Hungry ? There's nothing as efficient as a film of zombies to fill up your belly. Yummy ! We just can't get enough of these sleepy walkers, even after 28 Days Later and I Am Legend. However I really didn't know what to expect and was wondering if Frank Darabont, director and writer of the pilot, and his team would be able to disturb us positively.
There're shows that try to introduce as many characters as possible in their pilots and there's The Walking Dead. Similarly to Danny Boyle's masterpiece this first installment covered the journey of a lonely and agonizing protagonist, Rick Grimes. Andrew Lincoln's performance was flawless and greatly contributed to make his character authentic. You should instantly care about his fate and watch his every steps. In fact we didn't have much choice considering the other characters had anecdotic roles. It's a good thing because for example I was driven to the show by Sarah Wayne Callies and as she was only featured for a few seconds I won't miss the upcoming episode. An other important element to consider is the immersion. Indeed I hadn't been so engaged by a production since 28 Days Later. From the first person visuals to the astonishing visual effects I just haven't one single complain to make. Pure perfection ! I never thought they would be able to transpose I Am Legend incredible cityscapes to a simple TV series.
The story itself is edgy, scary and unpredictable. The twists weren't numerous but absolutely exquisite. The lasts were jaw breakers ! You have been warned. All along I couldn't help being frightened by what was happening to the protagonist. An other character portrayed by Lennie James made his creepy adventure even more fearful. He was also used to tell what happened as Rick's miraculous survival is unexplained. It's even more puzzling as we have no idea when the apocalypse began nor how. As a comparison Survivors (2008) was far less intriguing so I hope it's not an other government conspiracy ! Let's now dissect the ambiance silently. Indeed we don't want to draw the walkers attention. An identical process was applied and the pace was brilliantly spread. People interested by psychology and climax should feel right at hell. Some scenes were so calm that I could hear my breath. The background music wasn't intrusive and very rare. But the best part and the most mind blowing one is that most scenes occurred in bright day life. The only night one didn't last more than five minutes ! It's very smart if you compare the concept to I Am Legend. The seams of its digital effects ruined the creatures impact in my opinion. So we aren't ready to give up on the good old make-up craft ! Anyone for a zombification ?
Still we could argue for a more original story and less stereotyped characters. But some of them definitely have potential and their connections could lead to very tensed moments. To sum things up all victorious ingredients were united for once. Even the visuals were able to convey the comics spirit it's based upon. Indeed some scenes were like frozen in time just to have a higher impact on the audience. From the crawling woman to the dark crows walking in the pages of that bestiary was fascinating !
There're shows that try to introduce as many characters as possible in their pilots and there's The Walking Dead. Similarly to Danny Boyle's masterpiece this first installment covered the journey of a lonely and agonizing protagonist, Rick Grimes. Andrew Lincoln's performance was flawless and greatly contributed to make his character authentic. You should instantly care about his fate and watch his every steps. In fact we didn't have much choice considering the other characters had anecdotic roles. It's a good thing because for example I was driven to the show by Sarah Wayne Callies and as she was only featured for a few seconds I won't miss the upcoming episode. An other important element to consider is the immersion. Indeed I hadn't been so engaged by a production since 28 Days Later. From the first person visuals to the astonishing visual effects I just haven't one single complain to make. Pure perfection ! I never thought they would be able to transpose I Am Legend incredible cityscapes to a simple TV series.
The story itself is edgy, scary and unpredictable. The twists weren't numerous but absolutely exquisite. The lasts were jaw breakers ! You have been warned. All along I couldn't help being frightened by what was happening to the protagonist. An other character portrayed by Lennie James made his creepy adventure even more fearful. He was also used to tell what happened as Rick's miraculous survival is unexplained. It's even more puzzling as we have no idea when the apocalypse began nor how. As a comparison Survivors (2008) was far less intriguing so I hope it's not an other government conspiracy ! Let's now dissect the ambiance silently. Indeed we don't want to draw the walkers attention. An identical process was applied and the pace was brilliantly spread. People interested by psychology and climax should feel right at hell. Some scenes were so calm that I could hear my breath. The background music wasn't intrusive and very rare. But the best part and the most mind blowing one is that most scenes occurred in bright day life. The only night one didn't last more than five minutes ! It's very smart if you compare the concept to I Am Legend. The seams of its digital effects ruined the creatures impact in my opinion. So we aren't ready to give up on the good old make-up craft ! Anyone for a zombification ?
Still we could argue for a more original story and less stereotyped characters. But some of them definitely have potential and their connections could lead to very tensed moments. To sum things up all victorious ingredients were united for once. Even the visuals were able to convey the comics spirit it's based upon. Indeed some scenes were like frozen in time just to have a higher impact on the audience. From the crawling woman to the dark crows walking in the pages of that bestiary was fascinating !