The Ghostman & Demon Hunter Show

Roxy · Joined: 10 May 2007 Posts: 4

Hey GG.....have you heard anything about the 28 Weeks Later movie? Is this worth going to the theater or is it a rent a movie?

I'm assuming they won't have any zombie sheep in this one right?

hitchgoonie · Joined: 12 Feb 2007 Posts: 41

Really sorry I haven't responded to you sooner Roxy. You can beat me later! 28 Days Later was such a great romp in semi-zombie land. This film, 28 Weeks Later, plays off of a whole Day of the Dead vibe, which isn't bad, but I'd say it's a renter. Personally, I didn't think we needed a second installment in this series because the first one was fantastic. Honestly, not many people cared what happened after it was over. I was quite entertained with my own morbid notion of what was to come.
SO, rent it and save your money for some guilty trek into carnage candy like Rob Zombie's Halloween.

Nathan · Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2007 11:32 pm Post subject:

Did it have the really nice imaging that the 1st one had.
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Thinking outside the Pine Box...

MagnusApollo · Joined: 14 Feb 2007 Posts: 39 Location: Rochester NY

Personally I gave the film, and I'm sad to say this, a thumbs down... Although the opening of that film is one of the best ones I have seen in an extremely long time... sadly, the rest of the movie didn't follow it's lead. i left the theater scratching my head and thinking how implausible many of the actions taken would be to real life. .. though, I realize I'm talking about a movie where a rage virus spreads and people turn into zombie like creatures... but still, it's the scenario and world that plays around the characters that holds them into the story and frames it for the viewers to fully dive into. This movie.. seems like they didn't sit back and think it all out before they went into filming.

In my eyes, it really is best if you think of it less as a zombie flick, and more of a biological experiment gone bad. I'm a big zombie film fan, and this is what helps me sleep better at night after watching this film.. heh.

I'm now going to rant a bit about this movie.. if you haven't seen it, you can stop reading here. Or if you think what I have to say is crap, you can stop here as well.

While I loved the first one and everything the director was able to do on the small budget, the second one seems like they are striving to keep the feel but didn't put as much attention into their own style of this film.

If you have seen the first one then you know that the movie also plays on the notion that the director is against the military and it's many faces. In the end you realize that they are the enemy and the infected are used as a weapon against them. So.. for the second movie.. lets add more miltary and make them twice as cold blooded, a quarter as smart, and with guns. Quite seriously, they took the first movie, and thought "lets add explosives, guns, and flamethrowers".

There are aspects that seem irksome...
You have an extremely large island nation off the coast of the european union... LAND with no borders, water, and resources... The true commodity of the future. Yet you see what seems like one group of american military perched in a city. You would see Haliburton and a zillion other contractors in there dividing the place up. It would be run by commities and not one single military officer making decisions without speaking with any suppior. It just lent itself to the same undertone of "military is bad".

Do not read any further as there are some odd spoilers that I don't wish to give away to anyone yet to watch this film...

The military are ordered to kill everyone... no matter what... and they stick with that order what seems like till the end of time.

Sure, when the infection just gets out they military decides to shoot all targets. That is actually logical, and I fully understand why that is done... but once the initial event is done with, military intelligence steps in and with intent and purpose shoots the people that are bleeding from the eyes, screaming and running at you like you are a twinky and they are a starving fat woman. But, no, they continue to shoot, burn, kill everything on sight no mater what... EVEN IF YOU ARE A SOLDIER... ugh. (the only people not killing others are the ones with names.. so apparently if you are miltary person and were given a name in the movie you will not be a robotic destroyer of every biped in your path).

So... now you have military personnel having to run from other military why again...? Rage victims are distinct, they don't talk, and don't really think... Even I could think that you would tell your men "Okay listen if for some reason you get seperated from your team, cause that happens frequently, all you need to do is Sing Mary had alittle lamb when you see others.. Or flash your flashlight three times and wait for us to flash back... We will then not shoot you in the face."

I for one wouldn't want to be in that military world... oh crap.. I stopped to tie my shoe.. everyone walked ahead.. now they have to shoot me on sight.. NOOO.

Seriously, the military are robotic automatons in this film.. in fact if they had robots doing that part it would be more believable. You have a trained military man in less than an hour running from his team mates like they are the taliban. Simple human communication would serve well here "Hey, I'm a doctor, i'm not infected, don't use your flame thrower on me". "I have uninfected children here in need of help, repeat don't fire". I imagine if you were infected it would sound something like "AAAARRRRAAARAAAA". I think there is a difference.

You know the rage takes what 10 seconds and you are showing signs? how easy is it to wait 10 seconds to see if someone is going to snap... "oh hi steve... you had to stop and take a piss, no prob.. just stand there for 15 seconds.. okay.. you're clear". Vs "Hi Steve.. you were.. OH CRAP! STEVE.. you are on the ground and convulsing and spitting up blood... OH crap, you are running at me screaming and slobbering!" (shoots steve in the head).

I still find myself at a loss as to why I was watching the US military firing at a volvo driving at break neck speeds through the british roadways... "uh sir, there is a volvo driving down the road quickly.. I don't think the rage victims can out maneuver a helicopter firing 50 calibre machine guns.. should I keep shooting?"

speaking of volvo... the rage victims could smash through lumber in the first scene.. but volvo glass is somehow stronger than 2-3 inches of solid pine?

Helicopter scene... it rocked.

if I was in charge everyone would have an RFID tag in them... i mean, after all, you are dealing with a world where everyone can quickly become the enemy, so knowing where everyone is automatically is key. It could explain how the father gets in everywhere...

(And how is it that the father is everywhere? I mean, that even beats the laws of odds... )

At least with that you could understand it... that with an RFID tag he could be opening the doors with his access and letting others through as he followed folks..

Okay.. I ranted enough.. Insomnia is bad as It keeps me awake to think to much about stuff like this.

Personally I say wait and save the money to go see Fido.
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EVP scare me... seriously, I scream like a little girl. But, don't laugh, I'm a big guy, I could, in theory hurt you.

hitchgoonie · Joined: 12 Feb 2007 Posts: 41

It's always fun when people rant on movies. Good times. It's easy to think of this as a NON zombie film because it IS a non zombie film. A lot of people had trouble distinguishing the two when the first film came out, mostly due to the fact that Romero FINALLY got studio funding for his new Dead film and that they also greenlighted the remakes of his classic films. It didn't help that at the time the indie circuit was swarmed with zombie imitators. So, naturally, folks jumped with the idea that 28 Days was "another zombie flick". Uhhh... no, it's not.
A key thing to remember with the horror genre is that it is cursed in a way. Remakes rarely work and sequels (though most tend to come out as cult favs because of their campiness) have a hard time sticking. Most horror tales border on the fantastic and ask of us, at times, to stretch our imaginations beyond what we can handle. Once is fun but twice is a pain in the ass. And there lies the problem. The first in all these series are 9.9 times out of 10, the best.
Sequels fall into joke categories and, as a staple in the film world for decades, are mostly made to up the ante of a singular trait from the first film. I'm purposely avoiding the fact of cash because that would send me into such a rant with the film community that the internet would crash around us. Basically, you can't read too much into many horror sequels, especially nowadays.
Of course, some remakes have worked and some sequels are FANTASMIC. Case in point, Evil Dead 2 (which is actually a remake of the original) and Romero's Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead. His philosophical views on society and such were so groundbreaking that it's hard not to copy them. Basically, any director trying to make a point with a zombie film is pretty much just paying homage to Romero. It's the universal groundwork and I've yet to see a similiar horror flick spread a different message than Romero's 30+ year old films. The military aspect? Romero did them back in the day. Nothing new.
I don't usually reference Romero that much but with this particular conversation it's rather obvious his influence.
One cool thing I have to mention that I noticed in your rant was that you said the infected don't think and are distinct in those specific ways. Something extremely cool about the infected is that they are driven by primal instinct. The greedy, uninhibited rage and chaos as raw as the first creatures scraping around this planet. I do enjoy the fact that they were given such passion. However, the first film showcased that enough.
As I said in my previous post, the first film did well enough and was exceptionally made making it once again sad that we had to have another film oozing along behind it.
Good stuff people. Ranting about movies is priceless.
Yes, Magnus, you should go see Fido because it's definitely a zombie film we've all been waiting for. The idea of civilizing zombies (Bubba) has been running through horror freaks head's forever and it's nice to see somebody tackling it with much dark humor. Another zombie flick that people are clawing over? Diary of the Dead. It should be near the end of post if not already done as I type this.
One sad thing about Fido is that it will be a limited release like Black Sheep.
But folks, don't get too worked up about sequels. Especially in the horror genre.

MagnusApollo · Joined: 14 Feb 2007 Posts: 39 Location: Rochester NY

that is why I enjoy living in Rochester NY. Image capital of the world, where still many of the talented film makers show their stuff in hope to get a nod from the film geeks here. with theaters such as the George Eastman house(of kodak) showing of the rare films in it's Dryden theater, "The Little Theater" and many other small indie houses scattered around the area... very few films don't find a home in rochester for at least a short portion of a time.

Oh, and I do agree that the infected in the movie are driven by primal senses, and not by logic. I do think it was demonstrated well in the second film when the husband focuses his attack on the eyes of the woman he felt guilty for leaving behind... Trying to stop her judging glare in his primitive way.
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EVP scare me... seriously, I scream like a little girl. But, don't laugh, I'm a big guy, I could, in theory hurt you.

hitchgoonie · Joined: 12 Feb 2007 Posts: 41

That's why I love living in Chicago. At any random moment you can head to one of the numerous art houses and watch indie films from any country that tickles your fancy.

By the way all you Potter Freaks out there in the Muggle world, there's only 21 days to go until Order of the Pheonix!!! Bring it on!
Just thought I'd randomly mention that since I'm in a Potter mood today.