"That's a nice-a donut."
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Zombie a.k.a. Zombi 2 (1979)
For some reason, Italian director Lucio Fulci's Zombie is often overlooked when people think of the zombie genre of films. Interestingly it was billed as Zombi 2, a sort of unofficial sequel to Romero's classic Dawn of the Dead (which was released in Italy and elsewhere as Zombi). But perhaps in an ironic twist, that title is part of the reason that it remains overlooked - it is overshadowed by the de facto genre standard. But by any reasonable evaluation, it is a fine film that most any fan of the undead should be quite impressed with.
It is interesting that it is was billed as a "sequel" to Dawn, especially since if anything the plot of the film is much more reminiscent of a prequel in terms of continuity or plot. The story opens in New York harbor, where a couple patrolmen find an abandoned boat. They investigate but are attacked by a gruesome cannibalistic creature on board. The owner of the boat is missing though, and his daughter Ann Bowles (Tisa Farrow) starts an investigation to find him, teaming up with a reporter named Peter West (Ian McCulloch). Their hunt takes them to the blue waters of the Caribbean. There they meet Brian (Al Cliver) and Susan (Auretta Gay) and the quartet make their way to a small island. There Dr. Menard (Richard Johnson) is trying to work on a cure for a strange (and deadly) voodoo-inspired plague that brings the dead back to life.
Fulci bides his time before unleashing the full extent of the zombies, with just a couple brief scares near the beginning to tide us over. The plot is rather paper-thin overall, including only the sketchiest of details on many things, such as how Peter West obtained the info on Ann's dad's possible whereabouts, or how in the world voodoo is influencing or creating the zombies in any way. There are some unusual moments in the first half that are a bit atypical for a zombie flick, such as topless scuba diving, or a scene straight out of Jaws.
Once the action really picks up though, it is full-on macabre mayhem, with plenty of gore and blood and guts. There are some other very cool pieces that aren't usually seen in zombie movies. I especially liked the aspect that even those dead for hundreds of years could turn undead, and particularly an ancient zombie army that arises from the cemetery in a tropical forest. There are some great makeup effects, which results in a nice variety of creatures - especially the old ones who arise from the ground (and likely don't even have any brains or organs left).
The acting isn't much, but good enough for what is needed. Overall, Zombie is a darn fun film. It's a real headscratcher as to why it doesn't garner more respect from mainstream film audiences (who have readily accepted Dawn of the Dead and more recent zombiefests).
The Verdict: B+.
Michael Bentley 3:24 PM
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