Runtime: 91 minutes
Directed by: Dan O'Bannon
Starring: Clu Gulager, James Karen, Don Calfa, Thom Mathews, Beverly Randolph
From: Hemdale
I saw this on Friday night; because my A/C went out yesterday, other things were on my mind so I am just now posting this:
The perfect movie to watch on July 3-after all, that is the day and night the film takes place in. Various people on Twitter noted this fact yesterday so there was no other choice for me when it came to entertainment for last night.
Made by some of the people involved w/ Night of the Living Dead after they split from George Romero, that movie is in Return's universe and is said to be a fictionalized version of a real life event. Due to government incompetence, a medical supply warehouse receives a shipment of the living dead sealed in barrels. An accident causes one to be released, and soon many of the undead rise... not to devour every part of the human body but rather only BRAINS! It's a rather unique interpretation of the zombie mythos. Also not so common is the inclusion of punks (as in, devotees of punk rock music) who join our heroes. The subtle hints that another hero MAY have been a former Nazi from WWII... I dunno what to make of that.
Despite the whole Nazi thing, the movie is a lot of fun to watch-especially if you enjoy the genre. It is more comedy than horror, although there are still some gory moments-brought to life via great practical effects-and the ending is rather potent. That does not diminish the laughs that arise from all the absurd situations that happen here. There is some rather blatant over the top acting... later you realize what the movie was going for. As expected, Clu Gulager was the highlight, although Linnea Quigley was unforgettable mainly because most of her role consisted of the character being in various stages of being undressed. Additionally, there's a score that is indicative of the 1980's (Lord, some of the 80's clothing the characters wear!) and a soundtrack that has old California punk tracks-I know some will think of that as a big asset.
What a mess the relationship is between Romero, John Russo and Russell Streiner after NotLD; that's why there's been so many remakes of the classic film. Amazingly, this unearthed 4 sequels of its own. It was a nice decision that the original script (which was quite similar to Night) was changed by director Dan O'Bannon to be more comedic and thus not a ripoff; instead it is a more lighthearted zombie film that still has some dark moments and has been a cult favorite for the past 35 years.
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