Monday Movie Review - THE CRAZIES

I remember reading a review for this movie while it was still in production that said this movie should never have been remade.  It was lumped into that horrific pile labeled "remade classics", the likes of which included Rob Zombie's Halloween and the new Nightmare on Elm Street.  And I was among those who put this movie on my Do Not Rent list simply because I have an overt fondness for the originals.  But when I found out Radha Mitchell was going to star in it, I became intrigued.

You see, I've never seen Romero's original of this movie, so I really had no personal experience to go by.  As time went on, and I began to see movie stills and the teaser trailers, my interest grew.  Finally, I decided what the heck.  Let me see if there's any merit to the movie by its own account.

Oh.  Damn.  And in a good way!

True, it's another one of those "oops, the government goofed and dropped some toxic cargo in a small town's water supply, so now the military is having to come in and contain the populace before word gets out" sort of movie.  But the director has taken this scenario and put some real chills into what could have been a lackluster film.  The victims don't turn into zombies, but into crazed killers who slowly disintegrate before our eyes, leaving you as the viewer unable to decipher who's infected and who's not.

I may rent the 1973 version, just to compare.  But in the meantime I heartily recommend that, for this version, you