince David Oseia.
My only grumble is that there's been so many zombie films lately it mars the freshness that The Dead delivers. Intentional or unintentional as with Romero's films there is indeed a social commentary running though The Dead and the African setting is debatably no accident. The Dead may lack comradely wordplay but it doesn't try to reinvent the wheel.
Overall, The Dead gives the viewer a much needed solid piece of realistic zombie entertainment. Recommend.
It's well filmed with the competent naturalistic visual style reminiscent of Monsters, less is also more in The Dead's case. Imran Ahmad's music score complements the on screen deeds and while not particularly memorable it is subtle and effective enough.
The African setting is a welcomed change, the on location shoot gives it an eerie real feel. The costume design appears authentic. Dan Rickard's special effects and Max Van De Banks' makeup are first rate, bones sticking out of legs, wounds, bites and the dead getting hit and shot at are executed perfectly. The traditional shambling sluggish dead are creepy enough and retain an air of menace.
The zombie/virus market has been saturated with countless sub-par films. There have been a few welcomed additions arguably - the Dawn of the Dead remake, cross genre Australian film Undead, 28 Days virus flicks, comedies including Shaun of the Dead, Zombieland and actioner Le Horde, Eaters, Mutant to name a few. I personally I like sober zombie films and The Dead is probably the most grounded undead film since Romero's original trilogy. Director and writer team Howard and Jonathan Ford manage to give their zombie offering scope, emotion and anxiety that arguably lacked in Land and Survival of the Dead respectively.
Due to the constraints of the story there's little dialogue. That said, what there is rings true and the characters are given time to develop. The acting all round is of a high standard, with fitting performances from both leads Rob Freeman and Prince David Oseia.
My only grumble is that there's been so many zombie films lately it mars the freshness that The Dead delivers. Intentional or unintentional as with Romero's films there is indeed a social commentary running though The Dead and the African setting is debatably no accident. The Dead may lack comradely wordplay but it doesn't try to reinvent the wheel.
Overall, The Dead gives the viewer a much needed solid piece of realistic zombie entertainment. Recommend.
"The Dead" was really quite a surprise. And it is also a zombie movie way out of the ordinary; it is set in Africa, something you don't see every day. But if you have read David Wellington's "Monster" trilogy, then you will love this movie.
Let me say that the African setting was really a nice breath of fresh air in the zombie genre. It worked so well, because it was miles after miles of savanna and badlands. No big skyscrapers here, no high-tech underground facilities, no narrow and winding dark alleys. A couple of villages though, so it was cool.
However, one thing that puzzled me in "The Dead" was the amount of zombies that were shambling about in the savanna. I would have assumed that there wouldn't be that many walking around in the middle of nowhere. Near the villages, yes, but in the middle of the savanna, no! And oddly enough every time the two main characters in the movie stopped somewhere, there were suddenly (and always!) a group of zombies shambling in to attack them. That was so stupid. But I guess it was the simplest way to work in a heap of zombies into the story.
Basically the story revolves around two people only. But it works out well enough, despite the movie moving ahead at a fairly slow speed. But that was not a bad thing, because the movie was far from boring. Just don't expect speed, action and lots of adrenalin, though.
The cast in "The Dead" was nice and they did good jobs with their roles. And the two lead roles were well cast.
One thing that could have improved the movie for me, was if the zombies had glazed over milky eyes instead of those weird white eyes; it just didn't really make them have that classic zombie/dead person look. But hey, it was a minor thing. It is just me that pays attention to the small details.
All in all, "The Dead" was really a great movie and it was really nice to see this type of approach to the zombie genre. So thumbs up for the movie makers. And if you are a zombie aficionado like me, then you definitely want to check out "The Dead".
Let me say that the African setting was really a nice breath of fresh air in the zombie genre. It worked so well, because it was miles after miles of savanna and badlands. No big skyscrapers here, no high-tech underground facilities, no narrow and winding dark alleys. A couple of villages though, so it was cool.
However, one thing that puzzled me in "The Dead" was the amount of zombies that were shambling about in the savanna. I would have assumed that there wouldn't be that many walking around in the middle of nowhere. Near the villages, yes, but in the middle of the savanna, no! And oddly enough every time the two main characters in the movie stopped somewhere, there were suddenly (and always!) a group of zombies shambling in to attack them. That was so stupid. But I guess it was the simplest way to work in a heap of zombies into the story.
Basically the story revolves around two people only. But it works out well enough, despite the movie moving ahead at a fairly slow speed. But that was not a bad thing, because the movie was far from boring. Just don't expect speed, action and lots of adrenalin, though.
The cast in "The Dead" was nice and they did good jobs with their roles. And the two lead roles were well cast.
One thing that could have improved the movie for me, was if the zombies had glazed over milky eyes instead of those weird white eyes; it just didn't really make them have that classic zombie/dead person look. But hey, it was a minor thing. It is just me that pays attention to the small details.
All in all, "The Dead" was really a great movie and it was really nice to see this type of approach to the zombie genre. So thumbs up for the movie makers. And if you are a zombie aficionado like me, then you definitely want to check out "The Dead".
- paul_haakonsen
- Oct 23, 2011
- Permalink
No genre has been exploited as much in the past ten years as zombie films. From television's The Walking Dead to countless films by independent filmmakers with access to their mother's make-up bag, zombie films have consistently saturated an already diluted horror market.
And let's face it – fast zombies, slow zombies it doesn't matter. They are not the most interesting of characters. They are barely able to moan and their goal is just to infect others. Ho-hum.
So it was with this lacking desire to engross myself with the stumbling dead that enveloped me when I began viewing Howard J. Ford and Jonathon Ford's 2010 film, The Dead. With an attitude working against a recommendation, the film didn't stand a chance. And yet, by the time I went credits to credits with The Dead, I felt like I had watched something original that had deflected my notions and overcame my foretold bias towards the genre's flaws.
The Dead takes place in Africa where Lieutenant Brian Murphy (Rob Freeman) survives a plane crash and begins a search to find a living civilization. Murphy walks the desolate landscape of Africa where bloodied slow moving zombies are scattered throughout the countryside like strategically placed chess pieces. Murphy is armed and able and easily maneuvers around the flesh eating encroachers. It is during Murphy's daily survival that he crosses paths with Sergeant Daniel Dembele (Prince David Osei), an African soldier that is grieving the loss of his village to a zombie horde. Murphy and Dembele form a convenient friendship that will have the two travel throughout the African backdrop on separate personal missions of survival. All the while, the increased African zombie population offer little rest and even less peace in their personal odysseys.
Shot on brilliant 35mm film and with a non-reliance on CGI blood and effects, The Dead offered a quiet and realistic view on a bleak and unrelenting world full of undead inhabitants. The Dead goes about its storytelling without a reliance on heavy (or any) dialogue allowing the strong visuals and the audience education on zombie mannerisms and rules to unveil the uncomplicated plot. The make-up effects by Max Van De Banks and the accompanying score by Imran Ahmad are perfect compliments to Freeman's Murphy survival story.
The Dead proves that the zombie genre is anything but deceased. In capable hands, a film full of both horrors and wonders can be infused with flesh eating undeads. And slow moving zombies haven't been so menacingly capable since George Romero filmed in black and white.
www.killerreviews.com
And let's face it – fast zombies, slow zombies it doesn't matter. They are not the most interesting of characters. They are barely able to moan and their goal is just to infect others. Ho-hum.
So it was with this lacking desire to engross myself with the stumbling dead that enveloped me when I began viewing Howard J. Ford and Jonathon Ford's 2010 film, The Dead. With an attitude working against a recommendation, the film didn't stand a chance. And yet, by the time I went credits to credits with The Dead, I felt like I had watched something original that had deflected my notions and overcame my foretold bias towards the genre's flaws.
The Dead takes place in Africa where Lieutenant Brian Murphy (Rob Freeman) survives a plane crash and begins a search to find a living civilization. Murphy walks the desolate landscape of Africa where bloodied slow moving zombies are scattered throughout the countryside like strategically placed chess pieces. Murphy is armed and able and easily maneuvers around the flesh eating encroachers. It is during Murphy's daily survival that he crosses paths with Sergeant Daniel Dembele (Prince David Osei), an African soldier that is grieving the loss of his village to a zombie horde. Murphy and Dembele form a convenient friendship that will have the two travel throughout the African backdrop on separate personal missions of survival. All the while, the increased African zombie population offer little rest and even less peace in their personal odysseys.
Shot on brilliant 35mm film and with a non-reliance on CGI blood and effects, The Dead offered a quiet and realistic view on a bleak and unrelenting world full of undead inhabitants. The Dead goes about its storytelling without a reliance on heavy (or any) dialogue allowing the strong visuals and the audience education on zombie mannerisms and rules to unveil the uncomplicated plot. The make-up effects by Max Van De Banks and the accompanying score by Imran Ahmad are perfect compliments to Freeman's Murphy survival story.
The Dead proves that the zombie genre is anything but deceased. In capable hands, a film full of both horrors and wonders can be infused with flesh eating undeads. And slow moving zombies haven't been so menacingly capable since George Romero filmed in black and white.
www.killerreviews.com
- gregsrants
- Mar 3, 2012
- Permalink
- phoeneticallypoetic
- Nov 13, 2010
- Permalink
- Alex_Is_Legend
- Oct 23, 2011
- Permalink
- knight110tim
- Sep 1, 2010
- Permalink
I was pleasantly surprised watching The Dead after reading so many bad-ish reviews here. I am a zombie flick junkie, but that doesn't mean I will sit through badly made films. I found this rivoting and realistic. It had me on the edge of my seat, much more so than some of the American made fare I've watched. I guess some folks don't consider an African setting work worthy of their notice.
Too bad the movie won't even show up in search results, and that's not the only one. Oh, there is a page for it, but I had to search for the lead actor to get there. This is happening with irritating frequency whenever I try to look up a mid-budget foreign film. Whoever runs the site must think we shouldn't be able to locate certain films, practicing some sort of elitism. Filmed in Africa, this was definitely not some "stinker" of a film.
Too bad the movie won't even show up in search results, and that's not the only one. Oh, there is a page for it, but I had to search for the lead actor to get there. This is happening with irritating frequency whenever I try to look up a mid-budget foreign film. Whoever runs the site must think we shouldn't be able to locate certain films, practicing some sort of elitism. Filmed in Africa, this was definitely not some "stinker" of a film.
- pattyp-37595
- Dec 8, 2019
- Permalink
this movie is great. i briefly recall seeing the poster for it a while back but i'd since forgotten about it up until the other day when i took a gamble on watching it and was happy within the first 10 minutes after seeing the style and effects.
like another reviewer stated, the movie is shot on 35mm film, not on digital like modern Hollywood flicks. this gives it a very classic look and feel, reminiscent of the George a Romero film like dawn of the dead in '78 and day in '80.
the zombie effects and makeup as far as i could tell used no CGI whatsoever and the gore, though not too frequent, looks great when it's on screen.
the undead are also nearly always on screen, and combined with their excellent makeup, great camera work and complete lack of unnecessary music, have a very menacing feel as they creep up on the films 2 protagonists.
the films setting is beautiful and a fantastic change from the norm's of busy city streets and urban environments. it is shot in west African locations such as Burkina Faso and Ghana, as well as the Sahara desert. it really is a breath of fresh air in the zombie movie genre.
the story is fairly simple. an American military engineer washes up on the coast of west Africa after his evacuation flight crashes. as the sole survivor he attempts to reach a northern military air field to re-attempt his escape, and runs into a soldier of the African military who is trying to find his son during the chaos.
overall i give this movie an 8 out of 10. and that's only because i wasn't keen on the acting by the American protagonist played by Robert freeman, and a couple small sections of the movie are quite slow.
the film does leave itself open for the possibility of a sequel and i would be more than happy to watch it if it mirrors the quality of this.
like another reviewer stated, the movie is shot on 35mm film, not on digital like modern Hollywood flicks. this gives it a very classic look and feel, reminiscent of the George a Romero film like dawn of the dead in '78 and day in '80.
the zombie effects and makeup as far as i could tell used no CGI whatsoever and the gore, though not too frequent, looks great when it's on screen.
the undead are also nearly always on screen, and combined with their excellent makeup, great camera work and complete lack of unnecessary music, have a very menacing feel as they creep up on the films 2 protagonists.
the films setting is beautiful and a fantastic change from the norm's of busy city streets and urban environments. it is shot in west African locations such as Burkina Faso and Ghana, as well as the Sahara desert. it really is a breath of fresh air in the zombie movie genre.
the story is fairly simple. an American military engineer washes up on the coast of west Africa after his evacuation flight crashes. as the sole survivor he attempts to reach a northern military air field to re-attempt his escape, and runs into a soldier of the African military who is trying to find his son during the chaos.
overall i give this movie an 8 out of 10. and that's only because i wasn't keen on the acting by the American protagonist played by Robert freeman, and a couple small sections of the movie are quite slow.
the film does leave itself open for the possibility of a sequel and i would be more than happy to watch it if it mirrors the quality of this.
- adamcarlton
- Sep 18, 2011
- Permalink
The first thing that struck me was the the very old school approach & atmosphere this Excellent zombie film has. The Ford bros "The Dead" totally feels & looks like those old types like Lucio Fulci's Zombie or Romero's Day of the Dead as it has that Tropical feel & setting with it's beautiful African setting that yes looks gorgeous but also adds a sense of dread for the survival aspect.
I even felt it was abit Mad Max whilst watching this with the blistering sun on the desert & that only added to it's retro vibe.
The Dead has a beautifully creepy exotic location that's got a sweaty & raw old school feel & lovely Cinematography that was shot on actual film!!! Great movie making by the Ford brothers & on a tiny budget it knocks out that big budget studio crap like the horrendous "World War Z" & "Army of the Dead" & "The Dead Don't Die"
I love the fast running infected/zombies like 28 days later but these slow-moving ones here are just as terrifying as they slowly creep up on people & then ferociously bite their victims & the gore is proper old school & in camera real looking effects, so Awesome in other words!!!!
The story is about an Outbreak in Africa that no one understands & it quickly spreads accross the beautiful land & peaceful villages are then turned into bloody feasts for the zombies & our main hero/lead is an American Mercenary/engineer who is the only survivor of a plane crash that was escaping this horrific event from Africa but didn't get far become of an infected passenger. Now what i liked was the casting of such an ordinary guy as our main lead in this horrific situation, we have engineer lieutenant Brian Murphy played intensely & believable by Rob Freeman, a guy I've never seen or heard of before & I'm glad of because it added to the overall sense of dread. Rob Freeman is a fine actor & has a face like that of Jeff Fahey (Machete, Planet Terror) & a voice like Clint Eastwood & a very believable presence. Freeman is on foot & in dangerous territory as he wonders the wasteland like location to find anyone alive or water or food or a car or anything that he can use to survive & he eventually meets a lone tough African soldier searching for his little boy. The African soldier is Sergeant Daniel Dumbele played greatly by Prince David Osei, another actor I've never heard of but equally gives a decent performance & has a tough presence on screen. The two men team up & start accross the hostile territory to get out alive & many dangerous situations fall upon them.
There's a nice respect & even buddy friendship between these two desperate men & their bond grows as the danger rises but it never gets bogged down by being all mushy & sad, this is a survival zombie Horror movie & it's a damn good one too.
This little low-budget old fashioned zombie flick a million times better than the crappy Mega budget Zack Snyder mess "Army of the Dead" the ford bros definitely pulled it off crafting this beautiful Looking but deadly survival tale.
The Zombie's look scary & the gore is perfect!!!
I loved it's old retro feel & atmosphere & honestly felt like a film that could've come out in like 1980 or something & that's a huge compliment.
I even felt it was abit Mad Max whilst watching this with the blistering sun on the desert & that only added to it's retro vibe.
The Dead has a beautifully creepy exotic location that's got a sweaty & raw old school feel & lovely Cinematography that was shot on actual film!!! Great movie making by the Ford brothers & on a tiny budget it knocks out that big budget studio crap like the horrendous "World War Z" & "Army of the Dead" & "The Dead Don't Die"
I love the fast running infected/zombies like 28 days later but these slow-moving ones here are just as terrifying as they slowly creep up on people & then ferociously bite their victims & the gore is proper old school & in camera real looking effects, so Awesome in other words!!!!
The story is about an Outbreak in Africa that no one understands & it quickly spreads accross the beautiful land & peaceful villages are then turned into bloody feasts for the zombies & our main hero/lead is an American Mercenary/engineer who is the only survivor of a plane crash that was escaping this horrific event from Africa but didn't get far become of an infected passenger. Now what i liked was the casting of such an ordinary guy as our main lead in this horrific situation, we have engineer lieutenant Brian Murphy played intensely & believable by Rob Freeman, a guy I've never seen or heard of before & I'm glad of because it added to the overall sense of dread. Rob Freeman is a fine actor & has a face like that of Jeff Fahey (Machete, Planet Terror) & a voice like Clint Eastwood & a very believable presence. Freeman is on foot & in dangerous territory as he wonders the wasteland like location to find anyone alive or water or food or a car or anything that he can use to survive & he eventually meets a lone tough African soldier searching for his little boy. The African soldier is Sergeant Daniel Dumbele played greatly by Prince David Osei, another actor I've never heard of but equally gives a decent performance & has a tough presence on screen. The two men team up & start accross the hostile territory to get out alive & many dangerous situations fall upon them.
There's a nice respect & even buddy friendship between these two desperate men & their bond grows as the danger rises but it never gets bogged down by being all mushy & sad, this is a survival zombie Horror movie & it's a damn good one too.
This little low-budget old fashioned zombie flick a million times better than the crappy Mega budget Zack Snyder mess "Army of the Dead" the ford bros definitely pulled it off crafting this beautiful Looking but deadly survival tale.
The Zombie's look scary & the gore is perfect!!!
I loved it's old retro feel & atmosphere & honestly felt like a film that could've come out in like 1980 or something & that's a huge compliment.
- lukem-52760
- Aug 4, 2021
- Permalink
Not since Day of the Dead have I seen a zombie film with creepy, slow- moving zombies. In fact, these zombies are even slower than the ones we saw in the Romero era. These are more like the Fulci zombies from the classic 'Zombi'. After seeing this alongside several other horrors back-to-back, this one really stood out, due to its eerie mood and fantastic visuals of a desolate, post-apocalypse African landscape.
It is somewhat less gory than the average zombie flick but more than makes up for that simply because slow zombies are the real deal. I've often asked myself why I feel that the fast-moving dead, of Dawn of the Dead remake and other more recent offerings seem to lack something. Simply put, there's something terribly menacing about the shuffling feet and unflinching white-eyed stare of the zombie who, whilst can be outrun, will creep up on you whilst you pause for breath, rest for a moment or sleep.
The story and acting are perhaps a bit weak and the ending a typical one, for a film of this kind (nods to Lucio Fulci again) but for a zombie fan, like me, it's just not an issue.
The experimental era of the fast zombie is well and truly over. There'll probably be more soul-less speed-zombie flicks from greedy big- budget productions but the love affair with the real undead is alive and munching.
It is somewhat less gory than the average zombie flick but more than makes up for that simply because slow zombies are the real deal. I've often asked myself why I feel that the fast-moving dead, of Dawn of the Dead remake and other more recent offerings seem to lack something. Simply put, there's something terribly menacing about the shuffling feet and unflinching white-eyed stare of the zombie who, whilst can be outrun, will creep up on you whilst you pause for breath, rest for a moment or sleep.
The story and acting are perhaps a bit weak and the ending a typical one, for a film of this kind (nods to Lucio Fulci again) but for a zombie fan, like me, it's just not an issue.
The experimental era of the fast zombie is well and truly over. There'll probably be more soul-less speed-zombie flicks from greedy big- budget productions but the love affair with the real undead is alive and munching.
It's always difficult to review a flick that you have read some articles about. You have so much expectations, you know. I knew due the articles that it was gory and it was shot on African ground but I thought this was going to be a hell of a movie but it let me down for some parts. Don't get me wrong, it isn't bad and it has some original parts but it's the first hour of this flick that was a bit the same. It was an attack by some zombies, then they were shot in the head. They move further towards another place, again zombies, again they are shot through the head and it keeps going on and on until something happens in the last 30 minutes. From then on the story really gets going.
Sure, if you are into the dead then you must see this flick because it's not a Hollycrap release so it do has some negativity around it. But it's not like Stakeland were you have a story going on and on. You are dragged into the character of Lt. Brian Murphy (Rob Freeman). And that's the main reason why the story starts slowly.
The directors (Ford Bros) did a good job but again don't expect to see a story full of events happening. It's two people becoming friends and are confronted with the things happening on earth.
On the other hand the flick itself is full of cool and gory effects and killings. The zombies bite with a lot of red stuff flowing but they also being decapitated and mutilated by the survivors. Some parts do involve mum and kid so for the weak hearted it isn't always obvious to watch.
If you can stand the first hour then you will enjoy it but you can't take a slow builder then forget it.
Gore: 4/5 Nudity: 0/5 Story: 3/5 Effects: 3/5 Comedy: 0/5
Sure, if you are into the dead then you must see this flick because it's not a Hollycrap release so it do has some negativity around it. But it's not like Stakeland were you have a story going on and on. You are dragged into the character of Lt. Brian Murphy (Rob Freeman). And that's the main reason why the story starts slowly.
The directors (Ford Bros) did a good job but again don't expect to see a story full of events happening. It's two people becoming friends and are confronted with the things happening on earth.
On the other hand the flick itself is full of cool and gory effects and killings. The zombies bite with a lot of red stuff flowing but they also being decapitated and mutilated by the survivors. Some parts do involve mum and kid so for the weak hearted it isn't always obvious to watch.
If you can stand the first hour then you will enjoy it but you can't take a slow builder then forget it.
Gore: 4/5 Nudity: 0/5 Story: 3/5 Effects: 3/5 Comedy: 0/5
African zombie film may not bring much more new to the genre then it's setting but, it damn sure knows how to present the familiar trappings well. As a zombie plague ravages Africa, an American military man(Rob Freeman) and a local soldier searching for his son (Prince David Oseia) are thrown together as they both try to make it across zombie infested country to find a way back to their families. Dead may not be an original zombie film but, it knows how to deliver what we expect from one. Director/writers Howard J. Ford and Jonathan Ford know how to keep things moving and how to deliver scares and suspense without skimping on the blood and gore. The characters are likable and we care about their dangerous journey which adds strength to the story and thus the effectiveness of the horror and carnage. The beautifully filmed African landscape gives a heightened sense of desolation and hopelessness as the flesh eating dead seem to be everywhere our protagonists go, making us root for them even more as their situation seems to get more grim the further they go. As the character's hold on to their hope, so do we. The production value is good and the gore is top notch with no recognizable CGI in sight. A good old fashioned blood spattered zombie flick!
- MonsterZeroNJ
- Feb 14, 2012
- Permalink
- spicy_demon
- Dec 5, 2012
- Permalink
- robfisherking57
- Sep 20, 2011
- Permalink
-Started out slowly and u think its gotta start just shortly... just doesn't, only has glimts of action packed scenes throughout the film -Seems every scene should have been half the length. -Effects was good. blood wasn't over worked, taking this was a low budget film it is a good job. -Storyline was too basic - I would love to see more stuff being worked into it. -Beautiful pictures and scenes. (but is that enough to keep you awake..NOT FOR ME) -Acting was mediocre. - not saying they did a poor job - just wasn't great! -Never really got excited bout the movie and couldn't keep focused.
all in all i wouldn't recommend people watching it - unless they really like zombie movies.
all in all i wouldn't recommend people watching it - unless they really like zombie movies.
The Dead. Its not the most creative of titles, reading it you pretty much know it's either going to be a James Joyce adaptation or a film about zombies. This time it's the latter and the stripped down title actually works, since this is pretty much a stripped down zombie film. Moving away from fast zombies, crowd pleasing style and "fun" gore gags, The Dead is bleak, numbing and even repetitive, an approach I actually enjoyed as it seems to get far closer than many films to the real horror of such events. It stuns with visuals and draws the heart with an inspired central heroic partnership, but by and large is many leagues away from the shallow silliness of all too many popular zombie films these days. Following at first the journey of Lt. Brian Murphy, wanting nothing more than to return home from a zombie outbreak stricken Africa, then Murphy and Sgt. Daniel Dembele, the latter trying to find his son, this is a quest film as much as horror, the journey as important as the grue. A first time feature for writers/directors/brothers Howard and Jonathon Ford (the latter also co handled cinematography with Jon Ford), The Dead moves at a dignified, steady paced, sporadically shot through with brief but intense bursts of tense violence heavy on head shots, laced with a growing respect and friendship between the two heroes and occasionally touched with poignancy shining in the gloom of the situation and ardour of the trek. Its skilfully handled, laconic stuff with a documentarians eye for the location (I never knew Burkina Faso was such a beautiful place), characters suitably rounded and likable and a powerful finale, overall it's a film with a punch. Rob Freeman as Lt Murphy plays things like a tough guy character actor of yore, impassive and resourceful determination with a human edge, while Prince David Oseia does equally well as Sgt. Dembele, carrying himself with authority and intelligence. As with any such film, the zombies are a major part of the experience, and The Dead succeeds nicely here. Make up effects are handled by Max Van De Banks and the zombies are simply portrayed, dead eyed, pallid, dirty and some bloodied, they move at a refreshing ominous creep as well, taking after the terrors of Romero pictures rather than any cheese of recent years. Gore is decent too, a realistic approach is taken over setting up lots of fun gimmicky kills, the headshots can get repetitive but there are a few other methods on display, a couple of which are real grisly crowd pleasers. By and large I had a fine time with this one and I hardly even expected too, having gone to watch it on a whim. The film does lag in the middle, stuttering a bit even in its already measured pacing, but it doesn't take too long to return to its groove. More irksomely, there are one or two undeveloped scenes which are too rapidly glossed over, as if time or the budget ran too short, there are some editing blips as well, though this may well have been intentional it still comes across a bit of a niggle. Still one of the best zombie films I've seen in a while though, well recommended.
I mean, I don't know what kind of budget they had, some of the head shots don't look too great and the zombies may be a bit underwhelming for some. However, The Dead was very well written, acted, and directed. It's unfortunate that this movie really went under the radar, it is a lot better than many other horror movies coming out now a days. Set in Africa, it was a nice change from the normal urban setting and evocative of Resident Evil 5. With a somewhat average IMDb rating, I was ready for a "meh" type of movie, but was pleasantly surprised; the directors did an amazing job with creating an atmosphere of hopelessness, desolation, and fear; not because these zombies could run and moan loudly, but because of the realism and sheer profusion of zombies.
Every area our protagonist must traverse, bodies lay strewn across the pale, cold, desert land – zombies trickling around every corner. Not only is there the constant impeding threat of zombies, but also the threat of survival in such harsh lands under the blazing sun. There were some great scenes that I really appreciated. One scene involves a truck that is in need of coolant, and our protagonist must decide whether or not to save the remaining water in possession or to fill the tank, risk it not working, and be left sans-water. After about half an hour into the film, it became quite apparent that these were skilled directors at the helm. The movie never patronizes its viewers with unnecessary scenes of dumb dialogue or even attempts to come up with some contrived explanation for the zombies, but concentrates solely on telling a good story.
Every area our protagonist must traverse, bodies lay strewn across the pale, cold, desert land – zombies trickling around every corner. Not only is there the constant impeding threat of zombies, but also the threat of survival in such harsh lands under the blazing sun. There were some great scenes that I really appreciated. One scene involves a truck that is in need of coolant, and our protagonist must decide whether or not to save the remaining water in possession or to fill the tank, risk it not working, and be left sans-water. After about half an hour into the film, it became quite apparent that these were skilled directors at the helm. The movie never patronizes its viewers with unnecessary scenes of dumb dialogue or even attempts to come up with some contrived explanation for the zombies, but concentrates solely on telling a good story.
- starcraftbw88
- Apr 28, 2012
- Permalink
- lindo-julet
- Dec 9, 2019
- Permalink
I love me a good zombie flick, and I try to support independent cinema whenever I can. But I'll be the first to admit that the words "independent low-budget horror" can send me running for the hills. But after hearing some of the good buzz around this one, I thought I'd give it a shot at a midnight screening last night. I'm really glad I checked it out. The co-director was in attendance for last night's screening, where he spoke of his adoration of the early Romero films, and that influence shows. It's an endless stream of slow-walking, omnipresent zombies. It's the opposite of the hyper-stylized, fast-cut, fast walking zombie movies of recent years. Most of the action takes place during daylight hours in wide open spaces. Africa can be a harsh and brutal place without zombies, so you can imagine the difficulties that the survivors must endure. I thought the pacing was decent, and the acting was very solid. There are some really nice stylized shots in places. I'll remember that striking final scene years from now. I thought the sound design and the minimal score were very effective. Because the survivors are mostly out in the wild, there's this constant chatter of insects throughout. It's like a buzzing fluorescent bulb that always keeps you a little off- kilter. A refreshingly stark entry into the sometimes crowded zombie genre. Highly recommended.
- dvdpunk-187-723330
- Oct 15, 2011
- Permalink