RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD 4 & 5

RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD 4: NECROPOLIS & RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD 5: RAVE TO THE GRAVE
By Aine

Ho hum, here I am writing yet another zombie movie review, two as a matter of fact. I guess zombies really are a plague on the earth. I wouldn’t be complaining if these movies were worth the video they’re shot on.

The Return of the Living Dead series is goofy enough on its own, and I’ll admit to being a fan of at least the first two; unfortunately, as is the case with most multiple sequels, they’ve made more, 2 more. I had waited to hear something about the status of these films for a long time, as different people were attached to the films, then not attached, and so on. Then nothing for awhile, then finally, that they would premiere on the Sci Fi channel back to back. Right then I should have known, but I gave them the benefit of the doubt. Clearly that was a mistake because these two Return of the Living Dead movies are pretty much the same poor quality, bad acting, incoherent pieces of trash that one can usually expect to see on the Sci Fi channel.

Now this isn’t to say that the Sci Fi channel sucks on its own, but it really should start trying to do something about the quality of the “originals.” I can only watch the same plot with a different disaster so many times. Or in this case, zombies. Yes, there are characters, things happened to them, and then there are zombies. They kill people while the characters spew clichés like they’re going out of style.

All I can bring myself to say is, they try to be funny and quirky like the original, they fail, but at least they tried. The highlight of Necropolis is probably when some uber zombies, who happen to be government experiments, get out and start the killing. It’s just too bad that these super zombies looked like Matrix rejects, right down to their greasy dreadlocks and heavy artillery.

The best part of Rave to the Grave, if you can stand to watch anything called Rave to the Grave without gagging, is the return of a “tar man.” At least he still manages to kick ass, be funny, and get out with his dignity. I only wish I could say that for the rest of it. Please, for the love of all things undead, STOP making sequels in this series NOW!