1 out of 5

Director: Joe Dante

Joe Dante directed one of my favorite films of all time – Gremlins 2 – along with being involved in a slew of classics or almost-classics, through which he’s maintained his comedic style, whether it’s presented more artfully or more heavy-handed. ‘Homecoming’ definitely falls into the heavy-handed camp. I’m not a patriotic person, so there’s no offense taken by the subject matter here, but I’m glad to see there are plenty of reviewers who agree that Dante’s completely unsubtle anti-war MOH episode ‘Homecoming’ is not only not a great episode – lacking, as it is, in genuine horror-thrills or horror-laughs – but a poor directorial effort as well. Sure, it looks solid enough, and I found Jon Tenney’s pitch of the political spokesperson who begins doubting his party’s take on war well balanced, but overall, it is the director’s decision to not make this into a general story of zombies and politics, which could’ve been more entertaining, and instead – through obvious voice references, and specific dates used – make it totally of its time; make it something that can’t be watched outside of its context. It was silly when it aired and, ruinously, becomes way sillier after the fact. I suppose it was “brave” to put something so blatantly anti-Bush on screen, but – not really. We don’t live in those times anymore. But outside of all that, let’s say I was totally on board with it – it’s still a pretty humdrum episode, structured around making a point instead of the point of the series, which is horror.