Erich
12-10-2003, 05:27 AM
Here you go - my review for Shock Waves - I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did typing it ;) .
“Once They Were Almost Human! Beneath the living... Beyond the dead... From the depths of Hell's Ocean! The Deep End of Horror!” With a tagline that good, you just know this movie will be a real treat! Yes, zombie movies have come in all shapes and sizes, and some are simply more effective than others. Although having gore is nearly a necessity for this great subgenre, “Shock Waves” is a prime example of how effective a horror movie can be with minimal gore shots. Also, the inclusion of both Peter Cushing and John Carradine greatly helps the movie. Even if “Shock Waves” is not ranked as one of the greatest of all zombie movies, it will certainly stand out as one of the finest of the Nazi-zombie movies.
It is wonderful boating weather, and a group of stereotypical tourists all signed up to take a peaceful little tour of the high seas. However, they were not counting on having to put up with the amusingly-cranky ship captain (John Carradine). He makes it quite clear that he won’t take them back to shore early, since he refuses to give refunds on what they paid him. Later that night, our love interest Rose (Brooke Adams) is talking with the assistant captain, Keith (Luke Halpin – of Flipper fame), hoping to convince him to turn the ship around. But they are interrupted when a large ship appears in the fog, and is heading right towards them. Despite his best efforts, they collide and their smaller boat winds up stuck on a reef. The next morning there is a mysterious rusted-out wreck that looks like it could have been the ship that hit them, other than the fact that it seemed to have been completely disabled for several decades. With few options, the group rows to the nearby island in hopes of finding some help. What they do find is an old mansion, and the equally old SS Commander (Peter Cushing) who has been living here alone for years. It seems that he was in charge of a special scientific team that was studying ways to re-animate the dead corpses of fallen troops, trying to create a superior soldier (read: zombie). Although this project had stopped at the fall of the Third Reich, there was enough time for them to create a small platoon of these zombies, who have been living in the waters around the island ever since! As nighttime arrives, the people know they need to hurry and get off the island, before the zombies return to kill them all. However, with the only way off the island being through zombie-infested waters, things are looking dismal for our heroes right from the beginning.
“Shock Waves” is a mixed-bag, but it receives good marks as a whole. The acting is very poor, except for Carradine and Cushing, who together succeed in making up for the others’ downfalls. The “zombies” are not very convincing since they do not act like “zombies should” – but that is excusable since this movie came before either Romero or Fulci were doing their zombie movies, so the guidelines were not set down yet. In fact, if you look at the other zombie movies of the time – like Garden of the Dead and Plague of the Zombies – it actually is quite decent. And the Nazi-zombies do have some very creepy moments – just never “zombie moments.” If you are a zombie-fanatic like me, or if you are just looking for something to mix up the usual movie set, this is a good one to watch.
The DVD, being released by Blue Underground, is sure to please. The video is almost certainly the best out there – for being made in 1977, it is surprising clear. The audio definitely seems like it was done on a soundstage for much of the movie, but this is also easily forgiven. The movie is also given more special features than you could hope for (Thank You, Blue Underground) – multiple trailers, radio spots, TV spots, a very large collection of stills and artwork, a commentary track, and an interview with Luke Halpin about the movie! For being a mere $15, this is one excellent purchase!
Breakdown
Story: 8 / 10
Audio: 4 / 5
Video: 4 / 5
DVD: 5 / 5
Total: 8.4 / 10
“Once They Were Almost Human! Beneath the living... Beyond the dead... From the depths of Hell's Ocean! The Deep End of Horror!” With a tagline that good, you just know this movie will be a real treat! Yes, zombie movies have come in all shapes and sizes, and some are simply more effective than others. Although having gore is nearly a necessity for this great subgenre, “Shock Waves” is a prime example of how effective a horror movie can be with minimal gore shots. Also, the inclusion of both Peter Cushing and John Carradine greatly helps the movie. Even if “Shock Waves” is not ranked as one of the greatest of all zombie movies, it will certainly stand out as one of the finest of the Nazi-zombie movies.
It is wonderful boating weather, and a group of stereotypical tourists all signed up to take a peaceful little tour of the high seas. However, they were not counting on having to put up with the amusingly-cranky ship captain (John Carradine). He makes it quite clear that he won’t take them back to shore early, since he refuses to give refunds on what they paid him. Later that night, our love interest Rose (Brooke Adams) is talking with the assistant captain, Keith (Luke Halpin – of Flipper fame), hoping to convince him to turn the ship around. But they are interrupted when a large ship appears in the fog, and is heading right towards them. Despite his best efforts, they collide and their smaller boat winds up stuck on a reef. The next morning there is a mysterious rusted-out wreck that looks like it could have been the ship that hit them, other than the fact that it seemed to have been completely disabled for several decades. With few options, the group rows to the nearby island in hopes of finding some help. What they do find is an old mansion, and the equally old SS Commander (Peter Cushing) who has been living here alone for years. It seems that he was in charge of a special scientific team that was studying ways to re-animate the dead corpses of fallen troops, trying to create a superior soldier (read: zombie). Although this project had stopped at the fall of the Third Reich, there was enough time for them to create a small platoon of these zombies, who have been living in the waters around the island ever since! As nighttime arrives, the people know they need to hurry and get off the island, before the zombies return to kill them all. However, with the only way off the island being through zombie-infested waters, things are looking dismal for our heroes right from the beginning.
“Shock Waves” is a mixed-bag, but it receives good marks as a whole. The acting is very poor, except for Carradine and Cushing, who together succeed in making up for the others’ downfalls. The “zombies” are not very convincing since they do not act like “zombies should” – but that is excusable since this movie came before either Romero or Fulci were doing their zombie movies, so the guidelines were not set down yet. In fact, if you look at the other zombie movies of the time – like Garden of the Dead and Plague of the Zombies – it actually is quite decent. And the Nazi-zombies do have some very creepy moments – just never “zombie moments.” If you are a zombie-fanatic like me, or if you are just looking for something to mix up the usual movie set, this is a good one to watch.
The DVD, being released by Blue Underground, is sure to please. The video is almost certainly the best out there – for being made in 1977, it is surprising clear. The audio definitely seems like it was done on a soundstage for much of the movie, but this is also easily forgiven. The movie is also given more special features than you could hope for (Thank You, Blue Underground) – multiple trailers, radio spots, TV spots, a very large collection of stills and artwork, a commentary track, and an interview with Luke Halpin about the movie! For being a mere $15, this is one excellent purchase!
Breakdown
Story: 8 / 10
Audio: 4 / 5
Video: 4 / 5
DVD: 5 / 5
Total: 8.4 / 10