The Dead 2: India

True to its title, the story unfolds in India. While it's a challenging setting, it differs from the constant extreme landscapes of the first installment. In India, we do get a taste of this, but the main challenges of survival mostly lies in the largely populated cities, which has led to utter chaos.

While this zombie movie was reasonably good, I couldn't help but notice a few significant flaws, including one aspect that appeared downright impossible and other elements that seemed nonsensical. My speculation is that these issues were likely overlooked due to constraints like time or funding.

All in all, this movie wasn't all bad; there were moments I found good and others not so much. It notably contains one of the most sorrowful and gut-wrenching scenes in any zombie film I've encountered.

Although I enjoyed this one somewhat, I can't say it's one of my favorites.

I really loved the first "Dead" movie the Ford Brothers did. I can't say the exact same about the sequel. It's not bad, but it feels a bit like a rehash, much of the same again, just in another location. We have a story added and a motivation for our lead character, which saves this from complete rip-off tag. But that is not enough to make this an improvement of part 1.

One of the main things that weighs more here, than it did in the previous movie, is the fact that the non actors have bigger roles to play and mostly fail in convincing. It's crucial to have someone make you feel the drama they are going through rather than just saying their lines. The movie has still some redeeming factors (lead actor, effects especially considering the budget and of course the sheer mentality of the directors going after their dream once more). For some it will feel like an endless movie though, especially if they didn't like the first one in the ... first place

At times, "The Dead 2: India" (2013), seems like a carbon copy of its predecessor three years earlier. Both "The Dead" and "The Dead 2" portray American male protagonists on a lengthy overland trek to reach a wife or girlfriend. Both were shot on location in an overseas setting. (The original took place in Africa.) And both portray a second protagonist who is a native of the country. (In this case it's a little boy portrayed by Anand Krishna Goyal. Even a curmudgeon like me has got to admit — that kid is adorable.)

I liked the first movie a bit better. This one feels a little hastily put together, in terms of its script and directing.

It does manage to succeed somewhat with the things that made the first film decent viewing. Its desert locations are beautifully shot, and the filmmakers bring back some of the original's slow-burn horror elements. The zombies here are usually as slow as snails — slower even than the zombies of George A. Romero's genre-defining early films. But they're also quiet, and they converge en masse when our hero lets his guard down. And the occasional appearance of a rare feisty specimen lead to some genuine jump scares. The movie also effectively employs what appears to be a low-budget special effect — the monsters' eyes are of an opal-white, otherworldly color. (I'm guessing those are colored contact lenses?) The trick works, the zombies are scary, and "The Dead 2" successfully provides a kind of "creeping horror" that is rare for today's horror films.

That wasn't enough, however, to rescue this movie entirely from feeling like a retread of the original. I'd describe this as an average viewing experience for a horror fan, and I'd rate it a 6 out of 10.

"Nicholas Burton" (Joseph Millson) is an electrical engineer who is currently in India working on wind farms. His girlfriend, "Ishani Sharma" (Meenu Mishra) has just told him she is pregnant and he is determined to go to Mumbai to see her as soon as possible. Unfortunately, a zombie epidemic has suddenly erupted which seriously jeopardizes everything. Now, rather than reveal any more of the movie and risk spoiling it for those who haven't seen it I will just say that this film greatly resembles its predecessor in a number of ways. Although there is only a slight connection to the original film I actually think this sequel is slightly better because it adds more of a human element. However, just the like the first film it is a dry zombie picture with absolutely no humor or anything else which deviates from the horror at hand. And while I have no doubt that true zombie fanatics will appreciate this movie, I also think that it might appeal to other viewers as well because it isn't one of those cheap-looking zombie films by any means. Accordingly, I rate it as slightly above average.

An infectious epidemic spreads through India as an American turbine engineer (Joseph Millson) learns that his pregnant girlfriend is trapped near the slums of Mumbai. Now he must battle his way across a 300-mile wasteland of the ravenous undead.

The biggest complaint this film seems to receive from people is that it is a repeat, or rehash, of the first film. An outside in a foreign land who has to travel across great distances while fighting off zombies. And that is a fair complaint.

But the Ford brothers do it well, with an amazing cinematography, and beautiful color palette, that showcases the beauty of India. Not to mention better than average zombie effects. For what is probably a relatively low budget film, it looks like a Hollywood-caliber production.