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| IDT (Australia). Region 4, PAL. 1.78:1 (16:9 enhanced). English DD 5.1. 78 minutes |
| The Movie |
| Cover Art |
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| Credits |
Director: Conor McMahon
Starring: Marian Araujo,
David Muyllaert, Eoin Whelan, Dave Ryan, Amy Redmond,
Kathryn Toolan
Screenplay: Conor McMahon
Country: Ireland |
When I first heard about Dead Meat,
I was being told it was an Irish zombie movie with
killer cows. Completely ignoring any other relevant
data, I decided it was going to be a crazy movie
like a live action version of Man-Eating Cow (from The Tick), funny as Father
Ted, and with more bleedin' hearts
than the latest U2 concert. Sadly, there are killer
cows, but for precious little screen time.
Dead Meat opens with a cow attack.
Hopes were instantly high. Then the film segues
to this Spanish woman heading into the countryside
with her partner. Too bad for them, they've
decided to go to a place where a mutation of mad
cow disease has created a zombie plague. The boyfriend
gets distracted while driving and runs over a
man. The man dies, so the couple decide to transport
him in their car, which wasn't a good idea
because he's infected, and doesn't
stay dead long. He attacks, and the boyfriend
is bitten. The Spanish woman is left fending for
herself in a zombie overrun world. Fortunately
for her she hooks up with the local gravedigger,
and they continue their struggle for survival
together. Eventually, after MUCH patience on my
part, there was another cow attack.
Dead Meat is fast paced and
well directed, but wasn't as funny as I
was hoping for. Not that Dead Meat's
attempts at humour fail, there just aren't
as many as I was expecting. Some of the effects,
particularly fake heads and some of the zombie
makeup, leave a bit to be desired, but there is
some good gore. There is also some underlying
social commentary in certain scenes, but the film
can be enjoyed as just a fun zombie romp as well.
Too bad there isn't much to be said for
it as a killer cow movie.
The zombies are somewhere between the new and
old breed. They don't run everywhere, but
do move fast and are prone to using tools. There
are many scenes that may remind you of other zombie
movies, everything from Undead to Let Sleeping Corpses Lie,
as well as influences from Evil Dead, The Crazies, and Resident
Evil (the video game). Despite seeing
familiar elements, things are often presented
with a fresh spin here, such as POV shots from
various objects and what has to be the world's
greatest disabled zombie ever. One scene in particular
features a role reversal that should amuse fans
of Lucio Fulci's Zombi 2.
I think Dead Meat is entertaining,
but really, there's not enough cow action. Dead Meat has been out gored,
and out joked by other zombie movies, but it has
not been out cowed, so there should've been
more of them. Not only that, but after the danger
of an infected cow is built up, the danger is
resolved very anti-climactically. Just think of
how fucking BRILLIANT this movie would've
been if it had lost the human zombie element and
only had mad cows roaming the countryside and
attacking all they saw! There could be a scene
of a farmer saying something like, 'Bessie,
it's me! Farmer Bob. Don't you remember
me?' before being consumed by his turned
cow! Or a scene where a Hindi goes up to a Brahman
Cow to praise it, and gets eaten!! And just imagine
a scene set in a slaughterhouse where the cows
have come back!!! |
| Video |
| Dead Meat is presented at 1.78:1
in a 16x9 enhanced print. The film looks very similar
to 28 Days Later, so was perhaps
shot on similar equipment. The film has a few specks,
and some bits of grain, but is mostly a sharp, clear,
clean print. |
| Audio |
| The audio is a 5.1 track. The mix is pretty vivacious,
with appropriate jolts, but unfortunately the dialogue
is a bit quiet. The score can also be overpowering,
but I think this is due to film's original
elements, not the transfer. |
| Extra Features |
| Some trailers. |
| The Verdict |
I want a sequel. The Land of the Cow Dead,
or Bovine Butchers, or Re-Curdinator,
or Mooing Milk Massacre or something.
With numerous, tougher, mad cows. The whole time.
Forget the zombies. Just the cows.
Got something else to say? Spill your guts on the
Digital Retribution Message Forum! |
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