The difference is 6 minutes between this and the rated one, so I figured I’d watch the longer one since there was no way in Hell I was watching both.
The fairly quick introduction of the chaos after a brief, life-is-good opening is pretty disturbing and believable; it builds quickly layer after more unusual layer while Pitt and family are stuck in a traffic jam.
The intro of the infected (they’re ’28 Days Later’ types; the only thing “zombie” about them is how they’re mentioned) is believable, capturing with major help from a big budget the actual chaos of a city suddenly struck by infection/panic, as opposed to just the aftermath. So it’s got that going for “new” genre ideas, and it’s pretty scary to see how enraged these things are…
The acting is pretty good, i think…teamed up with the budget it makes for a pretty d@mn scary start…20 minutes or so of mostly believable mass chaos; not a dollar wasted if you’re up for that sort of thing.
The tenacity of the infected is terrifying and amazing – watch them do their best lemmings impression as they try to catch a helicopter if you don’t believe me. They believe they can FLY…they believe they can…so on, so on.
After the shock of the initial huge-scale portrayal, it does sort of calm down a bit…briefly. And it’s in the calm moments (few though they are) that the movie is weakest: this is best watched as a thriller and a horror flick. As a drama, it leaves a bit to be desired.
Infected effects are impressive, and the makeup is quite convincing.
The mass massive-wall-climb (and what follows) is impressive, too…probably the signature image of the film.
On a negative note, the infected plane scenario seems UNBELIEVABLY implausible, considering the VERY well established behavior pattern of infected up to that point (you’ll know when you see it, I think).
There are a few interesting defense/offense ideas vs. zombies/infected presented, and a somewhat-original possible solution proposed and attempted near the end.
The ending is a bit disappointing and generic, unfortunately, but if you like thrillers this movie generally delivers.
Recommended strongly to zombie/infected fans, not because it’s GREAT but because it’s better than most of the sh1t you’re used to. How do I know that? I’ve seen most of the sh1t you’re used to.
Grade: B