| Reviews & Columns |
|
Reviews DVD TV on DVD Blu-ray 4K UHD International DVDs In Theaters Reviews by Studio Video Games Features Collector Series DVDs Easter Egg Database Interviews DVD Talk Radio Feature Articles Columns Anime Talk DVD Savant Horror DVDs The M.O.D. Squad Art House HD Talk Silent DVD
|
 DVD Talk Forum |
|
|
| Resources |
|
DVD Price Search Customer Service #'s RCE Info Links |
|
Columns
  
 
|
|
|
Zombi 3
Media Blasters // Unrated // September 24, 2002
List Price: $24.95 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
(If you're reading this review, you most likely know this film's pedigree, but just in case you don't, here's a refresher. Italian horror-film director Dario Argento was one of the producers of George Romero's "Dawn of the Dead". Argento took Romero's film to Italy, where it became a huge success, playing under the title "Zombi". Hoping to rival that success, a fake sequel named "Zombi 2" was directed by Lucio Fulci and rushed into theaters. This film was also a success in Italy, and become a cult hit worldwide, where it went by various titles. (It's known as "Zombie" in the U.S.) So, a few years later, it was decided that another film would be in order, so Fulci was brought in to make "Zombi 3".)
The Movie
"Zombi 3" opens with a man stealing an experimental chemical weapon known as "Death One" from a lab. As the theif is pursued, the cannister is shot and the chemical is spilled on his hand. Wounded, he flees to a nearby hotel, where he soon becomes a flesh-hungry ghoul. The military moves in and finds that the man has died. But, they make the mistake of cremating his remains, and the ashes spread the chemical across the country, turning hundreds of people into homicidal zombies.
Into this region comes a trio of GIs on leave (Deran Sarafian, Ottaviano Dell'Acqua, and Massimo Vanni), a group of women traveling in a motor-home, and a woman named Patricia (Beatrice Ring), who has lost her lover to the plague. These frightened travelers make their way to the same hotel where the fugitive from the film's opening was housed, only to find that it is deserted...except for the zombies. Meanwhile, the military and the scientists who created "Death One" argue over how the contamination can be stopped.
"Zombi 3" is one of those movies that has so many problems, that I don't know where to begin. So, I'll start with the one positive aspect. Some of the zombies here can move very quickly, unlike the slow, shuffling hordes that we're used to, and that's kind of fun and refreshing. There's one spry zombie with a machete that is actually kind of creepy. There, now that I've gotten the one positive out of the way, on to the rest of the review.
One probably shouldn't expect the sequel to a rip-off to be original, but "Zombi 3" is almost too derivative for words. The story is a combination of "Zombi 2", "Return of the Living Dead", and "Dawn of the Dead". I use the term "story" loosely, as there really isn't one here. Once the main premise has been set up, the film is sipmply a mixture of zombie crowd scenes and character deaths. The characters in the film are killed off seemingly at random. Some of the deaths come as a mild surprise, but, as we really never get to know these people, there is little emotional investment. We know that the GI's are horny and like really bad music. We know that Patricia had a boyfriend. And we know nothing at all about the people in the RV. As for the other characters, the scientists wear white lab-coats and the military guys wear uniforms. What else do you need to know?
The film is set in an unnamed country (Santa Monica Hospital is named), but it was shot in the Phillipines. So, we have a lot of palm trees and an ethnically diverse cast, most of whom didn't speak English. The dubbing here is terrible, and I truly feel sorry for the actors responsible for providing the voices, as in many of the scenes, it's quite clear that the on-screen actor flubbed his line, but decided to keep going. Watch the main scientist, as he stammers throughout the film.
Fulci's "Zombi 2" became famous mainly because of its outrageous gore effects. While "Zombi 3" has a high body count, don't expect the same kind of gore here, as most of the killings are relatively tame. "Zombi 3" turns out to be a weak entry into the Italian zomibe ouvre. The hyper-active zombies aside, the offers a weak story and few thrills. This one should have stayed buried.
Video
For this DVD transfer, "Zombi 3" is presented in an anamorphic widescreen, has been letterboxed at 1.85:1. The image is sharp and fairly clear, save for a few scenes. Unfortunately, the film has that overall dark look of a low budget foreign film. But, this transfer does its best to overcome that. The colors are good for the most part, and there is only a fine sheen of grain on most scenes. There is some slight artifacting and shimmering, but these defects are rare. The opening scenes does look bad, but the liner notes tell us that it was taken from a Japanese videotape source, as this was the only way to get this scene into the film. But, several of the gore scenes have the same shimmery look, as if they were taken from another source. Defects aside, this is a pretty good transfer.
Audio
This DVD offers a Dolby Digital Mono soundtrack, which provides clear dialogue and sound effects, but otherwise is unspectacular. Also, there is some minor hissing and popping on this track, but that shouldn't interfere with the viewing experience.
Extras
The special features open with a still gallery that contains 12 pictures of promotional material for the film. Next, we have the trailer for "Zombi 3", which conveniently gives away the ending. This is followed by brief (ranging in length from 7 to 18 minutes) interviews with cast & crew members Claudio Fragasso (screenwriter), Bruno Mattei (uncredited director), and actors Ottaviano Dell'Acqua, Massimo Vanni, and Marina Loi. Here, we learn a great deal about the making of "Zombi 3". Director Lucio Fulci was ill during the filming and when his footage was edited together, the resulting movie was only 50-minutes long. So, Mattei was hired to shoot padding scenes, without the primary cast! The interviewees speak candidly about their experiences on the film and their time with Fulci. Hearing their anecdotes truly helps to explain why the movie is so bad!
"Zombi 3" left me with this question -- If the outbreak struck suddenly, why are all of the zombies wearing what appear to be institutional pajamas? Shouldn't some of them be wearing something else? The movie will appeal only to die-hard Italian zombie fans, and even most of them admit that this one is crap.
The Movie
"Zombi 3" opens with a man stealing an experimental chemical weapon known as "Death One" from a lab. As the theif is pursued, the cannister is shot and the chemical is spilled on his hand. Wounded, he flees to a nearby hotel, where he soon becomes a flesh-hungry ghoul. The military moves in and finds that the man has died. But, they make the mistake of cremating his remains, and the ashes spread the chemical across the country, turning hundreds of people into homicidal zombies.
Into this region comes a trio of GIs on leave (Deran Sarafian, Ottaviano Dell'Acqua, and Massimo Vanni), a group of women traveling in a motor-home, and a woman named Patricia (Beatrice Ring), who has lost her lover to the plague. These frightened travelers make their way to the same hotel where the fugitive from the film's opening was housed, only to find that it is deserted...except for the zombies. Meanwhile, the military and the scientists who created "Death One" argue over how the contamination can be stopped.
"Zombi 3" is one of those movies that has so many problems, that I don't know where to begin. So, I'll start with the one positive aspect. Some of the zombies here can move very quickly, unlike the slow, shuffling hordes that we're used to, and that's kind of fun and refreshing. There's one spry zombie with a machete that is actually kind of creepy. There, now that I've gotten the one positive out of the way, on to the rest of the review.
One probably shouldn't expect the sequel to a rip-off to be original, but "Zombi 3" is almost too derivative for words. The story is a combination of "Zombi 2", "Return of the Living Dead", and "Dawn of the Dead". I use the term "story" loosely, as there really isn't one here. Once the main premise has been set up, the film is sipmply a mixture of zombie crowd scenes and character deaths. The characters in the film are killed off seemingly at random. Some of the deaths come as a mild surprise, but, as we really never get to know these people, there is little emotional investment. We know that the GI's are horny and like really bad music. We know that Patricia had a boyfriend. And we know nothing at all about the people in the RV. As for the other characters, the scientists wear white lab-coats and the military guys wear uniforms. What else do you need to know?
The film is set in an unnamed country (Santa Monica Hospital is named), but it was shot in the Phillipines. So, we have a lot of palm trees and an ethnically diverse cast, most of whom didn't speak English. The dubbing here is terrible, and I truly feel sorry for the actors responsible for providing the voices, as in many of the scenes, it's quite clear that the on-screen actor flubbed his line, but decided to keep going. Watch the main scientist, as he stammers throughout the film.
Fulci's "Zombi 2" became famous mainly because of its outrageous gore effects. While "Zombi 3" has a high body count, don't expect the same kind of gore here, as most of the killings are relatively tame. "Zombi 3" turns out to be a weak entry into the Italian zomibe ouvre. The hyper-active zombies aside, the offers a weak story and few thrills. This one should have stayed buried.
Video
For this DVD transfer, "Zombi 3" is presented in an anamorphic widescreen, has been letterboxed at 1.85:1. The image is sharp and fairly clear, save for a few scenes. Unfortunately, the film has that overall dark look of a low budget foreign film. But, this transfer does its best to overcome that. The colors are good for the most part, and there is only a fine sheen of grain on most scenes. There is some slight artifacting and shimmering, but these defects are rare. The opening scenes does look bad, but the liner notes tell us that it was taken from a Japanese videotape source, as this was the only way to get this scene into the film. But, several of the gore scenes have the same shimmery look, as if they were taken from another source. Defects aside, this is a pretty good transfer.
Audio
This DVD offers a Dolby Digital Mono soundtrack, which provides clear dialogue and sound effects, but otherwise is unspectacular. Also, there is some minor hissing and popping on this track, but that shouldn't interfere with the viewing experience.
Extras
The special features open with a still gallery that contains 12 pictures of promotional material for the film. Next, we have the trailer for "Zombi 3", which conveniently gives away the ending. This is followed by brief (ranging in length from 7 to 18 minutes) interviews with cast & crew members Claudio Fragasso (screenwriter), Bruno Mattei (uncredited director), and actors Ottaviano Dell'Acqua, Massimo Vanni, and Marina Loi. Here, we learn a great deal about the making of "Zombi 3". Director Lucio Fulci was ill during the filming and when his footage was edited together, the resulting movie was only 50-minutes long. So, Mattei was hired to shoot padding scenes, without the primary cast! The interviewees speak candidly about their experiences on the film and their time with Fulci. Hearing their anecdotes truly helps to explain why the movie is so bad!
"Zombi 3" left me with this question -- If the outbreak struck suddenly, why are all of the zombies wearing what appear to be institutional pajamas? Shouldn't some of them be wearing something else? The movie will appeal only to die-hard Italian zombie fans, and even most of them admit that this one is crap.
|
| Popular Reviews |
| Sponsored Links |
|
|
| Sponsored Links |
|
|
| Release List | Reviews | Shop | Newsletter | Forum | DVD Giveaways | Blu-Ray | Advertise |
|
Copyright 2024 DVDTalk.com All Rights Reserved. Legal Info, Privacy Policy, Terms of Use,
Manage Preferences,
Your Privacy Choices 
| |||||||