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Written by Joshua Blackburn, June 29, 2010 at 9:26 am 

With all remakes there runs the risk of ruining the original or improving upon it.  With Breck Eisner‘s The Crazies, a remake of the 1973 George A. Romero original, we get the latter.  Known for the 2005 blockbuster Sahara, Eisner has done a great job reinventing this film and turning into a shocker for the current desensitized generation.  Not only is the story inventive, but the direction of the film sets us up for great suspense and thrills that are lacking in most modern horror films.  The writers, Scott Kosar & Ray Wright, did a great job with the dialog and setting this film up with the right atmosphere.

This ‘dream turned nightmare’ starts off showing us glimpses of the small all-American town of Ogden Marsh, where no one bothers lock their doors and everyone is on a first name basis.  Things quickly go awry as residents start acting strangely and suddenly start turning into rabid bloodthirsty killers.  We find out that an unknown toxin is the cause of the widespread epidemic and the town is quietly and quickly quarantined by the military.  The local man in charge, Sheriff Dutton (Timothy Olyphant) and his pregnant wife, Judy (Radha Mitchell) lead a small group of townsfolk that try to escape the quarantine while also trying to make sense of the escalating madness.  The government, using deadly force, sets up check points to separate the uninfected from those that are starting to show signs of the contagion.  What started out as a regular night in a small town, quickly turns into fight for survival for a small group of survivors that will do anything to live.  The story gives us enough suspense and shocks in all the right places.  While a veteran to the horror scene will probably be able to see where the story is headed, normal movie goers will definitely be in for a few surprises.

Olyphant is best known for his role on Deadwood and playing the government worker turned terrorist in Die Hard: Live Free or Die Hard. Mitchell is no stranger to the horror genre herself having previously starred in Pitch Black and the video game adaptation of Silent Hill, but also showing us her dramatic side in Finding Neverland. Another actor that stands out in this film is Joe Anderson, who plays the role of Deputy Russell Clank.  Anderson received his big break playing in the Julie Taymor directed beatles’ flick Across the Universe. The entire cast of this film does a good job, but to me, Anderson and Olyphant steal the show.

This film really delivered for me.  The special effects were done quite well considering the budget wasn’t huge and the make-up effects lend well to the high definition of blu-ray.  The video quality on this release is in full 1080p using the VC-1 codec on a BD-50 (50 gigabyte dual-layered blu-ray disc) in 2.40:1 aspect ratio.  Shot in super 35-mm film and in digital, the transfer is nearly flawless.  The black level is solid and well detailed although the film can be a bit dark at times.  The colors are full, rich, and vibrant even with the flushed out color palette overall.  The flesh tones are pretty accurate and only become over saturated a few times throughout the film.  The digital transfer from the 35/digital film really comes across well on this disc.

The audio quality for this blu-ray is presented in both uncompressed linear PCM 5.1 (@640 kbps) and Dolby Digital (@640 kbps) surround. The difference between the lossy (AC3) Dolby Digital 5.1 track and the LPCM 5.1 track is totally worth opting for the uncompressed (loss less) mix.  The difference is definitely noticeable.  The foley (sound effects) and original score by Mark Isham lend well to the 5.1 mix here and is great in terms of audio quality, especially for a lower budget horror film.  With the well balanced background noises and foley effects, you’ll jump out of your seat numerous times.  There’s also plenty of rear channel output and the bass is extremely impressive.  The dialogue is mixed in well over all the numerous sound effects and score leaving you to watch the film without having to adjust the sound volume all that much.  Overall, the audio quality of this disc is well worth the blu-ray release.

The special features for this disc are actually quite impressive.  The special features are as follows;

-        A digital copy of the film is included which is compatible with PC and Mac as well as Windows Media and iTunes compatible portable devices.

-        Audio commentary with director Breck Eisner

-        Behind the Scenes with director Breck Eisner (10:35-HD)

-        Paranormal Pandemics (9:41 – HD): Discusses modern outbreaks like the H1N1 (Swine Flu) and how epidemics could happen and be controlled in reality.

-        The George A. Romero Template (9:56 – HD): Short tribute to the original director/creator and the 1973 film.

-        Make-Up Mastermind Rob Hall in Action (11:27 – HD): Follows Hall through the make-up effects of the film.

-        The Crazies Motion Comic Episode 1 (14:40 – HD): Features Dolby Digital 2.0

-        The Crazies Motion Comic Episode 2 (12:44 – HD): Features Dolby Digital 2.0

-        Visual Effects in Motion (3:42 – HD): Short visual effects featurette

-        Storyboards: Building a Scene (HD): Navigational storyboard gallery

-        Behind the Scenes Photo Gallery (HD): Navigational behind the scenes gallery

-        Easter Eggs can be found below the “also on blu-ray” option of the bonus materials second page menu (1:28,1:57,0:53 run times)

This release is pretty hefty on the special features side and most of the video is also presented in HD as well.  The director’s commentary/behind the scenes is well worth the watch.  Overall, this disc is should be grabbed for the special features alone.

Movie – 7.5 out of 10
Video – 9 out of 10
Audio – 8 out of 10
Extras -8 out of 10

Bottom Line: This film is definitely worth the blu-ray purchase.  The is one remake that actually turned out well.  The special effects, film quality, and sound quality are excellent on this release.  If you love this film, grab this blu-ray.  If you liked this film, grab this blu-ray.  If you don’t like this film, then you probably wouldn’t want to own it anyway.