The Crazies

Ogden Marsh, Iowa is a happy, rural town, enjoying the first game of the high school’s baseball season. All that changes, however, when the former town drunk shows up on the field, shotgun in hand. Trying to reason with the armed civilian is the town’s sheriff David Dutton (Timothy Olyphant). With a cold, passive stare, the local locks eyes with Dutton as he raises his shotgun, but the sheriff is able to fatally shoot the man first.

When the autopsy reveals that there was no alcohol in his blood, and another man nonchalantly burns down his house with his family locked inside, Sheriff Dutton knows more is going on than what meets the eye. An investigation emerges of a possible contamination, but it’s quickly diverted when the military suddenly and forcibly invades the town.

Although the contaminative symptoms results in a zombie-like state, “The Crazies” isn’t one of the latest zombie movies to be released. The true thriller is within the film’s realistic plausibility. Would the government go through almost any length in order to cover up its tracks? Would victims become automatic lab rats and suffer inhumane treatment? The film’s greatest move is that it never stands itself on a soapbox, preaching political theories. Rather the audience only knows the town’s point of view, as they slowly discover the truth themselves.

And lastly, the execution and delivery of the characters is excellent. Yes, Ogden Marsh has a population barely over 1,000, but its citizens aren’t the stereotypical backwoods people with missing teeth. Sheriff Dutton and his deputy do a skillful job, investigating the town’s latest deaths and their connections to the mysterious plane crash. Timothy Olyphant and Radha Mitchell have an impressive chemistry; it was refreshing to see a devoted married couple who apologized after fights and continuously risked their lives for each other.

Objectionable Content

Despite the film’s high quality markings, “The Crazies” is an offensive film. It has heavy profanity with over 70 uses, including over 30 “f” words, 25 sh*t, and 17 GDs and 5 misuses of Christ’s names.

The violence increases as the film progresses and becomes quite graphic at times. Several people are shot in the chest and head; some are coldheartedly hunted down before being shot. Bodies are torched, and burnt corpses are shown on several occasions. The sheriff gets attacked by a saw. The stabbings are very vivid. In one of the most disturbing scenes, an infected town resident begins to stab helpless victims, who are strapped to gurneys, with a pitchfork. During an attack, Dutton gets his hand stabbed with a knife, impaling it to the floor. The subsequent scenes show him pushing the knife up through his hand and then stabbing his attacker through the neck with the still-impaled knife. The camera lingers as she slowly dies.

When going back to their deserted house, Judy Dutton rushes to put away the laundry, desperately trying to grab any normalcy. As her husband comforts her, she states how it’s a beautiful morning and how their lives have drastically changed. The movie’s timeline happens all within just two days, more than enough time to demonstrate just how frail life is. In Proverbs 27:1, King Solomon wrote: “Do not boast about tomorrow for you do not know what a day may bring forth.”

Due to the offensive content, I do not recommend the film. “The Crazies” is a well-made movie that could leave viewers heavily pensive on how the world is ever changing, frail, and fleeting. While humans know this, we still tend to put infallible faith in the temporary. In Mark 13, Jesus states that heaven and Earth will pass away, but never his words. There’s an everlasting comfort in knowing that our Savior is the same now and forever.

Hebrews 13:8: “Jesus Christ. is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

Violence: Extreme / Profanity: Extreme / Sex/Nudity: Minor

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