Well, it's been two days since I saw the premier of The Walking Dead. I needed time to readjust myself back into reality, Ha! Anyway, I'll start off by saying that I was very pleased with the presentation of this comic to TV adaptation.
Being a huge fan of the genre, my critical eye was watchful for certain elements that are essential to keep these bad boys in line. So, saying I was pleased, says a lot!
To begin with, I admit (1) that I only read the first issue, and that was only recently; (2) my other pre-view thought was that I had my reservations about this show. On top of that, the previews for this show were everywhere that I was getting annoyed, to the point that I was telling myself, "This had better be good!" And believe me when I say that I wasn't the only one who thought that. My troop who came over to watch it with me, you know who you are!
Now I know that advertising is good, but every five minutes, and on just about every cable channel is too much!
Enough of my negative views.
The Walking Dead started out very much like the comic itself, depicting the journey that Rick Grimes (main character) takes to find his family during the apocalypse. As I mentioned before, since I only read the first issue I knew that there was a lot of character development that I was not aware of. Thankfully, the writers foresaw this and in developing/adapting the comic for TV, added extra moments/scenes of character development to flesh these characters out from the beginning.
What I enjoy the most about zombie movies (serious ones) is the sense of human mental suffering, not just the physical struggle to survive. Psychologically speaking, what is going on in the minds of our heroes as he or she travels north or south in search of safety. The first episode gave us plenty of this element. There were genuine moments where you felt the impact and fear at the visuals that were shown. This is, of course, the handy work of director Frank Darabont who used his visionary creativity to bring this world forward from its simple pages, and make it come alive.
My favorite scene took place the minute Rick entered Atlanta. The swarm that chased and almost killed him was beautifully done. It was the one moment not capture enough in zombie films, the urban aftermath. I even feel that an urban war scene in a zombie movie would be the biggest attention grabber. Just imagine soldiers, tanks, and bombs leveling city blocks as the hordes of undead continue to march forward!
The special make-up effects were another impressive touch, adding to the realistic appeal of the show. The reason why was because legendary SFX artist Greg Nicotero was on board. For Those who don't know, Greg Nicotero worked with another legendary SFX artist - Tom Savini on George Romero's Survival of the Dead, Diary of the Dead, and going back to Day of the Dead (original). Greg has an extensive job resume of films he has done SFX for, so check them out in IMDB.
I was excited and curious to see what kind of work Greg was going to do on The Walking Dead. I was really impressed by the legless female zombie in the park!
My friends and I enjoyed the hour and a half premier on Sunday, and look forward to the rest the series. I'm still debating whether or not to read through the comic, or just watch the TV series. In the end, I'll probably just watch the show, and allow myself to be surprised by the journey as it unfolds.
I even entered the contest to win a walk-on roll as a zombie in one of the future episodes! This contest will continue to happen weekly toward the end of each newly aired episode. You know I will enter! So, cross my fingers.
Looking back, I have nothing negative to say about The Walking Dead (TV series). There is enough psychological drama and powerful emotional drive to keep the series appealing for me. So, I look forward to seeing how it turns out.
Until next time - shamble onward!
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