I was a few days late on watching the first episode of The Walking Dead (although, according to Project Free TV I could have been watching a bootlegged version as early as October 21st!)... anyway, I am glad that I a) waited, so that I could give it my full attention and b) refused to read any reviews pre-watching. I say both these things because Christ-on-a-cracker, it kicked ass. Also I am a big fan of kick-assery coming toward me unadulterated by the opinions of others.
I love the Zombie Genre, and one of the things I found most enjoyable about The Walking Dead from this first episode is the traditionalist stance on zombies it is taking. These are old-school zombies, they moan, they amble, they eat human flesh, they are killed by removing the head or destroying the brain. They aren't clever, they aren't learning, they don't run. They are classic. I love it.
One of the most frightening things about zombies you see, is that they are nature's* most unsuspecting killers. A reoccuring theme in Z-stories is the protagonist having a zombie invasion sneak up on them. We see this in The Walking Dead, in a fashion almost identical to that in 28 Days Later - obviously the parrallels can't be denied, especially since the Danny Boyle film was released in 2002 and The Walking Dead graphic novel (upon which the series is based) was first published (wikipedia tells me) in 2003. Side project: let's think of other ways in which a guy can fall out of society for a month or so rather than end up the hospital... falling down a well? Hiding from his student loan repayments?
Anyway, it isn't just those two projects in which the zombie infestation comes as an overwhelming surprise to the main characters in the film. Our beloved heroes in Shaun of the Dead for example, get dealt the zombies-are-already-everywhere cards because they are simply not paying close enough attention. That could literally happen to any one of us. If I wasn't constantly on guard about potential zombie attacks**, then I wouldn't blink twice at the suspiciously zombie-like people I see on the bus, in stores, or at bars, either!
The hero in The Walking Dead is pretty well-equipped for a zombie attack, which is nice, considering that he is this guy. (I think you're perfect too, Andrew Lincoln***). And not to spoil anything, but the guy rode into town on the motherfarmin' horse, guns strapped to his back, balls-out-ready-to-kill-zombies. Amazing. And sure, this is drama, so not everything is always going to go his way - but so far I sure as hell want it to, something you certainly want from your leading man.
Personally, I would be pretty awful in the advent of a zombie-party. I have zero upper body strength, I've never shot a gun, I don't like the smell of dead people. Marg = 0, Zombies = everything.
Back to the show, I thought that the father & son were excellent (imdb is not helping me out with their names for some reason), but Rick's wife, child, and cop-partner are thus far pretty pukey. Big fan of the production's use of silence to add tension - it is vital to the zombie experience, in my opinion. This paragraph is what we call a compliment sandwich.
I am so excited to see where they take The Walking Dead. So much so that I am refusing to read (or read about) the source material, except to see that is had garnered hugely positive reviews. AMC is pretty solid in my books, and as long as they don't burn out too fast with this one, then I, like a zombie intent on munching a brain, will keep coming back for more.
*Yes, "nature", just go with it.
**Seriously.
*** Dear Andrew Lincoln, I know your real name. Clutterbuck? Amaze-balls.
No comments:
Post a Comment