Let's start this off by saying Night of the Living Dead is my absolute favorite film of all time. I'm really open to the idea of remakes because, if they're good, they're merely paying homage to the original material while also drawing well-deserved attention to the original source material. If they're bad, they merely make the original feature seem all the more awesome. I love seeing different artists interpretations of classic cinema but also have the tendency to be very honest with my feelings toward the final product.
Savini's '89 remake was pretty good, but some of his choices downplayed the intense sense of claustrophobia exuding from within the farmhouse, as well as the ever-developing suspense that develops throughout the film. And let's be real here... some of the acting was a bit over the top. ("DAMN YO-YO'S!!!") Night of the Living Dead 3D is an insult to the classic. End of story.
Let's start THIS review off by acknowledging the fact that THIS take on Romero's masterpiece is EXTREMELY low budget. Let's just get that out there. We are talking Blatantly no budget. From the acting to the actual house to the camera work, it's very VERY indie. BUT, these guys took on a mighty task. They attempted to remake a groundbreaking piece of cinema. That's admirable (and downright friggin' ballsy) and you need to at least tip your hat to what was clearly a LOT of hard work, passion, and dedication.
First off, there are some OBVIOUS improvements in their craftsmanship after their first feature "New Blood Rising". That should always be the goal of the indie film-maker. Improve your craft. These guys definitely achieved that. While the camera-work in this is still rough (lots of focus issues and almost every rule of standard film-making is broken at one point or another), it still doesn't look at all as basic as their last attempt. That's an awesome achievement.
The acting is certainly indie, with a lot of stumbling over lines and confusing dialogue that at times appears to be improvised. That may not be the case but merely due to the actors inability to memorize, but the muddy deliveries often take away from what could be rather suspenseful moment. The female lead is probably the strongest of the performers due to her ability to display convincing emotions. She's also very pretty, which (lets be real) is important in this genre. She has a great look on camera and, with a little more experience, could probably take on a bigger production. There are a few truly weak performances but, when working with such a small budget, this is to be expected.
One of the bigger issues I had with the product is (and I've mentioned this a few times but I feel it needs to be directly acknowledged) the blatant lack of budget. The costuming on all of the leads as well as the zombies appears to be provided by the actors themselves which at times looks cheap and uninspired. Also, the gore effects are really quite amateur. Toward the end of the film there is a fake bullet-hole effect in which the entire seam in the prosthetic is blatantly obvious. When dealing with such a classic, people will have HIGH expectations in these areas and can be EXTREMELY judgmental if you don't pull them off. You can't just go at this material and not expect criticism. Tis the nature of the beast.
Where I DO offer some MAJOR kudos is in the direction. The writer/director made some really risky choices in adjustments to the original storyline and I think that's pretty respectable. When viewing a remake, unless it's initially a scene-for-scene re-imagining, you should still want to be surprised and frightened. You don't want to see the EXACT same thing you did in the original. That's pointless. There are a lot of twists and turns here that should really shock even the most die-hard fans and leave them wanting to view up through the conclusion of the film.
At the end of the day, indie film is a tough field. When working with no budget, you have to make exceptions in certain areas to compensate for things you simply cannot pull off. These guys really put a LOT of hard work forward and, while the final product really wouldn't appeal to much of a mainstream audience, fans of indie cinema will probably really appreciate their efforts! I can't wait to see what these guys can pull off in the near future and ideally they can raise some proper funds to help expand upon their visions.
As I said, indie cinema is a ROUGH business. But, if you have enough drive and passion to not just take on a project but to FINISH IT as well... THAT truly deserves recognition and some genuine respect.
Good job guys. Keep on doing what you love and expand upon your budding talents!
Savini's '89 remake was pretty good, but some of his choices downplayed the intense sense of claustrophobia exuding from within the farmhouse, as well as the ever-developing suspense that develops throughout the film. And let's be real here... some of the acting was a bit over the top. ("DAMN YO-YO'S!!!") Night of the Living Dead 3D is an insult to the classic. End of story.
Let's start THIS review off by acknowledging the fact that THIS take on Romero's masterpiece is EXTREMELY low budget. Let's just get that out there. We are talking Blatantly no budget. From the acting to the actual house to the camera work, it's very VERY indie. BUT, these guys took on a mighty task. They attempted to remake a groundbreaking piece of cinema. That's admirable (and downright friggin' ballsy) and you need to at least tip your hat to what was clearly a LOT of hard work, passion, and dedication.
First off, there are some OBVIOUS improvements in their craftsmanship after their first feature "New Blood Rising". That should always be the goal of the indie film-maker. Improve your craft. These guys definitely achieved that. While the camera-work in this is still rough (lots of focus issues and almost every rule of standard film-making is broken at one point or another), it still doesn't look at all as basic as their last attempt. That's an awesome achievement.
The acting is certainly indie, with a lot of stumbling over lines and confusing dialogue that at times appears to be improvised. That may not be the case but merely due to the actors inability to memorize, but the muddy deliveries often take away from what could be rather suspenseful moment. The female lead is probably the strongest of the performers due to her ability to display convincing emotions. She's also very pretty, which (lets be real) is important in this genre. She has a great look on camera and, with a little more experience, could probably take on a bigger production. There are a few truly weak performances but, when working with such a small budget, this is to be expected.
One of the bigger issues I had with the product is (and I've mentioned this a few times but I feel it needs to be directly acknowledged) the blatant lack of budget. The costuming on all of the leads as well as the zombies appears to be provided by the actors themselves which at times looks cheap and uninspired. Also, the gore effects are really quite amateur. Toward the end of the film there is a fake bullet-hole effect in which the entire seam in the prosthetic is blatantly obvious. When dealing with such a classic, people will have HIGH expectations in these areas and can be EXTREMELY judgmental if you don't pull them off. You can't just go at this material and not expect criticism. Tis the nature of the beast.
Where I DO offer some MAJOR kudos is in the direction. The writer/director made some really risky choices in adjustments to the original storyline and I think that's pretty respectable. When viewing a remake, unless it's initially a scene-for-scene re-imagining, you should still want to be surprised and frightened. You don't want to see the EXACT same thing you did in the original. That's pointless. There are a lot of twists and turns here that should really shock even the most die-hard fans and leave them wanting to view up through the conclusion of the film.
At the end of the day, indie film is a tough field. When working with no budget, you have to make exceptions in certain areas to compensate for things you simply cannot pull off. These guys really put a LOT of hard work forward and, while the final product really wouldn't appeal to much of a mainstream audience, fans of indie cinema will probably really appreciate their efforts! I can't wait to see what these guys can pull off in the near future and ideally they can raise some proper funds to help expand upon their visions.
As I said, indie cinema is a ROUGH business. But, if you have enough drive and passion to not just take on a project but to FINISH IT as well... THAT truly deserves recognition and some genuine respect.
Good job guys. Keep on doing what you love and expand upon your budding talents!
