CRAZIES, THE - DVD review

"The Crazies" has a lot going against it. First, it's a remake. Hollywood has been remaking old horror films like there's no tomorrow and the majority haven't wowed audiences. Second, it's a remake of a movie that wasn't so great to begin with. In this case, it's George A. Romero's 1973 film of the same name. Romero's "Crazies" has never been as well regarded as "Night of the Living Dead" or "Dawn of the Dead." Third, the new "Crazies" was directed by Breck Eisner, the son of ex-Disney CEO Michael Eisner. The younger Eisner made his directorial debut with the big-budget flop "Sahara."

In spite of all that, "The Crazies" succeeds beyond expectations. It's one of the rare remakes that actually improves upon the original. It's easily one of the best horror movies of the year.

"The Crazies" is set in the small town of Ogden Marsh, Iowa, which is smack dab in the heart of Middle America. It feels like another day in the sleepy town until Rory Hamill (Mike Hickman) walks onto the field of a high school baseball game with a loaded shotgun. Later, Bill Farnum (Brett Rickaby) sets his house on fire with his wife and son still inside. Sheriff David Dutton (Timothy Olyphant) discovers a downed military aircraft in the swamps and realizes the water supply has been tainted. He eventually learns the plane was carrying a biological weapon nicknamed "Trixie." The virus causes insanity in its victim and eventually death.

The military swoops in and begin rounding up the town's citizens without a single word of explanation. Children are ripped from their mother's arms while those who attempt to escape are gunned down mercilessly. Sheriff Dutton just wants to escape the military cordon with his pregnant wife, Judy (Radha Mitchell), the town doctor. Along with Deputy Russell Clank (Joe Anderson) and Judy's receptionist Becca (Danielle Panabaker), they must avoid the infected, the army, and even a few folks who weren't that nice to begin with.

Though Romero was best known for his zombie movies, "The Crazies," wasn't technically one of them even if it contained many of the same tropes. Nobody comes back from the dead and the infected don't crave flesh.

As with Romero's other films, social commentary played a big role in the original "Crazies." The picture was his reaction to the ongoing Vietnam War and the My Lai Massacre. The remake downplays the heavy handed message, but still portrays the military and the government as the primary villains. Romero's version also told the story from the perspective of the townsfolk as well as the army in the form of one sympathetic officer. Eisner and screenwriters Scott Kosar and Ray Wright wisely keep this from the point of view of the people. The soldiers are as much of a faceless horde as the psychotic crazies. The individual disappears behind a gas mask and a hazmat suit. Meanwhile, there is an underlying theme of big brother is watching you in the form of constant surveillance from spy satellites.

Focusing on the Sheriff and his companions keeps the film on a smaller, intimate level. We become invested the journey of this ragtag group of survivors. The filmmakers also avoid bogging down the movie with long-winded scenes of exposition. As the town doctor, Judy Dutton gets a few quick, explanatory bits to answer questions about the virus, such as is it airborne? However, anybody who's seen any halfway decent zombie flicks or disease movies, such as "Outbreak," will already have it all figured out.

Eisner directs "The Crazies" with a slick hand giving us several creepy sequences. They won't scare the pants off you, but they are pretty damn exciting. This includes a spooky ride through, of all things, a car wash. The best scene in the film involves Judy and Becca in a room full of infected patients, all of them strapped to gurneys. A crazy slithers in scraping a pitchfork against the floor. He begins stabbing the others while the women watch helplessly in horror.

Eisner does overplay his hand when it comes to the score and the repeated use of harsh string chords. You know the kinds that are struck whenever a hand suddenly reaches out from the shadows to grab one of our protagonists.

VIDEO:
The video is presented in anamorphic widescreen with an aspect ratio of 2.40:1. This is an excellent transfer with nary a single blemish. Blacks are rich and the colors come in strong.

AUDIO:
The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1. The sound comes in very nicely. All the dialogue can be clearly heard while the score and sound effects are booming.

EXTRAS:
The DVD includes an audio commentary with Breck Eisner. The track is very informative with Eisner taking us through the various stages of pre-production such as script development and scouting locations. He also discusses gathering the cast and other on-set anecdotes.

Behind the Scenes with Director Breck Eisner (10:34) is a quickie making-of featurette utilizing interviews with the cast and crew.

Paranormal Pandemics (9:40) is a featurette about the research done into real diseases.

The George A. Romero Template (9:55) focuses on the renowned filmmaker and features interviews from other directors (like Don Coscarelli) and internet pundits.

Make-Up Mastermind: Rob Hall in Action (11:26) features the film's make-up artist demonstrating how the make-up is applied to create the look of the infected.

Visual Effects in Motion (3:42) is a step-by-step look at various scenes and showing us different levels of effects.

The DVD includes two Motion Comics which help to flesh out certain parts of the story. The first episode revolves around the plane crash and how Rory Hamill wound up on the baseball field. The second is from the POV of Bill Farnum and what led to the killing of his family.

You'll also get the film's trailers, a behind-the-scenes photo gallery, and DVD-ROM exclusive content such as storyboards and the screenplay.

FILM VALUE:
"The Crazies" is a tremendously entertaining movie. This is a horror film that relies on true scares rather than out and out gore. It is a breath of fresh air after bad remakes like "Nightmare on Elm Street" and the endless stream of "Saw" and "Final Destination" sequels.