The Crazies (2010)

Reviewer: Jeffrey M. Anderson
Rating (out of 5): ***

In the frenzy to remake every horror movie in history, many classics have been butchered, and many lesser films have been proven to be not worth all the fuss. But one recent film seems to have chosen its inspiration well: George A. Romero's original 1973 The Crazies is not one of his better films, but it contains the nugget of a good idea, and has the George A. Romero brand name, but it's not a film that many people know or love, and had room for improvement. In short, it was ripe for a remake.

The new film, directed by Breck Eisner (Sahara) of all people, streamlines Romero's original idea. A mysterious virus begins to turn people in a small Iowa town into homicidal "crazies," but the real danger comes when the military -- clad in faceless chemical suits -- moves in and tries to contain the situation. The heroes must thereby avoid both the nutty monsters as well as the menacing military figures. Trouble begins when a blank-faced man walks into the middle of a baseball game carrying a gun, and the local sheriff (Timothy Olyphant) is forced to shoot him. The sheriff's wife, the town doctor (Radha Mitchell), sees patients with similar behavior. Eventually the sheriff, his wife, the deputy and a teenage girl decide to flee across the county lines to safety, all the while fending off attacks from both sides, and risking contracting the virus themselves.

Romero's film contained very few actual scary scenes and a few too many more static, talky scenes. However, the new film relies a bit too much on standard genre conventions like jump-scares, last-second rescues and predictable moments where characters split up to search for things. But it makes up for these drawbacks with an excellent cast, led by Olyphant (TV's Justified) and Mitchell as the married sheriff and doctor. Their realistic reactions to the horror around them are far more effective than any amount of shock imagery or bloody gore. Likewise, Eisner plays up the redneck deputy character played by Joe Anderson (a British actor); he may or may not have been infected, but his violent, gun-toting personality makes it hard to tell.

Some excellent cinematography and an effective use of small-town locations and atmosphere top it all off, and The Crazies comes in as perhaps the best horror remake in many years. Romero is credited as an executive producer, though he has expressed his dislike for the film. Anchor Bay Entertainment has released a very good DVD (and Blu-Ray) that includes a commentary track by director Breck Eisner; tons of behind-the-scenes featurettes, notably a good one on George A. Romero; storyboards and a "motion comic."