Review from Fangoria.Com

Remakes fall into two categories, "Wow" and "Why did they bother". Sadly, the "Wow"s are few and far between.

For every Zack Snyder's DAWN OF THE DEAD or David Cronenberg's THE FLY, there's five Gus Van Sant's PSYCHO. Breck Eisner's THE CRAZIES clearly falls into the "Wow" category. A fast-moving, exciting thrill ride that builds to a flat-out apocalyptic conclusion, this CRAZIES also has a healthy respect for the George A. Romero original even as it goes off in it's own direction.

David (Timothy Olyphant) is the Sheriff of Ogden Marsh, a small midwestern town. Judy, his doctor wife (Radha Mitchell), is pregnant and everything seems idyllic until a townsperson carries a loaded shotgun to a little league game. From that point on, the two realize the locals of their beloved little town are going insane. Government help is NOT helpful, as fighter planes and gun-toting troops in Haz-Mat suits arrive and begin quarantine and blood-testing on the populace.

Danielle Panabaker from FRIDAY THE 13th is sympathetic as Becca, a scared local teen. Oyphant, Mitchell and Panabaker make a sympathetic trio of heroes. Joe Anderson is effective as Olyphant's deputy, who realizes he's starting to become one of The Crazies--he's helpful, but he won't give up his gun. 24's Glenn Morshower is great as an injured intelligence officer who spills his guts on "Codename Trixie".

The script by Scott Kosar (who did the appalling AMITYVILLE HORROR remake--he's officially forgiven because of this) and Ray Wright is clever and surprising. The movie shows how a horrible incident can start small and then grow apocalyptically worse. THE CRAZIES has been borrowed from and ripped off numerous times over the years, from OUTBREAK, THE BLOB (1988), Stephen King's THE STAND and CABIN FEVER 2, so it's impressive the remake has something to say.

Director Breck Eisner doesn't skimp on the action or the scares--he also keeps enough nods to the Romero original to show that he 'gets it' and pays off the concept in a big way. The scene of the big reveal of the town's contamination is impressive, as is a showstopping action scene where the heroes are trapped between Government fighter jets and some particularly hostile Crazies at an abandoned car wash.

Eisner clearly studied Snyder's DAWN OF THE DEAD, and uses it as his template for this remake. He keeps the essentials of the original film, but goes in an interesting direction. He even uses Johnny Cash as the voice of Doomsday like Snyder's film did ('We'll Meet Again', instead of 'When The Man Comes Around'.)

The Crazies themselves are creepy. They look deceptively normal at first, and then gradually become more run down and bloody. When they kill, it's very bloody--stabbing, shooting and hanging being some of their most effective methods of attack.

What's neat is that townsfolk who start off as comic relief suddenly become sinister. At the start, we meet a trio of likable hunters but by the end of the movie, they are crazed mutants hunting humans.

Rob Hall's Almost Human FX does a great job with the flushed, red-eyed crazies. Fans of the original (like myself) will be delighted by the Lyn Lowry's cameo as a Crazie on a bike--she uses her bike bell as she passes the protagonists.(These Crazies are homicidal but not sexual like the original film. It also excises the incestuous rape of the original.)

To THE CRAZIES' credit, the movie is not afraid to be disturbing and even horrific. In one of the film's most suspenseful moments, Mitchell and Panabaker are strapped down on cots by government troops to have their blood tested. When the soldiers flee their post after it's overrun with Crazies, the women are at the mercy of a Crazed townsperson who is methodically killing the strapped down with a pitchfork.

Film also takes pains to show that the Crazies aren't zombies--they are angry, but not cannibalistic and two are even seeking revenge for an incident that occurred before they became Crazies. The crazed townspeople are both scary and sympathetic.

Eisner was linked to a possible remake of CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON. After seeing what he did with THE CRAZIES, I say 'Bring it on, Breck!'