AMC Premiere: The Walking Dead

[RSMurphy]

The Walking Dead

Not Crap

I knew nothing up until about two weeks ago of its first incarnation as a comic/graphic novel, so I cannot speak to its faithfulness, but, holy shit! What a pilot! Recorded it last night, watched it in the brightness of the early evening sun, and it was still creepy-as-fuck. The make-up is superb and the graphic violence works. Most of this would be moot if it weren't for the characters: well-written and engaging. I want to know what is going to happen to these people! Poor Morgan. Hopefully they didn't blow their wad on the pilot episode.

[numberthirty]

The Walking Dead

Not Crap

I knew nothing up until about two weeks ago of its first incarnation as a comic/graphic novel, so I cannot speak to its faithfulness, but, holy shit! What a pilot! Recorded it last night, watched it in the brightness of the early evening sun, and it was still creepy-as-fuck. The make-up is superb and the graphic violence works. Most of this would be moot if it weren't for the characters: well-written and engaging. I want to know what is going to happen to these people! Poor Morgan. Hopefully they didn't blow their wad on the pilot episode.

If they stick to the comic, they're just getting started.

I was pretty shocked at just how good the make-up was. It had me mulling over if some of it was CG or all make-up.

Sister thread on the comic: http://www.electricalaudio.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=51171&p=1197864&hilit=the+walking+dead#p1197864

[RSMurphy]

Sister thread on the comic: http://www.electricalaudio.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=51171&p=1197864&hilit=the+walking+dead#p1197864

Right before I made this thread I did a search to see if I overlooked it. I saw your link to a particular episode and decided not to click on it. Hell, I didn't even watch the coming-up-on-this-season-of...clips because I dig surprises.

So I take it Rick finding the horse was in the comic? This is the only scene I thought bordered on cheese, but quickly changed my mind once they got to the deserted highway. Good show!

[iembalm]

Yep, they pulled it off, the first episode. I've read about 80% of the comics, so I have a pretty good idea what's coming, but I was pretty nervous throughout. They're doing a medium-speed ghouls thing that I can live with. I was not ready for the guy in the tank. Who knew zombies need to zone out every so often? Casting seems spot-on so far. Looking forward to the season. Only show I'm watching right now.

[RSMurphy]

I was not ready for the guy in the tank. Who knew zombies need to zone out every so often?

I wasn't ready for the zombie taking a disco-nap outside of the gate the following morning. Z-dude was straight cold lampin. Also, not sure if it was just me but I could swear at least one of the zombies (Morgan's recently deceased wife) had some vestigial sense of their former life. I am intrigued to see where this will go.

Please, no spoilers!

[DrAwkward]

Anyone know if the pilot's streaming anywhere? Fuckin' AMC, premiering it on a Holiday...

[numberthirty]

So I take it Rick finding the horse was in the comic? This is the only scene I thought bordered on cheese, but quickly changed my mind once they got to the deserted highway. Good show!

It's been a while but, I think the horse is issue number two or three.
It felt like the hour and a half covered about an issue and a half.

[iembalm]

Anyone know if the pilot's streaming anywhere? Fuckin' AMC, premiering it on a Holiday...

I have Charter Cable and this evening it was being re-run on IFC, I think. That seems strange now that I've written it, and their website doesn't say anything about it. But I'm sure I saw it somewhere other than AMC, and the length seemed to indicate they had removed the commercials.

[numberthirty]

Anyone know if the pilot's streaming anywhere? Fuckin' AMC, premiering it on a Holiday...

If nothing else, I think they a showing it after midnight on Friday/Saturday.

[Johnny 13]

Anyone know if the pilot's streaming anywhere? Fuckin' AMC, premiering it on a Holiday...

Zombie show on Halloween is sort of perfect tho.

[DrAwkward]

Anyone know if the pilot's streaming anywhere? Fuckin' AMC, premiering it on a Holiday...

Zombie show on Halloween is sort of perfect tho.

Well, yes, but dammit, some nerds have a social calendar!

My lack of DVR is completely stupid.

[a leg plaster]

Glad to hear this was good. I meant to watch it last night, but you know, sometimes you drink. A lot.

Will report back with the "Not Crap!" if all goes as smoothly as it sounds it will.

[timpickens]

I thought it was kind of dumb, but I haven't read any of the comics and I'm not a zombie fanatic to any extent. The friends I was with had all read the comics and were much more impressed, I was more interested in seeing some familiar landscape. I have no idea how I haven't run into these guys filming at any point, the last scene with him on the horse was right where I have to walk to school every day. I like the good ol' boy police officers and overly-Caucasian zombie population.

I'll continue to watch.

[Johnny 13]

After my last visit to this thread, I made time to watch it, and could not be more excited about the future of this show. They have already done some thoughtful things, and there are cues that they are going to be traveling down the smarter path with this. I hope it finds an audience, and goes for years.

[fedaykin13]

Excellent.

I commented to my girl about how amazing the make-up was.

It's also nice for a zombie story to be a series.
Often times in the zombie film, the beginning is the best part of the movie.
The set-up. The stillness. But because it's a movie they have to rush through.

This took its time.
I was surprised how touching the scene where Deputy goes back to finish off
the half-lady zombie that was crawling in the park.

Really looking forward to the next episode.

[Sock OR Muffin?]

Fedaykin13 is right....

Really liked it although they did lift a little from 28 Days Later, unless 28 Days lifted from the graphic novel which I haven't read. It was interesting how the pacing started out kind of slow. Really liked the lady in the park and the little girl at the very beginning. Great makeup.

They shot the tank/horse scene on the street my friends live on in downtown Atlanta. (Forsyth St. at the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals). I visited them a few times and had to walk past sandbag barricades and M1 tanks. Lots of recognizable places near where I work as well. Really cool.

NC

[fedaykin13]

Fedaykin13 is right....

Really liked it although they did lift a little from 28 Days Later, unless 28 Days lifted from the graphic novel which I haven't read. It was interesting how the pacing started out kind of slow. Really liked the lady in the park and the little girl at the very beginning. Great makeup.

from what little I've managed to read about it, the deputy waking up in the hospital wasn't in the comic (a lot wasn't. or expanded greatly)

CGI blood though. Please stop!

oh yeah. Totally Not Crap

[iembalm]

Fedaykin13 is right....

Really liked it although they did lift a little from 28 Days Later, unless 28 Days lifted from the graphic novel which I haven't read. It was interesting how the pacing started out kind of slow. Really liked the lady in the park and the little girl at the very beginning. Great makeup.

from what little I've managed to read about it, the deputy waking up in the hospital wasn't in the comic (a lot wasn't. or expanded greatly)

It was. In fact, the prelude/shootout is a grand total of one page, and immediately goes into the hospital, at least in the compilation hardcover I have. There wasn't a chain lock on the door where they'd herded the zombies, either, and they come at him, which pretty much establishes for Rick that things have changed. Bicycle girl is in that book, too, including his finishing her off.

[GypsumFantastic]

The waking up in hospital to an apocalypse theme was started I believe in John Wyndham's novel The Day of the Triffids written in the 60's.

I'm enjoying the slow pace that the TV series of The Walking Dead is taking, especially as reading the monthly comic takes about 3 minutes an issue to read. The scene where Rick fired his gun inside the tank was good, I pitied his eardrums! Imagine being rendered deaf in the middle of the zombie apocalypse.....yikes!

[japmn]

I'm pretty sure my computer got a virus while I was searching for a site to DL this premier last night. Hope it isn't a zombie virus.