World Famous Comics: Zombi 2 (25th Anniversary Special Edition 2-Disc Set)
Zombi 2 (25th Anniversary Special Edition 2-Disc Set)
Starring: Ugo Bologna, Al Cliver, Stefania D'Amario, Dakkar, Alberto Dell'Acqua Average Rating: Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Audience Rating: Unrated Binding: DVD Format: Anamorphic, Color, DVD, Special Edition, Widescreen, NTSC Label: Shriek Show Number of Items: 2 Region Code: 1 Release Date: July 27, 2004 Running Time: 91 minutes Theatrical Release Date: July 18, 1980
Description: We Are Going To Eat You! The Fulci Classic Returns, And Once Again The Dead Are Among Us!
Amazon.com: In Lucio Fulci's genre classic Zombi 2, the dead rise once again to terrorize and consume the flesh of the living, this time Caribbean style! Those new to Fulci should note Island of the Flesh-Eaters, Zombi 2, and the more commonly known Zombie all refer to the same film. Though there is no Zombi 1, Fulci's film was titled Zombi 2 to capitalize on the commercial success of Romero's Dawn of the Dead. Though marketed as a sequel in Italy, the only similarities to Romero's classic are the title and the fact that the dead rise to eat the flesh of the living. Instead of being a metaphor for consumerism, Zombi 2 is a straight-out adventure story that ends in a horrific, apocalyptic nightmare. The plot is fairly straightforward, and more or less exists simply as a structure to hang scenes of extreme gore and terror on. Dr. Bowles's boat floats into New York Harbor missing its crew and carrying an undead passenger. The doctor's daughter (Tisa Farrow), dead set on finding out what happened to her father, teams up with journalist Peter West (Ian McCulloch) and heads to the cursed island of Matool, where a zombie epidemic is growing and Dr. Bowles's friend, Dr. Menard (Richard Johnson), is desperately trying to find a cure. Will Anne find her father? Will Dr. Menard find a cure? Will our heroes escape? In all honesty, who really cares? Because those in the "know" already know you don't come to a Fulci film looking for Shakespeare. What Zombi 2 lacks in plot development and continuity, it more than makes up for in atmosphere, intensity, and of course the trademark Fulci gore. Some of the unique high points are the never-duplicated zombie-versus-shark vignette, the rising of the Spanish zombie conquistadores, and Fulci's trademark eye shot. Fans of Italian/apocalyptic/cannibal/zombie films should not miss Zombi 2. Along with The Beyond, it defines the genre. --Rob Bracco
Classic film with disappointing extras As far as guilty pleasures go, if you are a horror fan, then you can't find much better than Lucio Fulci's 'Zombie 2'. It's also doubtful that the movie has looked any better than it has in this cleaned up edition. I watched this on a blu-ray player which automatically upconverted this regular DVD, and I was just blown away with the picture.
I don't know if there's much of a reason to go into the story - the product description covered it pretty well, and with over 300 reviews, I'm sure they cover it too. Suffice it to say that, once again, for no reason, the dead are coming back to life, and are intent on feeding on the living. I really can't figure out why I like these movies so much, but I do. I'm not necessarily a fan of poor acting and gory special effects - and 'Zombie 2' has plenty of both - but there's something intriguing about the idea of a last small contingent of normal people struggling against the armies of the undead. Imagining myself in the company of the survivors, I wonder if I'd have the right amount of luck and skill necessary to make it. Hmmm...I wonder.
As I said, this is an excellent transfer, but it's the special features that still leave something to be desired. First of all, on the primary disc, the commentary is taken care of by Ian McCulloch, who states more than once that he had never seen the entire film prior to that moment. He's accompanied on the commentary by an unnamed interviewer who is obviously a huge fan of the movie. As the interviewer tries to prod him into giving the inside scoop behind the film, it becomes apparent that McCulloch either doesn't know, or else is reticent in talking about any of his castmembers that might be taken as a disparagement. I can respect that, and really I'm not interested in a tell-all - what I want to know about is the shark scene and the eyeball scene. Unfortunately, McCulloch can't tell us anything about either one, though he is probably the only native English speaker directly involved in the film that could have done the commentary.
Another short feature on the primary disc is an interview with the actor Captain Haggerty, who played the zombie who sails into New York Harbor. This was of marginal interest, as Haggerty discusses not only this film, but his entire career.
I had hoped that the supplemental disc might have the answers to the questions I had, but it only met me halfway. There was an extensive mini-documentary profiling the cast and crew (Lucio Fulci passed away in 1996), and the effects creators for the eyeball scene discuss in depth the story behind it, along with almost all the other eye-popping effects. But as far as the shark scene goes, that was all second unit stuff, and no one interviewed knew much about it at all.
The special features also include trailers for 'Zombie 2' and a host of other similarly themed films which I definitely appreciated, because they looked so awful I now feel confident it is not in my best interest to rent or buy them. Additionally, there was an interview with the make up artist of the film, which was interesting but not terribly illuminating.
This two disc version may be worth it for the 'making of' documentary on the the second disc, but I have a hard time believing they couldn't fit it on one and thus kept the price down. I would give the edge to this edition over the single disc, simply because of the anamorphic transfer, but the cost makes it a close call. If the anamorphic transfer were not necessary, then the single disc might be the better choice, as it is substantially cheaper. Five stars for this classic film, but only three and a half for the extras.
Frightening and intense zombie film! Being a Romero fan, I was skeptical when I picked up this rather seemingly bland movie in the bargain section at Hastings. When I got home I was in for a surprise. With a catchy Goblin-esque soundtrack which echoes Romero's Dawn of the Dead, Zombie starts rather slowly and builds with intensity. Beautifully shot is the harbor in New York City where a lone boat with no crew rolls in, and then the fun begins. Chock full of gory bits, especially an eyeball gag this definitely not for the squeamish, Zombie by itself is a great movie! Being one of a kind, there is an awesome shot of a zombie fighting a shark underwater that will truly blow your mind. Those looking for so-called "fast zombies" of the latter Dawn of the Dead Remake or 28 Days Later should avoid this film, this one is for the people who appreciate the one and only original Romero zombie, in all it's slow and flesh-eating glory. Cheers! P.S. I still can't watch this film past the eyeball gag and it takes alot to gross me out like this movie did. But still I try, lol.
Not quite what I was hoping. I came upon this movie with high hopes after having it being recommended to me by a friend who is a horror buff, and after reading such high reviews. Well, I was let down a bit. It's far from a bad movie, but it has it's share of issues. The directing and cinematography are very amateurish. The acting is passable at best. The soundtrack is pretty lame and really doesn't fit the movie at all. The worst of all is that for some reason it's all dubbed because they didn't record audio while filming for whatever reason. There is a bright side though. In terms of makeup they did very well for an obviously tiny budget, much better than many other zombie movies actually. Some of the deaths on here are pretty darn creative and gruesome. This is one of the few zombie movies made that relates to the voodoo style of zombies, rather than a virus or something. There's a pretty epic shark vs. zombie fight scene that makes the movie worth a rent just by itself. This movie has enormous potential and is one of the few times I think a properly done remake (which would never ever happen) would actually improve on the movie. Unfortunately it's shortcomings keep Zombie from being truly great. If you're a zombie movie fan or horror movie fan you should give this a try at the very least.
Still One of My All-Time Favorites Well, what can I say about the classic scenes that weren't said already? Really, nothing. But here's my 2-cents worth: I first saw "Zombie" at the old Aztec 3 moviehouse in San Antonio when I was a kid. Having already seen the original Romero's "Dawn of the Dead", I expected a cheap copy so typical of Italian cinema, but as the saying goes, "better to be plesantly surprised than heavily dissappointed", as this movie became one of my all-time favorites like "Dawn of the Dead", the main difference between the two is that I enjoyed "Dawn of the Dead" as I enjoy a good war movie. "Zombie", on the other hand, even without the success of the original "Dawn of the Dead", is a great horror movie on its own. The only downside was that the characters were pretty much stereotypes such as the cute heroine searching for her missing father played by Tisa Farrow, the red hot traveling companion Susan (remember the diving scene) played by Auretta Gay; The obsessed scientist, his alcoholic wife, the supserstious native assistant, to name a few more, and finally the biggest stereotype of all, Peter West, played by Ian McCollough, the reporter who actually does his job and researches his facts, investigates his clues, and requires proof...in short an honest reporter, such a rare breed in today's mainstream drive-by media who brought us Jayson Blair, Mary Mapes, and Dan Rather that in this day and age he can only get a job on Fox News. But this is well balanced by good acting and believable dialouge of people thrown into their situation. Another pleasant surprise was that I expected dubbing snce this movie was foriegn made, but Fulci used an English speaking cast, which was really a good move.
In summary, Lucio Fulci took all the elements that makes a great classic horror movie, mainly a good storyline, great choice of scenery, good acting, believeable special effects, and a creepy soundtrack, and wove them very well. It has become a part of my Halloween whether at home or deployed just as "Team America" is a partof my 4th of July. I recommend it to fans of the horror genre very highly. No horror collection ca be complete without it.
Fulci's best film in my opinion! I saw this in the theater with in a double feature with Dawn of the Dead and the difference in atmosphere and creepiness was so stark the film stuck with me years later. You can make an arguement that The Beyond is Fulci's best work but for me it's Zombie (Zombi 2) and this version by Media Blaster's is the best it's ever looked. I had the very rare Japanese laserdisc for awhile and this blows that away. While Italian horror is not for everyone, I highly recommend this to any zombie film fan. It slowly builds, the score if great and the FX are spectacular.
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