One of the worst things that can be said about any film-domestic or foreign-is that it reminds the viewer of another, more prestigious or better produced film. It is inevitable with the sheer number of films released every year there will be some overlap in ideas, situations and characters. After all, Hollywood isn´t the only place producing films, now is it? There is a diverse group of people who call themselves filmmakers, all of whom borrow ideas from other productions. Sometimes, though, a concept sounds too much like an existing film. Those are the times a level head associated with the production needs to step back and reevaluate the situation.
Luckily, "Evil" is not one of those times.
"Evil" (otherwise known as "To Kako" in its native Greek) is "Dawn of the Dead" mashed together with "28 Days Later" with a sprinkling of every 1980´s Hollywood horror movie ever created. The story centers in Athens, Greece, and follows a group of ordinary people (a young girl, a cab driver, an architect, etc.) struggling to survive as they are pursued by bloodthirsty zombies-their former neighbors, family and friends. Really, that´s the entire plot of the movie.
For an 83-minute production, "Evil" has a lot going for it. Yes, it borrows quite heavily from dozens of movies we´ve already seen, but it also knows how to have fun within the context of the story. For example, in the middle of running from a mob of zombies, one of the female characters takes off her shoe and flings it down the street. Somehow, the heel imbeds itself in a zombie forehead. It´s certainly not designed as a comedic moment; it just comes off that way in the context of the story.
The production values, such as they are, bring to mind the seminal American zombie movie, "Dawn of the Dead". Visual effects that don´t look remotely realistic (spurting blood and heads being split down the middle, to name two) seem like a twisted combination of legitimate and slapped together. More accurately, they feel like a relic of the 1970s before effects and makeup masters like Stan Winston and Rick Baker became the norm and not the exception.
And that´s not a bad thing, being compared to a pillar of the genre like "Dawn of the Dead". Unlike that film, though, there is no deep meaning behind "Evil". We´re not going to learn the meaning of life or even how to survive a zombie attack. It´s good, old-fashioned (albeit Greek) fun. There´s little more you can ask for in a movie that takes itself so seriously yet opens itself up for laughter at the same time.
The characters, by and large, are unimportant. The plot is unimportant. Which makes "Evil" all the harder to accurately review. I will admit I don´t have a proper frame of reference to judge this film against any other Greek productions and holding it up to an American film isn´t fair. The only criteria behind the film must have been to make it fun. And it is fun, if only for the various zombie kills. One piece of the movie does puzzle me, though: the ending. Without spoiling too much, if this group has survived-more or less-the previous 82 minutes, then why in the world would they run into the one place they couldn´t get out of? What is the point? Did they simply give up? Is there a part of the movie I missed where a rescue was due to arrive but never did? Was it a miscalculation? I kept waiting through the end credits to see if clarification was coming. It didn´t.
American horror movies aren´t particularly known for their acting. Based on "Evil", I´d venture to say that phenomenon is not confined the American genre. The assembled actors tear into their roles with gusto, though that´s not saying a whole lot considering the amount of running, jumping, yelling and action on the screen. In short, this isn´t an actor´s film; it belongs to the makeup and digital effects crewmembers. Those effects, the ones that should carry productions like this, don´t do the job as well as they probably should. Had the special makeup effects lived up to their role in the production, would "Evil" be a better movie?
Luckily, "Evil" is not one of those times.
"Evil" (otherwise known as "To Kako" in its native Greek) is "Dawn of the Dead" mashed together with "28 Days Later" with a sprinkling of every 1980´s Hollywood horror movie ever created. The story centers in Athens, Greece, and follows a group of ordinary people (a young girl, a cab driver, an architect, etc.) struggling to survive as they are pursued by bloodthirsty zombies-their former neighbors, family and friends. Really, that´s the entire plot of the movie.
For an 83-minute production, "Evil" has a lot going for it. Yes, it borrows quite heavily from dozens of movies we´ve already seen, but it also knows how to have fun within the context of the story. For example, in the middle of running from a mob of zombies, one of the female characters takes off her shoe and flings it down the street. Somehow, the heel imbeds itself in a zombie forehead. It´s certainly not designed as a comedic moment; it just comes off that way in the context of the story.
The production values, such as they are, bring to mind the seminal American zombie movie, "Dawn of the Dead". Visual effects that don´t look remotely realistic (spurting blood and heads being split down the middle, to name two) seem like a twisted combination of legitimate and slapped together. More accurately, they feel like a relic of the 1970s before effects and makeup masters like Stan Winston and Rick Baker became the norm and not the exception.
And that´s not a bad thing, being compared to a pillar of the genre like "Dawn of the Dead". Unlike that film, though, there is no deep meaning behind "Evil". We´re not going to learn the meaning of life or even how to survive a zombie attack. It´s good, old-fashioned (albeit Greek) fun. There´s little more you can ask for in a movie that takes itself so seriously yet opens itself up for laughter at the same time.
The characters, by and large, are unimportant. The plot is unimportant. Which makes "Evil" all the harder to accurately review. I will admit I don´t have a proper frame of reference to judge this film against any other Greek productions and holding it up to an American film isn´t fair. The only criteria behind the film must have been to make it fun. And it is fun, if only for the various zombie kills. One piece of the movie does puzzle me, though: the ending. Without spoiling too much, if this group has survived-more or less-the previous 82 minutes, then why in the world would they run into the one place they couldn´t get out of? What is the point? Did they simply give up? Is there a part of the movie I missed where a rescue was due to arrive but never did? Was it a miscalculation? I kept waiting through the end credits to see if clarification was coming. It didn´t.
American horror movies aren´t particularly known for their acting. Based on "Evil", I´d venture to say that phenomenon is not confined the American genre. The assembled actors tear into their roles with gusto, though that´s not saying a whole lot considering the amount of running, jumping, yelling and action on the screen. In short, this isn´t an actor´s film; it belongs to the makeup and digital effects crewmembers. Those effects, the ones that should carry productions like this, don´t do the job as well as they probably should. Had the special makeup effects lived up to their role in the production, would "Evil" be a better movie?
One of the worst things that can be said about any film-domestic or foreign-is that it reminds the viewer of another, more prestigious or better produced film. It is inevitable with the sheer number of films released every year there will be some overlap in ideas, situations and characters. After all, Hollywood isn´t the only place producing films, now is it? There is a diverse group of people who call themselves filmmakers, all of whom borrow ideas from other productions. Sometimes, though, a concept sounds too much like an existing film. Those are the times a level head associated with the production needs to step back and reevaluate the situation.
Luckily, "Evil" is not one of those times.
"Evil" (otherwise known as "To Kako" in its native Greek) is "Dawn of the Dead" mashed together with "28 Days Later" with a sprinkling of every 1980´s Hollywood horror movie ever created. The story centers in Athens, Greece, and follows a group of ordinary people (a young girl, a cab driver, an architect, etc.) struggling to survive as they are pursued by bloodthirsty zombies-their former neighbors, family and friends. Really, that´s the entire plot of the movie.
For an 83-minute production, "Evil" has a lot going for it. Yes, it borrows quite heavily from dozens of movies we´ve already seen, but it also knows how to have fun within the context of the story. For example, in the middle of running from a mob of zombies, one of the female characters takes off her shoe and flings it down the street. Somehow, the heel imbeds itself in a zombie forehead. It´s certainly not designed as a comedic moment; it just comes off that way in the context of the story.
The production values, such as they are, bring to mind the seminal American zombie movie, "Dawn of the Dead". Visual effects that don´t look remotely realistic (spurting blood and heads being split down the middle, to name two) seem like a twisted combination of legitimate and slapped together. More accurately, they feel like a relic of the 1970s before effects and makeup masters like Stan Winston and Rick Baker became the norm and not the exception.
And that´s not a bad thing, being compared to a pillar of the genre like "Dawn of the Dead". Unlike that film, though, there is no deep meaning behind "Evil". We´re not going to learn the meaning of life or even how to survive a zombie attack. It´s good, old-fashioned (albeit Greek) fun. There´s little more you can ask for in a movie that takes itself so seriously yet opens itself up for laughter at the same time.
The characters, by and large, are unimportant. The plot is unimportant. Which makes "Evil" all the harder to accurately review. I will admit I don´t have a proper frame of reference to judge this film against any other Greek productions and holding it up to an American film isn´t fair. The only criteria behind the film must have been to make it fun. And it is fun, if only for the various zombie kills. One piece of the movie does puzzle me, though: the ending. Without spoiling too much, if this group has survived-more or less-the previous 82 minutes, then why in the world would they run into the one place they couldn´t get out of? What is the point? Did they simply give up? Is there a part of the movie I missed where a rescue was due to arrive but never did? Was it a miscalculation? I kept waiting through the end credits to see if clarification was coming. It didn´t.
American horror movies aren´t particularly known for their acting. Based on "Evil", I´d venture to say that phenomenon is not confined the American genre. The assembled actors tear into their roles with gusto, though that´s not saying a whole lot considering the amount of running, jumping, yelling and action on the screen. In short, this isn´t an actor´s film; it belongs to the makeup and digital effects crewmembers. Those effects, the ones that should carry productions like this, don´t do the job as well as they probably should. Had the special makeup effects lived up to their role in the production, would "Evil" be a better movie?
Luckily, "Evil" is not one of those times.
"Evil" (otherwise known as "To Kako" in its native Greek) is "Dawn of the Dead" mashed together with "28 Days Later" with a sprinkling of every 1980´s Hollywood horror movie ever created. The story centers in Athens, Greece, and follows a group of ordinary people (a young girl, a cab driver, an architect, etc.) struggling to survive as they are pursued by bloodthirsty zombies-their former neighbors, family and friends. Really, that´s the entire plot of the movie.
For an 83-minute production, "Evil" has a lot going for it. Yes, it borrows quite heavily from dozens of movies we´ve already seen, but it also knows how to have fun within the context of the story. For example, in the middle of running from a mob of zombies, one of the female characters takes off her shoe and flings it down the street. Somehow, the heel imbeds itself in a zombie forehead. It´s certainly not designed as a comedic moment; it just comes off that way in the context of the story.
The production values, such as they are, bring to mind the seminal American zombie movie, "Dawn of the Dead". Visual effects that don´t look remotely realistic (spurting blood and heads being split down the middle, to name two) seem like a twisted combination of legitimate and slapped together. More accurately, they feel like a relic of the 1970s before effects and makeup masters like Stan Winston and Rick Baker became the norm and not the exception.
And that´s not a bad thing, being compared to a pillar of the genre like "Dawn of the Dead". Unlike that film, though, there is no deep meaning behind "Evil". We´re not going to learn the meaning of life or even how to survive a zombie attack. It´s good, old-fashioned (albeit Greek) fun. There´s little more you can ask for in a movie that takes itself so seriously yet opens itself up for laughter at the same time.
The characters, by and large, are unimportant. The plot is unimportant. Which makes "Evil" all the harder to accurately review. I will admit I don´t have a proper frame of reference to judge this film against any other Greek productions and holding it up to an American film isn´t fair. The only criteria behind the film must have been to make it fun. And it is fun, if only for the various zombie kills. One piece of the movie does puzzle me, though: the ending. Without spoiling too much, if this group has survived-more or less-the previous 82 minutes, then why in the world would they run into the one place they couldn´t get out of? What is the point? Did they simply give up? Is there a part of the movie I missed where a rescue was due to arrive but never did? Was it a miscalculation? I kept waiting through the end credits to see if clarification was coming. It didn´t.
American horror movies aren´t particularly known for their acting. Based on "Evil", I´d venture to say that phenomenon is not confined the American genre. The assembled actors tear into their roles with gusto, though that´s not saying a whole lot considering the amount of running, jumping, yelling and action on the screen. In short, this isn´t an actor´s film; it belongs to the makeup and digital effects crewmembers. Those effects, the ones that should carry productions like this, don´t do the job as well as they probably should. Had the special makeup effects lived up to their role in the production, would "Evil" be a better movie?
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