Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		2.5

The Dead 2 Blu-ray Movie Review

"Sequel" doesn't mean "original."

Reviewed by Martin Liebman September 2, 2014

"The Dead." It's a beautifully simple title. No adjectives, no fuss, just "The Dead." No "Living" or "Walking" qualifiers, just a clear, to-the-point message of Zombie movie simplicity, a welcome simplicity in a genre that can range from the the absurd to complex social commentary. The Dead 2 follows up on, yes, The Dead, a decent small-budget Zombie flick from the Ford Brothers, Howard and Jonathan. The siblings once again team up for this sequel, which isn't so dissimilar. The action shifts further East from Africa to India but it's otherwise a basic tale of survival in a zombie-infested world. Simple.

Cruisin' for an undead bruisin'

Indian radio reports a bizarre outbreak of a deadly disease in Africa. It's only a matter of moments until it shows up when an ill man arrives in town, walking slowly, sweat dripping, vision blurred, and presumably the beginning a spread of zombiism throughout one of the world's most densely populated nations. Meanwhile, an American named Nicholas (Joseph Millson), an electrical engineer in India working on a wind farm, learns of the outbreak. He barely escapes with his life and begins a trek across a barren stretch of land to reunite with his pregnant girlfriend. Along the way, he befriends a young boy named Javed (Anand Gopal) with whom he struggles to survive against the undead.

Though the film lacks scale and scope, fans of all things flesh eating will find The Dead 2 a satisfactory experience. It's a film that does everything right within its own power and budget constraints, but just doing everything "right" isn't always a formula for success. The film fails to innovate or offer a particularly compelling reason to watch it over some other Zombie movie, other than it finds the spotlight simply because of its novelty around release. The plot dynamics are flat, the characters equally so, and the violence is right out of every other zombie experience. Other, better Zombie films and productions -- The Walking Dead, Dawn of the Dead -- carry the day more because of characters, drama, story, and themes. The Dead series, and this second film in particular, offers little more than A-to-B-to-C survival, following a character traversing a difficult terrain and fending off some scattered pockets of the living dead. It's fine as baseline entertainment, but genre connoisseurs will probably shrug their shoulders when the credits roll and move on to something better or the next in a growing line of zombified entertainment.

Indeed, the film's linear structure and lack of dramatic depth are its greatest downfalls. Even when the film desperately tries to inject character development and feeling, it never does much with the results. Nicholas, at one point later in the film, makes a hard decision with a couple of lives on the line. It's one of those post-apocalyptic zombie scenarios in which there's no real right or wrong way to do things, but whatever he does it's a decision that's guaranteed to haunt him for the rest of his life. He makes his choice, visibly grieves, and moves on. There's a flashback to the moment later but otherwise no real lasting repercussions. It's a good moment that's lessened by the film's inability to truly build its characters beyond stock and to give them emotions and meaning beyond the generic. Basic characterization is kept to a minimum and relayed through a brief exchange between Nicholas and Javed about midway through. Perhaps the film's aim is to keep its characters as bland as possible to better convey the feeling of the "everyman" caught in the chaos, but even under that pretext it just doesn't accomplish anything that scores of other run-of-the-mill Zombie films haven't done before.

The Dead 2 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Dead 2 ambles onto Blu-ray with a mixed bag 1080p transfer. The film is naturally bleak and hot, with a warm, somewhat washed-out palette that favors a sweaty, dreary, inhospitable backdrop. Splashes of color contrast against an earthy backdrop that dominates the film, but never are colors all that precise. They're robust, yes, but not eye-catchingly natural. The film begins with a disturbing amount of flatness, lack of detail, and light smeariness that favors a DVD more than a Blu-ray. Fortunately, things tighten up once Nicholas is introduced. Details suddenly appear firmer -- faces are noticeably sharper -- but not so much so that the appearance of light softness and only modest definition on background terrain and foliage goes away. Black crush is frequent in darker scenes, and skin tones favor that evident warmth. Heavy banding mars a few shots, notably around the 1:15:00 mark. The film's flat, processed look certainly gives it a unique flavor but eye candy this most certainly is not.

The Dead 2 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Dead 2 bites into Blu-ray with a potent Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The track is frequently aggressive but does take a few missteps along the way. There's generally good heft to music -- bass is deep -- and a fair amount of spacing and surround support. Clarity remains strong even as the music approaches high volumes at reference level. Some ambient effects help shape the barren locations through which Nicholas and Javed make their way in the film's middle stretch. More chaotic effects include screams and ringing phones and general chaotic din within a hospital. Gunshots range from disappointingly puny (around the 25:30 mark) to aggressive and satisfying (the 46:20 mark and again near film's end when a character empties an AK-47 into a throng of zombies). Helicopters rumble and jets zip through the stage with solid presence and authority at several junctures, and near the end in particular. Dialogue delivery is clear and focused throughout.

The Dead 2 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Dead 2 contains a featurette and a pair of deleted scenes.

• The Making of The Dead 2 (1080p, 29:12): Film Critic Billy Chainsaw sits down with the Ford Brothers to discuss the film's setting, the underlying themes, the process of making the new film and the role of fan support, the challenges of the shoot, working with locals, and more. Scattered throughout are numerous clips from the film and behind-the-scenes footage.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 2:21): A pair of untitled scenes.

The Dead 2 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Dead 2 doesn't really improve upon the original, but it maintains the same basic style, at least. The series is taking shape as something that can be counted on to be at least modestly entertaining, though certainly not great or in the mold of the genre's may classic films. The story lacks novelty and the zombie action, too, never really amounts to anything interestingly out of left field, but the film does most everything right within its obvious constraints. Anchor Bay's Blu-ray release of The Dead 2 delivers serviceable video, good audio, and a couple of extras. Recommended as a purchase to genre fans who find it on a good sale.