The Crazies (1973)

As promised, today’s flavor is The Crazies from 1973, co-written and directed by zombie maestro George Romero. I opted to watch the 2010 revamp first just because I’ve never done it that way before. I predicted I would come away thinking all that was good about this year’s version was lifted wholesale from the original without substantive improvement beyond the addition of modern effects. Surprisingly I felt just the opposite. I absolutely prefer the new to the old in this case; it’s just a more complete film.

Aside from basically identical plots, the 70s Crazies and its 2010 counterpart share little in common thematically. While the remake relies on suspenseful thrills, the original is disappointingly more action-oriented. The first Crazies may well have effectively capitalized on an era rife with anti-government sentiment and rather boldly attempted to highlight the human element of the cliché military bogeyman. But for all its cult admiration, The Crazies never lives up to the potential of its intriguing premise.

The Crazies (2010)

You know what scares me? That smirking weasel, Jon Gruden. First off, it’s horrifying to see a guy get paid millions of dollars to analyze a sport he clearly doesn’t understand. But more than that, take a look at that cheeky fucker on Monday Night Football tonight and tell me he isn’t the illegitimate spawn of Dennis the Menace and Chucky from Child’s Play. Did I just blow your mind? On to the movie!

I fully admit I have not yet seen the original version of The Crazies. Knowing I had the 2010 edition on the way from Netflix, I purposely chose to sit on the original and watch it only after seeing the remake. I’m curious to see what effect reversing my usual order will have. Come tomorrow, once I’ve seen the 1973 version (holla, PA!), I’ll probably be singing Romero’s praises and cursing Hollywood’s vast recycling conspiracy. But for now I have to say: this is one damn fine flavor.