Horror Movie Reviews
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Title: Zombie (2004) |
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Review of Zombie
- In Lucio Fulci's genre classic Zombi 2, the dead rise once again to terrorize and consume the flesh of the living, this time Caribbean style! Those new to Fulci should note Island of the Flesh-Eaters, Zombi 2, and the more commonly known Zombie all refer to the same film. Though there is no Zombi 1, Fulci's film was titled Zombi 2 to capitalize on the commercial success of Romero's Dawn of the Dead. Though marketed as a sequel in Italy, the only similarities to Romero's classic are the title and the fact that the dead rise to eat the flesh of the living. Instead of being a metaphor for consumerism, Zombi 2 is a straight-out adventure story that ends in a horrific, apocalyptic nightmare. The plot is fairly straightforward, and more or less exists simply as a structure to hang scenes of extreme gore and terror on. Dr. Bowles's boat floats into New York Harbor missing its crew and carrying an undead passenger. The doctor's daughter (Tisa Farrow), dead set on finding out what happened to her father, teams up with journalist Peter West (Ian McCulloch) and heads to the cursed island of Matool, where a zombie epidemic is growing and Dr. Bowles's friend, Dr. Menard (Richard Johnson), is desperately trying to find a cure. Will Anne find her father? Will Dr. Menard find a cure? Will our heroes escape? In all honesty, who really cares? Because those in the "know" already know you don't come to a Fulci film looking for Shakespeare. What Zombi 2 lacks in plot development and continuity, it more than makes up for in atmosphere, intensity, and of course the trademark Fulci gore. Some of the unique high points are the never-duplicated zombie-versus-shark vignette, the rising of the Spanish zombie conquistadores, and Fulci's trademark eye shot. Fans of Italian/apocalyptic/cannibal/zombie films should not miss Zombi 2. Along with The Beyond, it defines the genre. --Rob Bracco
Amazon.com
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Comments for Zombie
- Posted on 2008-09-09
Not The Best Zombie Flick I've Seen!!!
Sometime back in either March or April when we had a big snow storm, I bought a bunch of Zombie flicks, this one included. I've been reading on the internet that this is 'the best zombie movie ever' to me, it wasn't. One reason I didn't like it because it took too long for the zombie apocalypse to happen. Another thing was that I don't really like zombies on an island. ANOTHER thing I thought was silly was that when you see the zombies, they always have their eyes closed when they're walking and attacking people. At least the gore scenes toward the end were pretty good. If you love zombie flicks, you might like ZOMBI 2!!!
Score: 2
- Posted on 2008-07-27
You need to know yourself
For those who say this shouldn't be regarded as a classic that the acting is terrible the story is stupid etc you obviously don't understand the appeal of a splatter film. If you are looking for great dialogue, strong scripts, originality, and genuine scares don't watch this film or any exploitation splatter/slasher film. The fact is fans of these films like myself enjoy the faults. The movies should be viewed almost as comedies. Low budget horror films are essentially parodies of themselves. that is why the subtle humor of films like Braindead (a spatter parody by Peter Jackson) is sometimes missed. As stated I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS FOR NON-SPLATTER FANS. But for fans of the genre this is a classic of the genre and a must see. Is a Zombie fighting a shark a silly idea? Yes. Is It Fun to watch? You better believe it
Score: 5
- Posted on 2008-07-24
my favorite zombie film
I am a huge fan of zombie films and this is by far my personal favorite. There are so many reasons, but I don't really want to get into them for fear of ruining some of the shock factor for those that haven't seen this masterpiece. All I will say, is that the scene in this movie involving and eyeball is my favorite scene in horror movie history. This two disc edition of the film is great, the special features are great if you're like me and love to know more about the films you love. Also, there's a mini poster inside, which is definitely a bonus to me. If you love zombie movies and haven't seen this one, what are you waiting for?
Score: 5 - Posted on 2008-07-14
Voodoo zombies! Wake up Hendrix and tell him he's not the only voodoo child!
Lucio Fulci's "Zombie" is generally regarded as his best film, and is definitely a film of his that put him in the horror mainstream. In addition, this is sort of Fulci's tribute to "Dawn of the Dead", because in Italy, "Dawn..." was called "Zombi", and Zombie was then called "Zombi 2" to build off the success of "Dawn...".
Well, is Zombie a worthy tribute to George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead? Here are my POSITIVES and NEGATIVES about Zombie:
POSITIVES:
- The infamous eyeball scene, which will make you SQUIRM and GASP.
- Two throat-biting scenes, which are SOAKED in blood!
- The glorious, inevitable topless skin diving, and a shower scene where said showering girl gets the lovely eyeball piercing.
- Throwing flaming Molitovs are the zombies! I know as well you know, that's just AWESOME!
- Then, there's the legendary SHARK VS. ZOMBIE SCENE. Yes, as soon as said topless skin diver escapes, the attacking zombie and a shark that's followed the diver PITCH UNDERWATER COMBAT. Biting and grabbing ensured, this epic brawl features some dazzling underwater scenery and an awesome synthesizer soundtrack.
- An ending that makes you go OH SNAP!
Now for the NEGATIVES:
- Until they reach the island, there isn't much of a plot here. Admitedly, the scenes in between all have some level of interesting, but I would've liked a little more texture in the movie.
- For a while, the pace is slow. Even with the highlights this movie has, this movie certainly doesn't move as fast as it could have.
- CHARACTERS. The characters remain pretty static. I know there are some characters that are supposed to stay the same in movies and books, but most here didn't do anything too crazy or out of character.
- THE GORE LEVEL. The back of the DVD includes praise stating, "As gory as the law allows it...", haha, no no NO my friend, DEAD ALIVE is as gory as the law allows. Now, ZOMBIE has some cool gore scenes, but it's not as gory another Fulci classic, "City of the Living Dead". But I WILL say that ZOMBIE is about as bloody as a typical Italian horror classic.
THE GATES THAT CLOSE THIS REVIEW:
For a B-movie, ZOMBIE definitely has the meat and potatoes of a good horror movie, and it CERTAINLY beats out most of the 20 plus horror movie remakes made since 2000, but I HONESTLY felt that it was overrated. If you like B-movies and zombie movies, this one might work, but if neither of those horror sub-genres are your cup of tea, think about it a bit before you see it. Thanks for the time, and peace.
Score: 3
- Posted on 2008-06-21
Classic zombie horror
This is one helluva wild ride here. Zombie is an excellent film that delivers all the goods. This is one film that still gives me a few frights. The acting is very good. The characters are realistic and the gore is over the top. But the one thing that stands out the most for me is the zombies make up. These are true zombies here, complete with earth worms running out the eyes. If you love zombie flicks and extreme gore. You owe it to yourself to see this old school gem.
Score: 5
