"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
**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