The Walking Dead - AMC

ChimeraCreative

Been there, Done that.
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 29, 2007
Messages
277
Reaction score
75
Location
Ontario, Canada
Hell yeah. I've read the comics and can't wait to see how it looks on screen. The trailer looked promising. ^_^
 

Zoombie

Dragon of the Multiverse
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 24, 2006
Messages
40,775
Reaction score
5,947
Location
Some personalized demiplane
My only problem with the comic was it's almost Lost-ian level of killing people off, and the black and white artwork made it REALLY hard to tell one character apart from another.

Other than that, it was great.
 

leahzero

The colors! THE COLORS!
Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 1, 2009
Messages
2,190
Reaction score
377
Location
Chicago
Website
words.leahraeder.com
I'm just happy to see zombies on TV, period.

The Walking Dead is a very traditionalist zombie yarn. There are gaping plot holes--the virus doesn't obey the laws of physics and thus has to be supernatural; how did the military get overrun by slow, shambling zombies; etc.--but overall I enjoyed the pilot and I'm looking forward to more.
 

Smish

Reads more than she writes.
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 21, 2009
Messages
8,636
Reaction score
3,087
Location
in the Bouncy Castle
I liked it.

I don't get why anyone would think heading toward the city would be a good idea, though. :rolleyes:
 

leahzero

The colors! THE COLORS!
Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 1, 2009
Messages
2,190
Reaction score
377
Location
Chicago
Website
words.leahraeder.com
Looks like a lot of folks watched the pilot--I can't load the amcdead.com site to enter the contest to be a walk-on zombie. :D
 

Kaiser-Kun

!
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 12, 2009
Messages
6,944
Reaction score
1,915
Age
39
Location
Mexico
I don't get why anyone would think heading toward the city would be a good idea, though. :rolleyes:

I haven't seen the series yet, but in the comic he just wanted to find his family and then haul ass out of there. The rescue parties were supposed to look for survivors around the city.

It's actually a big point of contention among the group at first, to stay near the city or run for the hills. :D
 

JohnnyGottaKeyboard

Who let this guy in...?
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 13, 2010
Messages
2,134
Reaction score
211
Location
On the rooftoop where he climbed when the laughter
I don't know anything about the graphic novel, but the series was a bit derivative (if not downright plagiaristic) in that the hero was shot and then 28 DAYS LATER he awoke in a hospital to find the world overrun by zombies. Also are American actors so expensive now they have to import Aussies and Brits for everything? And there was a lot of acting in this ep--the window sniper scene was particularly annoying, but I do admit to a certain curmudgieness. I also agree that the whole military fail standard that all these stories rely on is a bit farfetched, but that could take me into another level of meta-criticisms about the series (misogyny and gender roles spring immediately to mind) but I have vowed to keep the inner-curmudgeon at bay (at least til week three).
 

Calla Lily

On hiatus
Staff member
Super Moderator
Moderator
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
39,307
Reaction score
17,489
Location
Non carborundum illegitimi
Website
www.aliceloweecey.net
I only saw part of the first 40 mins (Mr. Lily objected to the hijacking of both football and the World Series :tongue). I'll catch it on-demand this week.

Johnny, I got the same 28 Days Later vibe. Like, immediately. The outstanding FX were worth watching, though, IMO.
 

Kaiser-Kun

!
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 12, 2009
Messages
6,944
Reaction score
1,915
Age
39
Location
Mexico
Meh. Looked like every other zombie apocalypse story out there. I give 14 out of 35, Dick.

The first two issues of the comic are stereotypical movie-scare zombies. :p Then it's more about evading the zombies while concentrating on more important issues, like finding food, shelter, and build a society.
 

AlexPiper

Wayward Wordsmith
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 7, 2010
Messages
1,029
Reaction score
159
Location
Seattle, WA -- land of rain, home of the spice caf
Website
www.fabulaurbanus.com
I don't get why anyone would think heading toward the city would be a good idea, though. :rolleyes:

I had that question when reading the original comics, too.

But I'm going to cut Rick slack... he /did/ just wake up from a coma, and probably had at least a mild concussion from the shovel to the face too. Aside from the whole 'hrm, while I was comatose, the world was overrun by zombies' aspect.

So I suppose when someone goes 'hey, your family probably went to Atlanta,' I shouldn't be too surprised that he nods politely and heads towards Atlanta.
 

seun

Horror Man
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 3, 2006
Messages
9,709
Reaction score
2,053
Age
46
Location
uk
Website
www.lukewalkerwriter.com
This is on FX in the UK. Premiere this week.

I'd love to give an opinion on it, but my freeview doesn't show me FX.

*Sits grumpily in the corner*

I'll let you know how it is although my hopes aren't that high for anything too original. The FX trailer just looks like an American 28 Days Later. With a tank.
 

Kaiser-Kun

!
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 12, 2009
Messages
6,944
Reaction score
1,915
Age
39
Location
Mexico
I had that question when reading the original comics, too.

But I'm going to cut Rick slack... he /did/ just wake up from a coma, and probably had at least a mild concussion from the shovel to the face too. Aside from the whole 'hrm, while I was comatose, the world was overrun by zombies' aspect.

So I suppose when someone goes 'hey, your family probably went to Atlanta,' I shouldn't be too surprised that he nods politely and heads towards Atlanta.

Once he arrives there and [SPOILEROMG]finds his family[/ENDOFSPOILEROMG], he wants to move the camp away from the city right away. This creates friction between him and the leader.
 

maestrowork

Fear the Death Ray
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 11, 2005
Messages
43,746
Reaction score
8,652
Location
Los Angeles
Website
www.amazon.com
I haven't seen it but the preview does look derivative. It follows the same stuff that George Romero made famous. I'm hoping they will come up with something new and fresh. If you're into yet another Zombie show, you'll enjoy it.
 

shawkins

Ahhh. Sweet.
VPX
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 3, 2006
Messages
2,739
Reaction score
848
Location
The business end of a habanero pepper IV
I'm a huge zombie fan, and I was a wee bit underwhelmed. Derivative of 28 d later, certainly. I also thought the bit with the matches in the stairwell was Stu Redman's escape from the CDC with the serial numbers filed off. I kept waiting for someone to ask if he wanted some chicken.

I'll definitely keep watching, but I was hoping for more.

Oh, and when he was riding his horse into the city I lost my suspension of disbelief. The traffic on I-85 south (the side leading out of the city) is never that light. <rim shot>
 

Kaiser-Kun

!
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 12, 2009
Messages
6,944
Reaction score
1,915
Age
39
Location
Mexico
I'd recommend it if you want to see what happens after the guys get around the zombies. Struggling to live in a tough post-apocalyptic world is much more interesting than rotting corpses. :p
 

shawkins

Ahhh. Sweet.
VPX
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 3, 2006
Messages
2,739
Reaction score
848
Location
The business end of a habanero pepper IV
Yeah, I'd say give it a shot. I didn't dislike it. Actually, I liked it quite a bit. I just had it so hyped up in my head that anything other than pure genius was bound to be a let down.
 

Stacia Kane

Girl Detective
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 23, 2006
Messages
8,142
Reaction score
2,668
Location
In cahoots with the other boo-birds
Website
www.staciakane.com
I don't know anything about the graphic novel, but the series was a bit derivative (if not downright plagiaristic) in that the hero was shot and then 28 DAYS LATER he awoke in a hospital to find the world overrun by zombies.



Derivative of 28 d later, certainly.


The original comics/graphic novels on which the series was based came out at right around the same time as that movie; it's more likely a case of "Great ideas hit more than one person," which is something I think we're all familiar with, right?
 

shawkins

Ahhh. Sweet.
VPX
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 3, 2006
Messages
2,739
Reaction score
848
Location
The business end of a habanero pepper IV
The original comics/graphic novels on which the series was based came out at right around the same time as that movie; it's more likely a case of "Great ideas hit more than one person," which is something I think we're all familiar with, right?

It's entirely possible. And, again, I did quite like the show and I'll definitely go back for more. I think my reaction had more to do with the fact that 2010's been (IMO) a generally lousy year for movies, so I had this built up as some sort of redemption for the summer's disappointments.

Seriously, though: aren't you somewhere near Atlanta? That wasn't a traffic jam. That was a light Tuesday afternoon.
 

xitomatl

Celsius 232
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 25, 2010
Messages
98
Reaction score
3
Location
Canada
Okay, I'm a HUGE fan of the comic books so I just want to address a few things here before I talk about the show separately:

1. Going to Atlanta: somebody mentioned Rick as going there to find his wife and kid. What they did mention, albeit briefly and kind of glossed over in the TV show, is that there was supposed to be a refugee camp set up there. That's why Rick's family went that direction, and why he went.

2. Re: 28 Days Later. 28 Days Later came out in the UK in Nov/2002. It came out in the US in June 2003. The first Walking Dead issue (because it is a monthly comic) was published in Oct. 2003. It stands to reason, I'm SURE, that Kirkman (the writer of the comic book) had already written the original issue (if not the first few) and the art had already been done. So, he didn't just watch 28 Days Later and then yank it.

So, having said that, and reiterating what a HUGE fan of the comics I am, I think they did a good job with it. They kind of glossed over some stuff, added some stuff I didn't really like (like Rick bitching about his relationship with his wife and showing that her and Shane had a thing going so blatantly, it doesn't happen SO FAST in the comics).

It looked good, the zombies weren't fast which is what I was really worried about.

The Walking Dead deals a lot more with relationships than what you might suspect given the pilot. I think the comic books are better, but I'm really interested to see how they go forward with it on TV.

I was also really worried about the guy they got to play Rick, but I ended up quite liking his performance. I'll hold my judgement on who's playing Lori because we didn't really see enough of her yet. And I REALLY want to see how the actor tackles Glenn because he's one of my favourite characters.

I'll of course keep watching like a dedicated fiend though, because I love The Walking Dead, and just zombies in general.

Also, another note regarding 28 Days Later and The Walking Dead:

28 Days Later isn't about zombies. Just sayin' ;).
 

Shadow_Ferret

Court Jester
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 26, 2005
Messages
23,708
Reaction score
10,657
Location
In a world of my own making
Website
shadowferret.wordpress.com
Huh. I saw it listed and recorded it simply because I thought it was some zombie movie I'd never heard of. Thanks to this thread I now know that it's a new series and its based on some comic books. Huh. Learn something new every day.