Saturday, March 28, 2015
Michael Allen
Writer: Tim Carter.
Cast: Meghan Ory, Keegan Connor Tracy, Virginia Madsen and Jesse Metcalfe.
Dead Rising: Watchtower is based on the Dead Rising series of games, from Capcom. This series is based on a zombie apocalypse, in the future. In the film, a quarantine zone gets overrun by the undead, with a reporter caught in the middle of the action. True popcorn fare, Dead Rising: Watchtower is easy on the lobes and quickly forgotten. But, the film is still entertaining as Chase Carter (Jesse Metcalfe) does his best to escape the quarantined zone. A social message, introduced late, involves the government and privacy. The message, along with the story, fall a little flat. Still, there are lots of great action scenes and the comedic tone creates for a few laughs. Dead Rising: Watchtower is a mostly enjoyable title, which does not challenge the noggin, too much.
The protagonist in the story is Carter. He comes off as a sleazy reporter, early in the film. But, he manages to reach higher levels, in a few, later heroic moments. His fellow survivor, Crystal (Meghan Ory), also does not begin as a moral character. She is stand-offish and reluctant to help others. However, through the film, this duo and another minor character begin to grow on the viewer as they struggle in a zombie apocalypse. Meanwhile, on the other side of the quarantine wall, the government is doing its best to sell out the citizens, caught in the outbreak. They have a plan to track citizens, while removing their privacy. This thread continues into the credits, but a sequel feels unneeded.
Dead Rising: Watchtower is truly popcorn fare. The film's central storyline, which is based on very light material, is not really expanded on here. The characters must deal with the infected, while taking their Zombrex (an inhibitor). There are over-the-top villains, including a Mad Max inspired biker and self-proclaimed Zombie King. Any other villains remain in relative safety, outside of the wall, or of the undead kind. As well, characters are giving little to no backstory and they are not developed via flashback nor subplot. The characters have no real fears or weaknesses, outside of the fear of the death. Other minor characters are mere caricatures. They appear, when needed, to introduce the required conflict, only to be outroduced minutes later. Also, the film did not resonate strongly with this viewer, outside of a few humourous moments. It does not hit any deep or meaningful chords, overall.
The film does attempt a relevant social message. Government intrusion into the private lives of its citizens is a very real issue. The film covers this topic, late in the film. The government hopes to track its citizens with the introduction of a chip, which is injected just under the skin. The zombie outbreak is just a ruse, like a false flag event, to introduce this new technology into its citizenry. With American government surveillance of cell phones, email and internet usage, this inclusion of a relevant topic was a good one. Unfortunately, the film required more governmental menace, to create a better conflict and climax.
Overall, the film is well produced, but weak in story elements. All of the action scenes are well-choreographed, with Carter using improvised weapons to hold off the undead. Some of these action scenes are recorded with an extended long shot, which is difficult to do. And, the action elements are consistently introduced to keep the pacing in an up-tempo. The action elements were the strongest film element, in this title. Though, the story elements, which are based on weak material, do not create an emotive experience. Only the comedic elements, which are mostly delivered by the character Frank West (Rob Riggle), have any impact. The romantic elements between Crystal and Chase are more antagonistic, than connective. Subplots are missing. Also, the open ending came across as unnecessary. Although, this viewer would likely come back for more zombie bashing madness.
Dead Rising: Watchtower was released as a Crackle Original, on March 27th, 2015. The film is basically free to watch, minus the commercials. So, viewers will not have to reach into their pockets to view the film. And, this above average production will entertain most viewers as long as their expectations are minimized. As a zombie mashing film, Zach Lipovsky has done a good job of getting lots of bloody effects on the screen. The setting is also a dangerous one, which helps amplify the thrills. Still, it would have been better if the characters were developed beyond the pixels of the game. These people are supposed to be real flesh and blood characters, but they often come across as cardboards cutouts.
Overall: 6.75 out of 10 (enjoyed it overall, the climax needed a twist or two).
Subscribe to 28 Days Later: An Analysis Email Subscription
Posted in: 2015,characters,horror movie review,independent,indie,movie review,story,synopsis,zombie,zombie apocalypse,zombie movie review,zombies
0 comments:
Post a Comment