With the zombie
sub-genre so fully saturated, both in blockbusters and these lower budget
attempts, and the poor track record of movies based on video games, I was
certain that Dead Rising: Watchtower was
going to be a trying viewing experience. While it didn’t exact blow me away
with any original ideas on the material, I was shocked to find that I never had
the urge to fast-forward through the content, despite an uncharacteristically
lengthy running time. Not only does the film have enough strength to survive
the weaker aspects of the zombie narrative, this may be one of the more
faithful video game adaptations.
The plot doesn’t provide much originality, but
part of the reason behind this has to do with the established narrative taken
from the video game world, apparently taking place between the second and third
installments into the franchise. Previous zombie outbreaks have been contained
and even those infected have the disease under control with the help of daily medication.
Journalist Chase (Jesse Metcalfe) spends his time waiting for an outbreak to
cover when he suddenly gets what he wishes for when the medication mysteriously
stops working for the citizens. Trapped behind the walls of the quarantine,
Chase must join forces with other survivors to discover the truth and escape
before the government bombs the entire area.
Stranded in the
quarantine zone with Chase is an infected woman (Meghan Dry) with a diminishing
supply of medication to keep her from turning into a zombie, and a mother
(Virginia Madsen) who is desperately seeking her daughter. As if the battle for
survival were not difficult enough for these three, they are joined in the
infected zone by a gang of looting outlaws. The more Chase investigates the
cause of the outbreak, he discovers discrepancies which point to government
conspiracies, none of which he can reveal from the confines of the quarantine
zone, so that much more than their own lives are at stake with their survival.
Padding the
narrative is a series of cutaways to news coverage of the outbreak, with interviews
by a former survivor of a zombie outbreak, Frank West (Rob Riggle). It would be
easy to fault these segments as unnecessary, though they serve a tonal purpose,
adding levity and campy fun to the situation. This goes a long way to helping
establish a mood which captures the essence of the video game, along with the
style and approach to the zombies themselves.
Whether it is
the style of clothing that they wear, the weapons they use, or the creative
manner in which they dispatch the undead monsters, Dead Rising: Watchtower captures the feel of the video game
franchise. Even the stiff performance from Metcalfe and forced melodrama from
Madsen almost seem to embody the feeling of the animated video games. These may
not always be the best choices in terms of filmmaking, but they seem to work
for bringing a video game to life.
The DVD is
surprisingly packed with extras, including a filmmaker commentary track and a
blooper reel exclusively for Rob Riggle. The featurettes cover all of the
important topics, such as the film’s weapons (most of which inspired by the
video game weapons), Bozo the Zombie Clown, and a look at an impressive
one-take tracking shot that truly captures the feeling of playing the video
game.
Entertainment Value:
6.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 6/10
Historical
Significance: 4/10
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