State of Emergency

Well,as i started to check this one out,i was ready for anything,or at least something.This film starts small,and sorry to say,stays small.Now,i,m not saying its not worth watching,its just that we have all seen better.The cast does a decent job at playing the roles,all kinda with that "non-actor" thing going on,and i only counted 6-7 zombies,so i take it that most did not survive the "thing" that caused all of the problems to start with.No great hordes,limping,stumbling,or shuffling,but stand-around being dead,until they see you,then they move !.Not too much of the red sauce,or rad deaths,just a couple of head shots.Lots of time on their hands,they talk,plan eat,and when they can,they sleep,which is what this movie inspired me to do

"State of Emergency" is not your average zombie movie. The movie starts out with a fairly good and interesting introduction to the main character, Jim (played by Jay Hayden). However, the movie is fairly slow in pace, and sadly never really picks up and gets into gear.

Now, don't get me wrong, because the movie is not all bad or an entire waste of time. What works out well in favor for the movie is the characters and the way that it manages to build up the relations to the four characters of which the movie revolves.

However, if you are looking for a zombie-fest or gore-show, then "State of Emergency" is a wrong bet to put your money on. As with "The Walking Dead", then "State of Emergency" is a character-driven story, although it just never gets anywhere near "The Walking Dead" effects-wise. I will say that all four people hired for the four main characters did good jobs with their given roles.

As much as I enjoy zombie movies, then I have always had a problem with agile and running zombies, which is what they have in this movie. And why do zombies in low-budget movies always have to make growling sounds like predatory big cats? It is just so stupid.

For a low-budget movie, then "State of Emergency" did a good enough job with what was available, and what they did use worked well enough in favor for the movie. However, it doesn't score high on the zombie ladder in regards of entertainment and enjoyment. There are far worse zombie movies available on the market.

"State of Emergency" is good is you have 85 minutes to spare and got nothing better to watch.

In Montgomery County, the couple Jim (Jay Hayden) and his fiancée Emilie (McKenna Jones) is ready to go to work when there is an explosion of a chemical plant in the outskirts of the town. Soon Montgomery County is in quarantine and under siege by the army and people turn into zombies.

Jim and Emilie escape from the town, but they have a car accident and Emilie is deadly wounded. They arrive in a farmhouse, but Emilie dies. Jim receives a phone call and a man named Scott (Scott Lilly) invites him to move to the tobacco warehouse close to the house where he is. Jim meets Scott and he introduces his wife Julie (Kathryn Todd Norman) and the unfriendly and weird Alex "Ix" (Tori White). Along the days, they become friends while they wait to be rescued by the marines. Will they survive?

"State of Emergency" is a surprisingly good and dramatic low-budget horror movie. The plot has great character development, good story of sympathy and friendship, but very few zombies; therefore fans of zombies will certainly be disappointed. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Código Vermelho" ("Red Code")

Although low-budget zombie movies are ten a penny these days and, it's fair to say, the majority of them are absolute rubbish, STATE OF EMERGENCY offers something a little different. For a start, it looks like a professional, well-made movie despite the low budget; it has great production values and it avoids being cheesy for the most part.

Of course, there's a flip side to this coin, and the main detraction with the film is that it's incredibly slow. There are lots and lots of long, drawn-out sequences where the protagonist just barricades himself inside a building and waits...and waits...and waits. Some viewers might find this off-putting, although I found that the tension levels were high, which kept me watching.

The acting isn't bad, and pretty good for a B-movie, and as mentioned the technical values are decent. The zombies themselves are fast-moving and ultra-aggressive, much like the ones in 28 DAYS LATER, and the scare sequences are well handled. STATE OF EMERGENCY is far from perfect, and one of the disappointments is that the ending just fizzles out instead of bangs, but in a sea of trash watching it is a nice surprise.

I'm going to keep this very short as this is the first time I have entered my own review on a film, usually just using the reviews to help me decide whether or not to watch a film, and I don't want to spoil it by giving anything away.

I agree with some of the reviews that there wasn't much zombie action, however, I would mark it up there with the Walking Dead in terms of just the right balance of story vs zombie. For me this was the perfect type of Zombie film as you just never quite knew when those moments were going to happen. Certainly had my heart racing on occasions.

Give it a go - what have you got to lose?? An hour and a half of your time?? In my opinion, it won't be wasted!