john-1451

Have you ever seen one of those movies where it's obvious that the writer ran out of ideas two thirds of the way through, then said eff it and started throwing in whatever nonsensical idea that came into his mind? That's this movie. Either that or he wrote the screenplay with a plastic bag tied around his head. Please do not waste your time on this idiotic piece of trash. This movie is so terrible, that I cancelled my Shudder subscription immediately after I finished it. It's that bad.

I am a big fan of zombie movies and TV shows, and after watching Korean entries Train To Busan and Kingdom, I thought that they had outpaced us in thrilling zombie action. Boy was I wrong. Black Summer is everything I want in a zombie movie or TV show. While lacking in gore, this makes up for it with tension and spectacular set pieces. Shoot outs, car chases, zombie attacks, all done with style and aplomb. Good guys, bad guys, anyone can die at any time. If I have any complaint it's that the characters make tons of stupid decisions, but if they didn't we would miss out on the scintillating zombie action. This is pretty low budget, but they used it to their advantage, crafting a gritty, non stop thrill ride. Episodes 4, 5 and 8 compare favorably to the best episodes of any zombie show out there.

I guess I have to be that guy and disagree with those that talk about what a great show this is. While Bernthal is good as the title character, this is a VERY slow series, with maybe one action highlight an episode. While I sympathize with the plight of veterans, this show beats you over the head with a PTSD story line that seems extremely familiar. And why do all of these "Hero on the run from government killers" shows always have to use the trope of the hero visiting an old friend or mentor that is living as a hermit and tries to kill him? Been there and seen that. Plus the sub plot of the FBI agent trying to find him really adds nothing to the over all story. all in all, a disappointment.