3 out of 5

Director: Breck Eisner

Well, I still love Timothy Olyphant, but I wanted The Crazies to be crazier. While I cannot speak to how this compares to the original, I will say that the plot absolutely feels Romero-ish: a small town is suddenly overtaken by a virus that seems to turn people senselessly homicidal. For various reasons the town sheriff and his pregnant wife manage to avoid the virus, and have to square off not only against the Crazies, but also against the shadowy government officials who swoop in to seal off the town. Now several things heightened this movie above remake standards. 1. The acting. Timothy Olyphant and Radha Mitchell are reliable and flexible as actors, and bring a bit more stability and respectability to roles that would go to unknown teens in other movies. 2. The pacing. The film doesnt shy away from jumping right into crazy territory, but it doesnt pull out all the stops right away either. 3. The violence. The set dressing and concept give a sense of brutality without having to over-gore the movie. There are splashes of violence, and I do love me some gore, but it was nice to see a movie take the horror R-rated route without feeling the need to show everything. Alas, while all of these elements worked in the films favor, theres some veneer that presents it from ever feeling too crazy. They do a good job of isolating the town in a believable fashion, but music cues and frequent human companions keep things semi-cozy. A respectable horror entry, far above normal remake standards, but not quite creepy enough to be a must-see.