The Crazies

Time: 1 Hour and 41 Minutes

Box Office: $39M

Film Analysis

Step 1: Pre-Viewing

1. Title of film: The Crazies
2. Director & Producer: Breck Eisner 
3. Release Date: February 26, 2010
4. Film Genre: Horror

Step 2: Viewing

1. Important moments: When a local sheriff, David is watching a baseball game, his deputy notices a man holding a shotgun entering the field. Being warned multiple times to put the gun down, he refuses to respond and David is forced to shoot the man. Other strange behaviors were begun to be noticed within their community. David and his deputy discover a pilot's body along with a cargo plane sunk deeply underwater. Soldiers arrive and take all residents to a high school to have them quarantined based on whether or not the pass an examination that shows their infected. Judy, David's wife does not pass. It is later revealed by a government agent that the cargo plane contained a biological weapon that can contaminate and is very contagious. Russel is then infected and is disarmed. At the end, it is shown that a large part of Cedar Rapids is infected. 

2. Atmosphere of the Film: In the film, medium shots are often used, showing a certain character's position and the amount of trouble they are in based on what is set around them. Another common shot used is the close up which is designed to show the face of the character in order to help viewers determine what emotion they are feeling. As always, an establishing shot is used to set the location and display what is currently going on in the film. A technique that is often used for sound is complete calming silence and when the scene gets intense, the sound goes to a deep loud rumbling and the pace of the sound quickens. 
3. What is the mood or tone of the film? The mood of the film is hopeless and suspenseful. 
4. Explain the look of the film: The look of the film is dark and unsettling due to its abnormality. 

5. Explain the use of sound/music and/or sound effects in the film: Calmness and even silence is used to make the audience unaware of what is going to happen, but when the sudden loudness of suspenseful music is played, it makes the audience jump and feel terrified throughout the film. 

6. Physical qualities presented in the film: The physical qualities presented in the film are dramatizations, color, special effects that make the zombies appear as extremely stressed humans, and background noise that is used to make the viewer feel as if all of the events occurring inside the film are actually occurring in real life. 

Step 3: Post-Viewing

1. What is the central message of this motion picture? The central message of this film could have been about rampant militarism. 

2. Consider the effectiveness of this film communicating its message. As a tool of communication, what are its strengths and weaknesses? The film does a good job in making its message effective. When the military quarantines the residents could be support for this message based on the way they had treated them.

3. How do you think the filmmakers wanted the audience to respond? The filmmakers probably wanted the audience to acknowledge the fact that not everyone is trustworthy.

4. Does this film appear more to the viewer’s emotion? How does it make you feel? It does appeal to the viewer's emotion. You feel bad for the residents when they are isolated from the rest of society. I felt very disturbed with the infected resident's odd actions. 

5. Write a question to the filmmaker that is left unanswered by the motion picture: What was the infection? How was it started?

6. Would you recommend this movie to your friends? (Y/N)? Yes, I would recommend this film to my friends. 

7. How would you grade this movie? (E-NC) I would give this film an AE.