Rise of the Zombies

Rise of the Zombies
(aka: Dead Walking)

DVD cover
Genre Action
Horror
Thriller
Written by
Directed by Nick Lyon
Starring
Theme music composer Chris Ridenhour
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
Production
Executive producer(s) David Rimawi
Producer(s)
Cinematography Alexander Yellen
Editor(s) James Kondelik
Running time 90 minutes
Production company(s) The Asylum
Distributor Syfy
Release
Original release
  • October 27, 2012 (2012-10-27)

Rise of the Zombies is a 2012 American zombie horror film from The Asylum and directed by Nick Lyon.[1] Written by Keith Allan and Delondra Williams, the film was initially titled Dead Walking, but was eventually changed to Rise of the Zombies.[2] The movie stars Mariel Hemingway, Chad Lindberg, LeVar Burton, and Heather Hemmens, and first aired on Syfy on October 27, 2012.[3][4][5]

Plot

A water-borne virus has led to a widespread outbreak of zombies in San Francisco. A group of survivors, including Dr. Lynn Snyder (Mariel Hemingway) and others, create a refuge on Alcatraz Island. Snyder receives communications from Dr. Arnold (French Stewart), a scientist conducting experiments to create a cure for the virus. Meanwhile, Dr. Dan Halpern (LeVar Burton), another of the refugees, is studying parts culled from the bodies of the zombies, but he is unable to make much headway because he only has access to 'dead' zombies. His research is further hindered when Caspian (Danny Trejo) and other refugees burn the zombie corpses being stored on the island.

A horde of zombies are washed onto the island by the tides, causing panic in the camp. While they are defeated, many of the refugees are killed, and two are infected by the virus, one of them being Halpern's daughter, Julie (Kerisse Hutchinson). The survivors decide to set out for the mainland, while Halpern stays to study the two infected victims. Later in the film, Halpern is forced to kill himself by detonating a grenade when his daughter bites him, before the virus can claim him as well.

The group on the mainland splits in two because of conflicting goals. Snyder wishes to find Dr. Arnold, as she believes he has found a cure, while Caspian's group instead wants to find supplies and ultimately reach what they believe to be an evacuation point. Caspian and several others are soon infected, and the group's numbers dwindle. It is eventually revealed that the 'evacuation point' has already been overrun by the zombies, rendering escape seemingly impossible.

As the group siphones gas from a car, Ashley commits suicide on a trolly by rolling it down the street colliding with a bus.

The last survivors of the group - Snyder, Kyle (Chad Lindberg) and Marshall (Ethan Suplee) - discover Dr. Arnold's refuge, the water treatment plant where the outbreak began. Arnold reveals that he has indeed discovered a cure, based on his tests on animal subjects. As the five flee for a chopper on the roof of the plant, both Kyle and Marshall are attacked, but Arnold's vaccine saves them. The group escapes the city, and Arnold requests a laboratory to manufacture his cure, expressing optimism that anything is possible.

Cast

Production

In July 2012,[6] it was announced the completed film would screen in October as part of Syfy's "31 Days of Halloween" programming block.[3]

Reception

Critical reception

New York Daily News compared the film to The Walking Dead, offering that it was more bloody and grisly, and that in comparison, Rise of the Zombies "makes Walking Dead look like Dora the Explorer." They also noted the film's "remarkably accomplished cast", and of the script wrote "their lines aren't Shakespeare, but they fall into the spirit, at least until most of them get chopped in half, eaten alive or whatever."[5] Mike Hale of The New York Times felt that the film was "largely in the venerable horror tradition of movie-as-extended-chase-scene" and that The Walking Dead was "gentle by comparison."[7] They wrote that the film had "credible action sequences" and that the script offered " tiny flashes of wit".[7]

Ratings

Rise of the Zombies premiered on October 27, 2012 with 1.28 million viewers.[8]

15% of 241 audience reviews on Rotten Tomatoes were positive (rated 3.5 stars out of 5 or higher), with an average rating of 1.9/5.[9] 2139 IMDb users have given a weighted average vote of 3.7 / 10.[10]

References

  1. ↑ "Video Interview with Cast Members of Syfy Original Movie Rise of the Zombies". Dread Central. Retrieved October 19, 2012.
  2. ↑ "See Five New Asylum Trailers Featuring Zombies, Cannibals, Satanic Babies, Biblical Disasters, and Hobbits". Dread Central. Retrieved October 19, 2012.
  3. 1 2 "Syfy and NYC & Company Will Launch Second Annual 31 Days of HalloweeNYC in October". The Futon Critic. October 1, 2012. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
  4. ↑ "Syfy's 2012 Fall Programming Features First Ever Live 'Face Off' as Centerpiece of 31 Days of Halloween". TV By the Numbers. August 29, 2012. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
  5. 1 2 Hinckley, D (October 27, 2012). "TV review: 'Rise of the Zombies'". New York Daily News. Retrieved October 27, 2012.
  6. ↑ McNary, Dave (July 12, 2012). "Asylum sets theatrical distribution effort". Variety. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
  7. 1 2 Hale, Mike (October 26, 2012). "Donning Familiar Halloween Costumes". The New York Times. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
  8. ↑ "Saturday's Cable Ratings: ESPN Takes Top Spots with College Football Doubleheader". The Futon Critic. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
  9. ↑ "Rise of the Zombies (Dead Walking)". www.rottentomatoes.com. 2012-10-27. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
  10. ↑ Lyon, Nick (2012-10-27), Rise of the Zombies, retrieved 2016-04-02
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