Infected (2013) Reviews

• Wow.

  Kolobos512013-04-11

  This movie was so bad. Really, really bad. It's like watching one of those crappy, instantly forgettable 1980's creature features but without the charm. This is a siege movie and there isn't really anything more to the plot. People are infected with a zombie-like virus and attack our heroes, who are all hanging out at that eternal target of flesh eating monsters, a remote farm house. Michael Madsen and William Forsythe are featured prominently as a couple of tough old hunters and both are bad, although different kinds of bad. Madsen gives the same gravelly, slightly disinterested performance he's been doing since Kill Bill. Forysthe goes the other route, with a weird piece of crazy over acting that left me feeling embarrassed for the talented character actor. Christy Romano, child star of Even Stevens and of Mirrors 2, is literally the only good piece of the cast and she is really trying to do good work. She doesn't have that much screen time though. This flick has crappy picture quality, lame effects, laughable dialog, and is all around terrible. Just avoid it. It isn't even funny.

• I can't believe I watched the whole thing

  Njg-659-9897622013-04-14

  I have never felt the need to leave a review before but this is probably the worst film I have ever seen. The initial premise comes across as this could be OK, a bit cliché'd but an attempt to add a bit of originality to the origin of the outbreak. The effects are poor which wouldn't necessarily be bad but add the strange musical interludes which seem like an attempt to build romantic intrigue, throw in a new cliché every 5 minutes or so and you end up with a film that goes downhill fast and stays there. The final nail in the coffin of this awful film is to finish it off with a narrative that makes it feel like you have just finished watching a T.V. pilot. Some bad films are funny because they are bad, this one isn't, it's just bad.

• Entertaining zombie horror outing

  Woodyanders2013-07-19

  Okay, we all know the drill by know: A desperate handful of people must do their best to survive and stay alive after a virus causes the bulk of the population to turn into ferocious flesh-eating ghouls. So far, so familiar. But fortunately director/co-writer Glenn Ciano proves to be competent enough to keep this picture on track: The snappy pace rarely falters once the zombies start attacking, the characters are drawn with some depth, the backwoods location is well used, there's a handy helping of graphic gore, and Ciano pulls out all the stirring stops in the lively and exciting last third. Moreover, Ciano warrants extra praise for concluding the story on a note of careful optimism that doesn't seem forced or too sappy. However, it's the seasoned and dynamic presence of two dependable old pros who give it their proverbial all that really makes this movie hum: Michael Madsen attacks his role as the rough'n'tumble Louis Hartley with his trademark growly gusto while William Forsythe likewise really sinks his teeth into his juicy part as macho two-fisted physician Dr. Edward Dennehey; the strong chemistry between these guys makes the friendship between the two characters utterly convincing and engaging in comparable measure. The other cast members are decent and acceptable, but it's the formidable duo of Madsen and Forsythe who elevate this film several additional notches above average and keep it enjoyable throughout. As an tasty bonus, buxom blonde babe Tracey Sheldon briefly bares her beautifully bountiful boobs. Ben DeLuca's crisp cinematography provides a bright polished look. Eric Masunaga's cool rocking score does the hard-pumping trick. No classic, but a good deal of energetic fun just the same.

• "Infected" has the typical set-up for a zombie movie with a unique reason for an outbreak

  ersinkdotcom2013-04-28

  Zombie movies are the flavor of the moment and have been for a while now. At least one film featuring some variation of the walking dead is released a week. However, I wouldn't necessarily call the creatures we see in "Infected" traditional zombies. The "Infected" people in this never die. They get sick from exposure to Lyme disease by being bit by an animal or person who contracted it or ate something it was in, such as contaminated meat. The individuals who are infected don't just lumber around aimlessly. They actually resemble rabid animals, talk, and move rapidly. Although the zombies in "Infected" aren't typical, the set-up of the movie is. We have a group of people trapped in a cabin in the woods. They must fight off the diseased as they attempt to break into the house and eat every living thing inside. The characters end up having to make the choice to kill off their friends and relatives who are bitten and contaminated. Veteran actors Michael Madsen and William Forsythe take their roles more serious than they should for an independent horror film like of this caliber. The two of them give "Infected" a touch of class that elevates it above other zombie movies being released. Forsythe does ham it up a little and adds some campiness to the film. Madsen plays serious throughout the entire thing as if he's targeting an Oscar for his part. Christy Carlson Romano ("Even Stevens") stars as a woman concerned about her grandmother as she gets sicker from the mysterious illness. She's the focus of one of the most spectacularly gruesome parts of the film. "Infected" as a whole isn't anything we haven't seen before. Sure, the main cause of the epidemic is unique. That doesn't change the fact that the gory details and the outcome of the movie remain the same as any other living dead flick. It will no doubt thrill viewers who aren't used to watching horror movies as well as genre fans looking for the week's zombie fix.

• Surely this was meant to be a spoof...

  paul_haakonsen2013-09-14

  Being a huge zombie aficionado, I basically devour - no put intended - just everything that includes zombies. Unfortunately the zombie market is swamped with releases that are questionable and probably shouldn't have had seen the light of day. As was the case with "Infected" (aka "Infection Z"). And I assume that the "Infection Z" title is a bad attempt to cash in on the blockbuster "World War Z" movie. But regardless of the reason, then this movie was really not worth the effort. The zombies in the movie were far in between shots, and they weren't actually zombies as in the sense of being shambling and decaying. Well, it does make sense if this is the first stages of decay. But still, with the ridiculous sounds they were making, it was more of a spoof on the zombie genre than it was actually appearing as a proper, serious movie. And as hard as it is to take Michael Madsen seriously, then it came even more difficult given the horrible hat he was wearing just about 99% of the entire movie. That hat was just ridiculous to look at. The most uplifting part about "Infected" was perhaps that William Forsythe was in the movie, but it was hardly anywhere remotely near enough to make it worthwhile suffering through the entire movie. I did manage to stick with the movie to the very end, hoping that there would be just one moment to make it worth it, but there wasn't such an occurrence. The DVD movie I received from Amazon was titled "Infection Z" and it had a very apocalyptic image of a metropolis in ruin and flames on the back cover. This was the worst kind of misleading imagery ever. Because the entire movie takes places at an isolated homestead somewhere out in a forest in the middle of nowhere. What can I say about "Infected"? Well, stay well clear of it, or you might be infected with a bad case of boredom.