The story is somewhat nonsensical and the acting is uneven from average to poor - even from actors I enjoy in other projects. It was interesting to see Terry Schappert (always funny on Red Eye) and Lance Reddick (Agent Broyles on Fringe) but their scenes were brief and confusing. Bad guys? Good guys? Infected or not? If the writer doesn't care then why should I care? Still, Tom's decision to betray them by unleashing zombies on them was the stupidest and most evil decision in the script. Hey, if you don't want to go with them ask Cindy to get her daddy's permission instead of getting most of them killed.
The four main characters were weakly drawn stereotypes, especially the female lead who one moment thought all of humanity was a waste and the next would do anything to survive. As for Victor, if you just saw him betray a guy by throwing him to the zombies, why would you let him into your refuge? The elderly woman gambler wins the prize for the worst make-up/FX I recall seeing in years, followed closely by the very poor CGI of Cindy's jeep overturning.
The only original idea was the giant human hamster wheel which was unexpected and amusing. Also funny was how none of the zombies at the front entrance did more than tap on the glass doors and windows, even when fresh meat was in plain sight. The source of the infection was only alluded to but might have been original if only they'd taken 10 seconds to explain it.
Two last notes. When surrounded by a large group pointing guns at you and warning you not to reach behind you - don't ignore them. And when facing a horde of zombies try to find at least a heavy pipe or other weapon and remember to keep it nearby. Fist-fighting with the undead doesn't seem effective.
All in all this is in my top 100 zombie movies but nowhere near the top of that list. With a better script and larger budget (better CGI/FX and direction) this could have been a pretty good movie.
The four main characters were weakly drawn stereotypes, especially the female lead who one moment thought all of humanity was a waste and the next would do anything to survive. As for Victor, if you just saw him betray a guy by throwing him to the zombies, why would you let him into your refuge? The elderly woman gambler wins the prize for the worst make-up/FX I recall seeing in years, followed closely by the very poor CGI of Cindy's jeep overturning.
The only original idea was the giant human hamster wheel which was unexpected and amusing. Also funny was how none of the zombies at the front entrance did more than tap on the glass doors and windows, even when fresh meat was in plain sight. The source of the infection was only alluded to but might have been original if only they'd taken 10 seconds to explain it.
Two last notes. When surrounded by a large group pointing guns at you and warning you not to reach behind you - don't ignore them. And when facing a horde of zombies try to find at least a heavy pipe or other weapon and remember to keep it nearby. Fist-fighting with the undead doesn't seem effective.
All in all this is in my top 100 zombie movies but nowhere near the top of that list. With a better script and larger budget (better CGI/FX and direction) this could have been a pretty good movie.