Dead & Deader (2006) (TV)

User Rating:

5.0/10   

Director:

Patrick Dinhut

Writers:

Mark A. Altman (writer)
Steven Kriozere (writer)

Release Date:

16 December 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Horror | Sci-Fi

Plot:

After he's bitten by a beetle carrying a zombie virus, a tough soldier survives the infection, becoming only half zombie. Once back in the US, he finds himself fighting his former comrades in arms, all of whom are turning into zombies! |

Plot Keywords:

Zombie | Throat Slitting | Scorpion | Axe | Severed Finger

Cast

John Billingsley	...	Langdon
Dean Cain	...	Lt. Bobby Quinn
Guy Torry	...	Judson
Colleen Camp	...	Mrs. Wisteria
Susan Ward	...	Holly
Greg Collins	...	Captain Niles
Ellie Cornell	...	Dr. Adams
Affion Crockett	...	Private Connery
Esteban Cueto	...	Sgt. Cruz
Peter Greene	...	Dr. Scott
Dean Haglund	...	Funeral Home Director
Brent Huff	...	Officer Raimi
Jamie Kaler	...	Private Lazenby
Steven Kriozere	...	Officer Campbell
Natassia Malthe	...	Dr. Boyce

Also Known As:

Dead and Deader (Australia)

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Australia:R (2007)

Company:

Mindfire Entertainment

Trivia:

While locked in the bar's cooler, Hieronymus asks Quinn to "use your heat vision" to warm them up. This joke refers to Dean Cain, who plays Quinn, in his most famous role as Superman in the TV series "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman" (1993).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the kitchen scene with Hieronymous Judson, after the zombie pulls his arm out of the meat grinder, it is obviously a normal-length arm, despite several pounds of ground zombie shown coming out of the grinder.

Quotes:

Holly: Dead or alive, men are all the same.

Movie Connections:

References Dawn of the Dead (2004)

Enjoyable in an Entirely Unprecedented Way

After dying in Cambodia, a team of soldiers wake up back in America to discover... they're not quite dead. But also, they're not quite alive. Bobby Quint (Dean Cain), the most human of the team, decides to stop the rest of the soldiers before they infect the whole world with their zombie illness.

There should be some discussion about what this film is, and what it isn't. While the film is funny to a point (or at least it doesn't take itself seriously), Fangoria's assertion it's a "zom-edy" like "48 Hours" is overstating this more than just a little. I enjoyed this film, but certainly didn't think it was really laugh-out-loud funny (for that, rent "Shaun of the Dead").

What this isn't is a high budget film with professional quality. It's a made-for-TV film from the Sci Fi channel. However, keeping in mind it's in this category, it's quite good. Unlike "Abominable", this film is decent... and considering it is made by a first time director, I was quite impressed with what they accomplished (calling in an all-star cast and Greg Nicotero for makeup was a good idea).

Also, this probably isn't a film for the general public. They might enjoy it, but I will say this: my number one reason for liking this film (besides the sexy Susan Ward) was the constant barrage of references to other films ("Dawn of the Dead", various James Bond films, "Bullet", etc.). If you're not a film geek, much of the humor will go over your head. The rip on Michael Bay was the bait for me, and the hook came with the lengthy analysis of "Dawn of the Dead" versus the remake (which correctly, in my opinion, pointed out the key differences including the consumerism aspect and Ken Foree's role in both films).

Much of the plot doesn't really make sense if you think about it and plot holes are more common here than one might like (and we are left with questions such as the sexual ability of zombies). But this film isn't here for the plot... it's here for showcasing makeup and was clearly made just to have fun. The makeup, by the way, is great... although some of the props -- such as a fake arm -- were sort of cheesy and filmed from poor angles.

If you're skeptical about this one, don't rent it. But for the right audience I think this film has something to offer. I certainly enjoyed what it was trying to do, even if some things seemed really thrown together hodge-podge (the witty black sidekick, the gratuitous shower scene). And if Sci Fi is showing this, keep your remote control on the coffee table, because this is the best thing you'll get out of them for a while.