"Dead and Deader" is one of more fun zombie entries out there.**SPOILERS**After a mission in Cambodia, Lt. Bobby Quinn, (Dean Cain) arrives back in the US pronounced dead, though he is still alive. When Dr. Boyce, (Natassia Malthe) determines that he is dead but is still able to function in all other areas. Realizing that the other soldiers in his squad, Private Sanderson, (Tyson Turrou) Landgon, (John Billingsley) and Reed, (Jackson Bolt) have become infected like him, though no one believes him. Learning of their re-location status, he escapes from capture with Hieronymous Judson, (Guy Torry) and Holly, (Susan Ward) and goes out to find them, fearing they have escaped as well. After learning that he became infected through a mythical Cambodian scorpion that turns it's victims into flesh-eating zombies, they race to stop it before it gets out and infects others around them.The Good News: This was one of the most impressive zombie films around. A lot of that goodwill is directed towards it's great story. Radiation leaks and chemical spills have been done many times before, and while it's okay to do that, this one throws in a different version for the virus and actually seems thought out rather nicely, complete with actions, repercussions and more. Overall, that is fantastic and merely serves to make the zombies that much stronger. The fact that there's also a change to them is rather nice, as the main one is allowed to speak, form thoughts and reason, re-gather memories and many unique skills and traits that most zombies are never even considered to have. All of this is due to the flexibility given to it from the strong story. The zombies themselves look really nice as well, from the decaying flesh and facial wounds to their shambling look and feel, which is really appropriate for a zombie film. Among the better features from that is the film is incredibly action-packed, having a ton of it here that is just fun to watch on any level. The opening scene in Cambodia is great with their sudden appearance in the creepy ruins of the disabled security compound, the confrontation in the funeral home is really nice and the extended diner sequence is one of three stand-outs in here, mainly for the ironic opening, the sheer chaos of their attack on the patrons unleashing a sea of blood, and then the gunfire-laced shootout to escape, giving it some wonderful and glorious moments. The other two stand-outs maybe just as good, and neither one ever really tops the other two. The sequence in the kitchen is fantastic, mixing in just about everything to make it exciting. There's a knockdown brawl that causes some collateral damage to the surroundings, a couple of inventive tactics to rid the enemies, a bunch of blood and gore, some nice jokes and even manages to throw in some more surprises to keep it from being boring. The other big scene is the over-the-top and just plain enjoyable finale, which is so much fun it should be illegal. It's almost impossible to list everything right that it does, but it's still one of the single best scenes in the film. What's even better about it is that, along with the rest of the film, there's some really nice humor in this. It's a lot of self-deprecating wits and remarks, but the main one is the dissection of a zombie film and it's remake while in the middle of battle, which is laugh-out-loud funny especially since one of them is a zombie. There's also some situational gags and playful humor which are nicely included and don't take away from the film. The last big plus is here is the really great gore on display. This is just insanely bloody, as limbs are ripped off and bitten into, throats are torn open, knives are stabbed into various orifices, there's a really wicked decapitation with a spinning room fan and bullet wounds galore, splattering everywhere and making this one a real mess. Overall, these were the film's good points.The Bad News: There wasn't much wrong here. The fact that the zombies are given the minor change, here with all their abilities mentioned earlier, are a radical change for most zombie fans and might take offense with the change, but some might not. The other problem here is two brief scenes that really don't offer much to the film. The scenes with the two on the road is a one-note joke that wears thin easily and quickly, while the scenes of them captured don't serve much purpose other than naming the virus and getting the gore, which could've been done easier and rid the film of it's painful chained-together chase. These, though, are the film's only flaws.The Final Verdict: An incredibly impressive zombie film that has a lot going for it and only marginal flaws, giving this one a really great feel and appearance. Definitely give it a watch if you're into the genre at all, a fan of the Sci-Fi Channel Creature Features or the plain interested, otherwise there's not a whole lot who won't like it.Rated R: Graphic Violence and Graphic Language
... View MoreFor a B grade scifi movie, this one is really great! Wish there were more like it. Lots of hidden stuff to find. I especially liked it in the funeral home where they were questioning the mortician, and there was a silver sphere ala Phantasm-style on the table! And the actors were great too! No corny lines, all delivered well. I wonder why they do not make more movies like this? Well acted, a believable story line, paying homage to the scifi art, lots of funny stuff, plenty of weird scifi stuff going on. We want more! This one I am currently watching on the scifi channel. They will probably show it again if you watch for it.
... View MoreHaving grown up with the lighter side of the zombie horror genre finding this film while channel hoping was fantastic! A very slight twist on the regular zombie flick (scorpians feature in a random way) there is plenty of green gore, explosions and cheesy one liners. The jock, chick and quick whited sidekick are all there but considering the story this film was surprisingly well acted and scripted never quite tipping the balance to the wrong side of corny. While I'm not sure I really needed to see a slightly less buff then I remember Dean Cain's man boobs this was an incredibly enjoyable film. I would recommended this to anyone who prefers the lighter side of horror.
... View MoreNot a bad movie at all. The action was good, the acting was pretty good, and the story was original. Keeping up with the references was fun, one that no one has mentioned here is the conversation in the cooler when Judson asks Quinn to use his heat vision to make a fire and warm the place up. Quinn replies, "I don't HAVE heat vision." (obvious reference to Lois & Clark, where Cain played Superman) Pretty good movie to entertain you for a few hours, just don't expect the grand settings and effects that come with a big budget zombie flick. It's a great movie to laugh with and doesn't take itself too seriously. Rent it or catch it on the Sci-Fi channel, you won't be sorry. (Unless you are VERY serious about your zombie flicks)
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