Rating: 
Summary: not quite Romero's best..but it'll do
Review: This offering from George Romero is very flawed , but can also be entertaining , and exciting. The overdone story of a contagious virus taking over a small town is overshawdowed by the menacing army in white bio suits who use their granted martial law to evacuate everyone into the highschool while the locals fight back. Some of the best scenes include the old women stabbing the soilder with the knitting needles , the intense and disturbing scene where a infected father and daughter engage in incest , the woman sweeping the grass as a gun fight between locals and the army is happening around her. But however the film can sometimes be slow and drag on , the acting is tedious , and the drum score through the whole film gets irratating quickly...not to mention a very lame "ending" that left me feeling ripped off. I'd check it out if you're a horror or Romero buff , along with his other films The Living Dead Series , Martin , Monkey Shines , and Creepshow.
Rating: 
Summary: GREAT!
Review: What a shame that we don't have more of a culture of independent filmmaking in this country. "The Crazies" is not "Citizen Kane", but Romero completists will appreciate this fine presentation. You won't find the script and production values of "The Andromeda Strain", but if you enjoy out-of-control virus thrillers, then this film is a good choice. It's an odd bridge between the bleak horror of "Night of the Living Dead" and the apocolyptic farce of "Dawn of the Dead". As expected, many classic Romero themes begin to formulate in this early film. The replacement of one society by another, with the "new" society simply expressing exaggerated characteristics of the "old". We see a bureaucratized, inefficient government that ends of doing far more harm than good. And of course we see the usual two-dimensional negative depiction of military characters. (This has always been a weakness in Romero's word - we know the government is bad, why underscore that point with a bad cliche). Like almost all of his work, Romero filmed this in the Pittsburg area largely with local talent. The acting is hit-and-miss...but Romero takes some interesting risks, especially in light of its age. In terms of directing, writing, and cinematography, Romero accomplished a great deal with very limited resources. There are some images you won't forget...an insane grandmother killing a soldier with knitting needles is more disturbing than it sounds, for example. I run hot and cold towards Romero's films. He's had some excellent success, and some profound failures - but in general, there should be more filmakers like him. I'd much rather see something as risk-taking as "The Crazies" than normal Hollywood fare. The extras on this DVD are first-rate. We're treated to a director's commentary, an interview with a period actress, trailers, and some clips from other period works.
Rating: 
Summary: A good addition to a complete Romero collection
Review: What a shame that we don't have more of a culture of independent filmmaking in this country. "The Crazies" is not "Citizen Kane", but Romero completists will appreciate this fine presentation. You won't find the script and production values of "The Andromeda Strain", but if you enjoy out-of-control virus thrillers, then this film is a good choice. It's an odd bridge between the bleak horror of "Night of the Living Dead" and the apocolyptic farce of "Dawn of the Dead". As expected, many classic Romero themes begin to formulate in this early film. The replacement of one society by another, with the "new" society simply expressing exaggerated characteristics of the "old". We see a bureaucratized, inefficient government that ends of doing far more harm than good. And of course we see the usual two-dimensional negative depiction of military characters. (This has always been a weakness in Romero's word - we know the government is bad, why underscore that point with a bad cliche). Like almost all of his work, Romero filmed this in the Pittsburg area largely with local talent. The acting is hit-and-miss...but Romero takes some interesting risks, especially in light of its age. In terms of directing, writing, and cinematography, Romero accomplished a great deal with very limited resources. There are some images you won't forget...an insane grandmother killing a soldier with knitting needles is more disturbing than it sounds, for example. I run hot and cold towards Romero's films. He's had some excellent success, and some profound failures - but in general, there should be more filmakers like him. I'd much rather see something as risk-taking as "The Crazies" than normal Hollywood fare. The extras on this DVD are first-rate. We're treated to a director's commentary, an interview with a period actress, trailers, and some clips from other period works.
Rating:
Summary: A good addition to a complete Romero collection
Review: What a shame that we don't have more of a culture of independent filmmaking in this country. "The Crazies" is not "Citizen Kane", but Romero completists will appreciate this fine presentation. You won't find the script and production values of "The Andromeda Strain", but if you enjoy out-of-control virus thrillers, then this film is a good choice. It's an odd bridge between the bleak horror of "Night of the Living Dead" and the apocolyptic farce of "Dawn of the Dead". As expected, many classic Romero themes begin to formulate in this early film. The replacement of one society by another, with the "new" society simply expressing exaggerated characteristics of the "old". We see a bureaucratized, inefficient government that ends of doing far more harm than good. And of course we see the usual two-dimensional negative depiction of military characters. (This has always been a weakness in Romero's word - we know the government is bad, why underscore that point with a bad cliche). Like almost all of his work, Romero filmed this in the Pittsburg area largely with local talent. The acting is hit-and-miss...but Romero takes some interesting risks, especially in light of its age. In terms of directing, writing, and cinematography, Romero accomplished a great deal with very limited resources. There are some images you won't forget...an insane grandmother killing a soldier with knitting needles is more disturbing than it sounds, for example. I run hot and cold towards Romero's films. He's had some excellent success, and some profound failures - but in general, there should be more filmakers like him. I'd much rather see something as risk-taking as "The Crazies" than normal Hollywood fare. The extras on this DVD are first-rate. We're treated to a director's commentary, an interview with a period actress, trailers, and some clips from other period works.
Rating:
Summary: Remove the horror and what have you got?
Review: What I love about Romero movies (meaning the "Dead" series and the "Crazies") is that when you remove the horror there is always a great underlying story about group dynamics. The Crazies delievers on this. It is one of the reasons I find myself constantly going back and watching these movies again and again ... And, yes, I watch them for the gore too.
Rating:
Summary: Remove the horror and what have you got?
Review: What I love about Romero movies (meaning the "Dead" series and the "Crazies") is that when you remove the horror there is always a great underlying story about group dynamics. The Crazies delievers on this. It is one of the reasons I find myself constantly going back and watching these movies again and again ... And, yes, I watch them for the gore too.
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