Post by Bub on Aug 16, 2004 20:39:35 GMT -5
The story begins when an abandoned boat enters New York waters. When the harbor patrol pulls it over, one officer is bitten by a huge, corpse-like man. The man is shot and falls in the water. Anne, who's father owns the boat, joins Peter, a reporter, and heads out to Matoul, the island where her father was at. But Matoul is a strange place. It seems the dead walk there.......
Zombie is the first Lucio Fulci film I've seen, and let me tell you, I'm impressed. Zombie is his most famous film and I have yet to see if it's his best.
The acting and characters in Fulci's films are often criticised, but really, you could and probably have seen much worse. Some of the actors (Dr. Menard, Peter) are good and some of the others are okay. But nothing really awful. The characters are likeable for the most part, which helps the movie.
The special effects are maybe the best zombie effects I've ever seen. And I was floored when I heard the effects were made of mostly clay. How creative! The effects of exploding heads, gunshots, broken limbs, an eyeball impaling (you have to see this to believe it), melting zombie heads, decaying zombies, and bites are incredible. THe FX are one of the film's biggest strengths and make the zombies truly scary (especially the one pictured).
The direction is confident and effective. The opening pans over the abandoned ship are effective and the gory scenes are incredibly well shot. The zombies rising from the ground or walking towards the people slowly work. The two standout scenes for me were 1) when Menard's wife is holding the door to try to keep the zombie out and her fate and 2) when the characters find zombies chewing on ******'s remains. These scenes are directed very well.
The music is effectively eerie and is perfect for the film. Several problems do arise, though. One problem was the fact that very little was explained on how Anne's father contracted the "disease." Was he bitten? And the big issue was what boggles most horror films: Stupid Moves. Standing and watching as zombies rise out of the ground or as they walk towards you is not wise.
But Zombie delivered the goods. It's one of my new faves. With my copy of Fulci's House by the Cemetery coming in, You'll be hearing some more reviews soon.
9/10
