State of Emergency

"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.

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!

This is not a blockbuster and there isn't a lot of zombie action, however this is an interesting movie with character and plot development. I started watching this movie while my spouse was at work, but when he got home he immediately got interested in the plot, even though he normally disregards "those zombie crap movies" I watch. He also liked, The Horde, World War Z, The Night Eats the World, and Overlord. So, I'm slowly but surely converting him over to be a zombie movie fan.

The plot: After an explosion at a plant that stores biological weapons, a rage virus transforms a small community into bloodthirsty cannibals.

Yes, it's a straight-up ripoff of 28 Days Later and The Crazies. Once you get past that, it's actually pretty watchable, as long as you keep your expectations reasonable. The characters are a bit on the stupid side, but they're likable idiots. The slow pacing and brief run-time don't really leave much time for character development, and you end up not really knowing who these characters are. This is a bit of a problem because the film basically revolves around the characters; there's little gore or action, especially considering the genre. There's a little bit of drama, suspense, and romance, but don't hold your breath waiting for them. When the characters aren't have flashbacks to explain their thin back story, they're staring out windows or peering through rifle scopes. It's not very exciting, but it's a fairly tolerable waste of time.

If you're looking for a film that focuses more on characters and atmosphere, you may enjoy State of Emergency. Just keep in mind that it's an independent, low budget zombie film, and don't go in expecting a masterpiece. For example, the characters inject insulin into a diabetic's vein, and the zombies mostly just strike frightening poses and growl instead of attacking. My guess is they didn't have enough money for many stunts. It's not a great film, but it's better than I was expecting, given the budget and one man crew.

If you come into this expecting something like the Walking Dead, or any of the other hundreds of Zombie movies out there, you will be disappointed. This movie is actually more about the characters and the personalities and what they are experiencing and going through emotionally, than it is about Zombies.

Taking it for what it is, this movie is okay. It's not fantastic, but it is okay. If anything, the Zombies almost get in the way of the actual story itself, at least what little of them there are.

The movie is a wee bit confused in that it is trying to cater to multiple audiences by being a dramatic tale with some conservatively added violence, guns and gore. Doesn't quite work, but I don't think it completely fails either.