Every human being on this planet has rights. In America most of them are featured in our first amendment rights. The right to free speech, assembly, freedom of religion, are all examples of the rights that Americans hold. However, all of those right could be taken away from us via military action. This action is called Martial Law. Nobody would want to have to live in an area under Martial Law, like the group of civilians in the 1973 release of George Romero’s “The Crazies.”

The acting in the film was sub-average and not very impressive. I thought that W.G. McMillan handled the lead position well. He seemed cool and collected but I thought that he just missed something that held his performance back that stopped it from being a great one. Richard Liberty was another one that stood out, seeing him in something else besides “Day of the Dead” was quite a sight to see. The two best actors in my eyes were Lloyd Hollar and Harold Wayne Jones. They both brought amazing emotion to their roles and made the experience that much more enjoyable.

The plot was very original, and creative. I enjoyed the fact that it got off to a fast pace and stayed moderately steady. I liked seeing both sides of the story, from the eyes of the military, and through the eyes of the people having to deal with the infection first hand. It seems that the people infected are crazy with rage, much like the people in “28 Days Later” and “28 Weeks Later.” The build-up was decent, but I thought the ending could have been a little better.

Overall I found the 1973 version of “The Crazies” to be very entertaining, and a underrated film in Romero’s directing credits. It’s not up to par with his “Dead” films but it’s still a decent film that has gained cult status over the years. Kudos to Lloyd Hollar and Harold Wayne Jones.

3/5 Reels
Squid Rating
Check it once

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