THE DEAD TIMES

RATING:

ZOMBIE RATING:

DESCRIPTION:

A paramedic drives a panicking girl, Sarah, cradling her injured father, Mark, to a hospital after a dirty bomb has gone off in central London. When they arrive, the medical centre is in chaos; the bodies of the sick and dying on the floor as overwhelmed doctors flutter between them, caring for whoever they can. Soon, Sarah faints; the stress all too much for her. When she awakes, she does so alone, the hospital building seemingly abandoned. However, it is deserted only by life. Now, the dead walk the halls, slowly lurching back and forth in a mindless hunt for human prey.

MY VERDICT:

This movie has the rare accolade from George Romero, Godfather of the Dead, emblazoned on the box - "Can't wait for Zombie Undead". I can maybe understand why he said that, the Zombies are very much in the Romero style; slow, juddering brutes with dull expressions and minor signs of rigor mortis, causing some of the wandering horrors to have jarring gaits. However, that said, the film is actually rather terrible; a short and pointless run through a Zombie-filled hospital with very dubious acting. There really is very little to say other than that - excluding the Zombies, there are simply no good points about this 90-minute film. The 'dirty bomb planted by terrorists' offers the chance of a thought-provoking narrative, but it is cruelly forgotten almost immediately after the opening credits, being replaced with an utterly bland 'get out and hope there aren't any Zombies outside' story (spoiler warning, there are Zombies outside). Don't be fooled by the DVD cover art either, there are absolutely no military soldiers in this movie, undead or otherwise.