Summary: A virus breaks out causing residents of a small rural community to go "crazy." An honorable sheriff tries to save his family and friends.\r
Review: The Crazies is a remake from 1973, but the original version isn't in the catalog of horror film classics that most people remember. For most audiences, this flick will not feel like a remake, but rather a governmental horror flick that is lively and properly paced ... one more millisecond of running time (101 minutes) and The Crazies would've been an addition to the list of stupidly crazy horror movies.\r
The Crazies is padded with horror film clichés, but thankfully the director, Breck Eisner, does not lose himself in torture pornography that most movies are obsessed with today. There is nothing new or necessarily memorable in any frame; there are villains, heroes and a few disposable characters that will be killed off. But, the film does a solid job of entertaining, which is all you can expect from a movie that is basically about zombies.  We have all seen it and jumped at it before.\r
What keeps The Crazies from seeming crazy is a strong plot (for a horror movie) full of an evil government, backwards country folk and logical enough scenarios. The characters seem realistic and you rarely say "Huh?" Even the extra-loud crazies who were sitting a few rows behind me cheered for the characters -- you know a horror flick has done its job when the audience is rooting for the characters versus yelling at the screen, "Just kill the b*tch!"\r
Toward the end, The Crazies gets a bit loopy with redundant clichés or lifesavers always arriving at the right moment. However, just when the flick is about to turn into another knock off from 28 Days Later, the movie ends on an explosive, good note.  There just might be a sequel.\r
The Crazies is in theaters today.