George A. Romero is a horror director who always has something to say in his films. This almost procedural-like thriller has some good moments, but doesn't work as a compelling whole.
A military plane crash has let loose a biological weapon in a small Pennsylvania town. The results of the infection either make people extremely violent or mindlessly docile. In a frightening opening sequence, a small boy tries to frighten his little sister until they both become scared of their ax-welding father. The military soon moves in and puts the town under marshal law. The hazmat suit clad soldiers don't explain anything to the citizens as they round them up and herd them into the school gym.
Judy (Lane Carroll, HERCULES IN NEW YORK) is a nurse at the hospital, who takes some vaccine and goes to find her fireman boyfriend David (Will MacMillan, SALVADOR), who at the same time is looking for her with his best friend Clank (Harold Wayne Jones). When the soldiers try to violently take the three in, they resist and flee along with Artie Bowman (Richard Liberty, DAY OF THE DEAD) and his hippie daughter Kathy (Lynn Lowry, SHIVERS). Dr. Brookmyre (Will Disney), one of the men that created the virus, is enlisted to find a cure, while Colonel Peckem (Lloyd Hollar) tries to keep a lid on the situation in his cold military fashion.
We watch as the outbreak takes hold and the military and civilian leaders try to figure out what to do. This is paralleled by Judy, David and Clank's story, which gets increasingly tenser as they begin to fear exposure to the virus themselves. The military portion is the least successful, often slowly paced and poorly acted. Judy and David's relationship brings an emotional pull to the story.
The gas mask and white jumpsuit wearing soldiers are scary as they mindlessly pull people from their homes, often wrecking things or stealing them. This adds a level of fear to Judy and David's story, however the disease is less successful in doing so. Because we are often totally unaware of who has the disease, the threat is less tangible. And Romero does nothing to make it feel like it could be anyone like in INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS or John Carpenter's THE THING.
As for the greater message, it's obvious Romero is touching on the resentment Americans had toward the government especially the military as a result of the Vietnam War. This is reflected in the virus itself, which either makes people angry or mindless. The virus represents the resentment, which the military has unleashed on the country. The actual actions of the military in the film don't help change this feeling. The moments that tap into this theme are what make the film worth seeing, however only pieces fit while others seem thrown in from another puzzle. In addition, Judy and David's connection to this grander theme never felt deep enough.
So for fans of Romero or even thoughtful sci-fi films, this movie is worth catching. For everyone else, stick with the previously mentioned paranoid thrillers. As always, Hollywood is going to remake this film — there's a lot of potential for something great, but it's a horror remake and Hollywood's track record of late is pretty poor.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
