The Walking Dead

[mekender]

After looking around a bit, I think that it is actually a Chieftan...

[staylor]

Watched it last night and I was impressed. I normally watch zombie flicks for their laugh value and to watch zombies get killed in very creative ways but this one gave me the creeps from time to time.
The one thing that irritated me was something that is a constant across a lot of zombie movies. How does the most efective fighting force in the history of man, the US military, keep being overrun by a bunch of braindead corpses with the walking speed of a lame octogenarian? Like I said this happens in almost every zombie movie so have usually give it a pass, but it still irritates me.

[Jericho941]

Watched it last night and I was impressed. I normally watch zombie flicks for their laugh value and to watch zombies get killed in very creative ways but this one gave me the creeps from time to time.
The one thing that irritated me was something that is a constant across a lot of zombie movies. How does the most efective fighting force in the history of man, the US military, keep being overrun by a bunch of braindead corpses with the walking speed of a lame octogenarian? Like I said this happens in almost every zombie movie so have usually give it a pass, but it still irritates me.

I try not to think about it because it's usually patently ridiculous and kinda ruins the concept, and any attempt to make it work usually makes it worse. At least from the trailer it looks like these zombies sometimes run, although why the Army would abandon an Abrams tank in the middle of town remains to be seen.

(I think this is why most zombie vs. military fights are never really shown on-screen unless it's a remnant unit).

For example, Max Brooks' take on zombies in The Zombie Survival Guide and World War Z. I kinda liked WWZ, I absolutely loathed the survival guide. Max Brooks' rationale for zombies being extremely difficult for a military force to overwhelm is because his zombies are virtually solid inside so explosives don't work so well on them, and a bobbing, lolling head is a tricky target.

It starts to make more sense when you don't have to be bitten to be infected. In Left 4 Dead, not only are the zombies able to run, but the virus that causes them is significantly more contagious. If you have an open wound when fighting them and aren't lucky enough to be immune, you're almost certainly going to be infected. Thing is, if you're lucky to be immune, you just become an asymptomatic carrier and the non-exposed remnants of humanity will shoot you on sight, including the military. The military is often overwhelmed not only by "common" zombies which are your typical running zombie, but "special" zombies that have mutated into rarer, but more deadly forms.

So, in this case, the military is not only contending with the fact that people without a mark on them might be carrying the virus, but they also have to protect themselves from car-throwing Tanks, poison-vomiting Boomers, acid-spraying Spitters, and so on.

There's actually a comic out for the first Left 4 Dead in which the survivors finally make it to safety in a military facility only to find it's not all they'd hoped for.

(Just for S&G: The awesometastic intro to Left 4 Dead 2.)

[skb12172]

Full

Of

Win!

[staylor]

Watched it last night and I was impressed. I normally watch zombie flicks for their laugh value and to watch zombies get killed in very creative ways but this one gave me the creeps from time to time.
The one thing that irritated me was something that is a constant across a lot of zombie movies. How does the most efective fighting force in the history of man, the US military, keep being overrun by a bunch of braindead corpses with the walking speed of a lame octogenarian? Like I said this happens in almost every zombie movie so have usually give it a pass, but it still irritates me.

I try not to think about it because it's usually patently ridiculous and kinda ruins the concept, and any attempt to make it work usually makes it worse. At least from the trailer it looks like these zombies sometimes run, although why the Army would abandon an Abrams tank in the middle of town remains to be seen.

(I think this is why most zombie vs. military fights are never really shown on-screen unless it's a remnant unit).

For example, Max Brooks' take on zombies in The Zombie Survival Guide and World War Z. I kinda liked WWZ, I absolutely loathed the survival guide. Max Brooks' rationale for zombies being extremely difficult for a military force to overwhelm is because his zombies are virtually solid inside so explosives don't work so well on them, and a bobbing, lolling head is a tricky target.

It starts to make more sense when you don't have to be bitten to be infected. In Left 4 Dead, not only are the zombies able to run, but the virus that causes them is significantly more contagious. If you have an open wound when fighting them and aren't lucky enough to be immune, you're almost certainly going to be infected. Thing is, if you're lucky to be immune, you just become an asymptomatic carrier and the non-exposed remnants of humanity will shoot you on sight, including the military. The military is often overwhelmed not only by "common" zombies which are your typical running zombie, but "special" zombies that have mutated into rarer, but more deadly forms.

So, in this case, the military is not only contending with the fact that people without a mark on them might be carrying the virus, but they also have to protect themselves from car-throwing Tanks, poison-vomiting Boomers, acid-spraying Spitters, and so on.

There's actually a comic out for the first Left 4 Dead in which the survivors finally make it to safety in a military facility only to find it's not all they'd hoped for.

(Just for S&G: The awesometastic intro to Left 4 Dead 2.)

Max Brooks did try to come up with an answer but to do so relied on zombies that violate even more natural laws than your typical zombie. A zombie virus that can spread in ways other than direct physical contact does seem to be the only way in my mind that a full on zombie aramageddon could come about. In conclusion... Left 4 Dead is awesome and can provide endless hours of gameplay. Dead Rising is OK and gets points for creative ways to kill zombies but loses more because of a clunky control system, I hope the sequel is better in that regaurd.

[Dub_James]

Not a zombie flick fan usually, but this was pretty decent. Good main character and some interesting story arcs developing. Plus it had that creepiness factor that gives it a good on edge vibe. Haven't really seen that in a production since Jurassic Park.

[HTRN]

How does the most efective fighting force in the history of man, the US military, keep being overrun by a bunch of braindead corpses with the walking speed of a lame octogenarian?

Because Zombies are basically an undead Von Neuman machine.

[Langenator]

Overall, I thought it was good - well filmed, good sense of suspense.

Of course, there were several "Why is he doing that?" or "Why doesn't he do this?" moments. Like why, after emptying the Sheriff Dept arms room, doesn't he go hit up the local gun store? Or why, when he's at the farm, finds the owners dead, doesn't he go inside to get the keys to the truck? Horse owners almost always have a trailer for their animals - he could have taken the truck and the horse in the trailer to use if/when he ran out of gas again.

The overrun Army roadblock was a necessary plot device. The ammo box for the 50 cal was still full, and since the M1, combat loaded, carries just over 10,000 rounds for the M240C coax machingun, that tank should have had a huge pile of bodies/body parts in front of it.

I have to remind myself that a key component of the zombie genre is that, in that universe, nobody has ever even imagined the zombie apocalypse. (The ongoing "Uprising" thread on WTA being the only exception I know of."

[skb12172]

I would have figured out a way to fire up that Abrams

I thought the same thing. Same for whoever posted the "why did they do that?" comment. You have to move the story forward somehow, I guess.

I just found out the creator of the tv show and the graphic novel lives in my hometown, just about 75 miles away from where I live now. I'm going to do my best to try and track him down and meet him. If I'm successful, I'll let you guys know.

[moose42]

The overrun Army roadblock was a necessary plot device. The ammo box for the 50 cal was still full, and since the M1, combat loaded, carries just over 10,000 rounds for the M240C coax machingun, that tank should have had a huge pile of bodies/body parts in front of it.

Dayum! Remind me when the apocalypse comes if I ever come upon an abandoned Abrams to loot it for Battle Rifle ammo.

But if it's abandoned the crew probably used thermite grenades on everything they couldn't carry.

I used to work with an M1 loader. He had cool stories.

One time in Korea they were blocking the road to retrieve another stuck Abrams. They had cones or flares marking the road but some guy in a sports car came around the bend at a REALLY high speed and slammed into the side of the tank he was standing on. The driver didn't make it. The tank drove off later.