“You know what?”

“What?”

“We're in trouble.”

Tim Olyphant plays Tim Olyphant Battling Corn Fed (Almost) Zombies

The Crazies doesn’t lack for promise. The 1973 original, a child of George A. Romero (who shares a writing and Executive Producer credit on the remake), had all the qualities that endear fans of the original deadhead: a little gore, a lot of suspense, and a healthy dose of social commentary.

And we love us some Timothy Olyphant. No one plays a pissed off U.S. marshal or western sheriff better, although Tim’s range of roles has been a bit (cough cough) unJustifiably limited since he broke out as real world old west lawman Seth Bullock in Deadwood and later picked up the guns of Deputy Raylan Givens.

So did Tim and George make an undead love connection, or are they shooting blanks?

We’ll get there, but let’s take a look at the story.

The Crazies kicks off as a day-in-the life story of David Dutton (Olyphant), a small town Iowa sheriff. His beat, Ogden Marsh, is as Iowa as you can get (although filmed in Georgia…): Homecoming banners, baseball games, colorful but harmless characters, and Midwest wholesomeness.

So what could go wrong?

As in the 1973 original (Double Spoiler)…the military lose track of a manmade bio-weapon named Trixie. Contaminating the town’s water supply, Trixie slowisly turns people insane. The pattern is pretty much the same for everyone: disassociation, irritation, aggression and paranoia, and ultimately homicidal violence. Unlike the first film, Trixie also affects people physically, giving them physical features similar to 28 Days Later type Rage “zombies.”

The short version of the story is that David, his wife Judy (Radha Mitchel - Silent Hill), buddy Deputy Russell (Joe Anderson), and a young girl named Becca (Danielle Panabaker - The Flash) have to battle their way through town, truck stops, carwashes, and cornfields to get to the safety of Cedar Rapids. Now, that would be tough enough on an Iowa Saturday night, but toss in the Army (who - quite realistically - seem disorganized and confused about how to deal with the crisis), (almost) zombies, and doubts about whether they and their companions may be infected and you have a reasonably good solid set up.

And that’s pretty much what The Crazies is…reasonably good.

There is nothing wrong with this film. Olyphant and the cast are all more than competent. And Romero’s bloody fingerprints are there for those who care to look. The gore is muted: characteristic of his emphasis on suspense and not gross out (‘though he will sprinkle in some); his trademark social commentary is there (‘though pretty much limited to the idea that the veneer of civilization is thin and the Army is bad - or bumbling); and he offers subtle hints of broader doom (keep an eye out for scenes of bottled water…). The movie also has the best horror-action fight scene in a car wash…ever.

At the same time, there isn’t a lot of originality. Romero has done much better and - in all honesty - the 1973 film was a lot more disturbing and interesting.

But hey, you get to watch Raylan Givens shoot (almost) zombies!

You can catch The Crazies HERE.

Two Out of Five Cats Dig This Movie.