Post by slayrrr666 on Dec 4, 2005 14:28:12 GMT -5
This has nothing to do with my "Never-ending Shame" series, but I thought I'd unleash upon you nice folks:
"House of the Dead" is better than its' inspiration and its reputation.
**SPOILERS**
Late for a party, Simon, (Tyron Leitso) Alicia, (Ona Grauer) Greg, (Will Sanderson) Karma, (Enuka Okuma) and Cynthia (Sonya Salomaa) con Captain Victor Kirk (Jurgen Prochnow) into taking them to an island for a rave. Kirk is followed by Coast Guard operative Jordan Casper (Ellie Cornell) and ditches them off at the island. They wander over to the party and discover it's empty. Greg and Cynthia stay at the party while Alicia, Simon, and Karma wander off to find a sign of life. The three run into Jordan in the forest and lead her back to the rave. When Cynthia attacks the group, it leads them to discover what happened to the other ravers. Rejoining with Kirk, they head deeper into the island to find sanctuary and find a survivor from the rave, Rudolph. (Jonathan Cherry) While hiding out, they find the way to stop the zombies that have overrun the island.
The Good News: I really don't care what people say: I liked this movie. To me, it's nothing more than an action packed zombie movie. The film has a sure-fire highlight in the scene where the survivors attempt to enter the house to hideout, and the way they do so is a long, ultra-violent shootout using handguns, automatic weapons, and shotguns. It is far better than the similar scene in "Resident Evil: Apocalypse" and is certainly more action-packed. The fact that it takes a long time is another big plus, as it allows the viewer to really get a feel for what is going on with all the action. Watching six people firing weapons at zombies and the various entry wounds inflicted upon the zombies through head shots, body shots, and grenades. The sheer amount of weaponry used to dispatch them is something that I haven't seen in too many films, and rivals Romero for the brutality used to kill zombies. That means that the gore in here is pretty high, which is all handled realistically as well, making the film seem more real than it probably should. In addition to various exploding heads and bullet wounds, we get lacerations, several decapitations, stab wounds, bites, and one person is pulled apart. The zombies themselves are pretty gruesome looking. Decayed and rotting are always surefire bets when it comes to zombies, and these zombies also use that look. Romero's zombies look like dead people, but they don't look scary. Here, the zombies look frightening as well as look like dead people. I still prefer the Italian look when it comes to zombies, but these look close to them. The method of creating the zombies is also unique and original, which I can't reveal here, but it does come as being throughout and unique.
The Bad News: I know all the rumors surrounding this movie, and what they mean. If you choose to believe the rumors about how bad this movie actually is, then go ahead. It has enough moments of mind-numbing badness that any movie has, but there aren't a whole lot of moments like that. The action-packed scenes can become a little monotonous for some tastes and might put off those who don't like a lot of violence. It is better than the video game, so it has some detractors from that as well. Also, keep in mind that I am on the opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to horror films. I don't care how well made a film is; I just care about whether or not the movie entertains me, which this movie does for me.
The Final Verdict: I actually had a fun time with this movie. You go into it with no knowledge of what the rumors say about it, and you might actually like it. It's action packed, gore soaked, and does the job of being entertaining. It's not the smartest movie ever made, but be forewarned: its detractors have their reasons.
Rated R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, Nudity, and drug use
