Dead Rising: Watchtower - Blu-ray

Movie: A plague is turning the dead into bloodthirsty zombies. The drug Zombrex is supposed to stop the epidemic. But apparently the anti-zombie medicine is not working as planned. And so a quarantine zone is set up to be bombed in the next 48 hours if necessary. In the midst of this zone, however, are also healthy people like the reporter Chase (Jesse Metcalfe), who actually just wanted to follow up on an explosive story and now has to fight for his life himself. Together with Maggie (Virginia Madsen), who lost her daughter to the virus, and the tough Crystal (Meghan Ory), Chase fights his way through the quarantine zone. When he finds out that Crystal is also infected, but she has a form of the drug that actually works, he does everything he can to get the story out there before the bombs drop. But zombies inside the quarantine zone and powerful enemies outside make that endeavor nearly impossible...

Dead Rising: Watchtower is the next film adaptation of a popular video game series to hit our home theaters. The spin-off to the game offers connoisseurs of the game some familiar elements such as the character of Frank West or the story about the drug Zombrex. But even those who have not played any of the previously published games from the series can easily follow the simple plot of the film. Director Zach Lipovsky weaves elements of the currently so popular series The Walking Dead with a touch of John Carpenter's The Rattlesnake. Borrowings from Wolfgang Petersen's Outbreak and the entire zombie oeuvre of George R. Romero can also be spotted. Really own ideas are scarce. Nevertheless, the whole thing is pleasantly entertaining and offers some really successful moments.

These occur especially when the film reveals a fair amount of self-mockery. This is the case in the news segments and the interviews with Frank West (Rob Riggle) shown therein. But even when an axe-wielding zombie clown shows up or Chase slays a zombie with someone else's ripped-off arm, it becomes clear that the film doesn't take itself entirely seriously and wants one thing above all: to be fun! And this succeeds quite well, especially with over-the-top crude splatter scenes or the bitter comments of zombie expert Frank.

Visually, this game adaptation has turned out more than decent despite the manageable budget. Equipment and make-up effects can really be seen. The first-person shooter look, which is based on the games, seems a bit tiring at some moments, but does not dampen the fun in the long term. So all in all Dead Rising: Watchtower is (from the point of view of someone who doesn't know the games) an entertaining and visually appealing zombie flick that can be recommended to all genre fans who can also take a little pinch of humor on their zombie slaughter plate. Worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: We did not have the finished product for review, only a press Blu-ray. The picture here is dominated by a slightly artificial-looking color scheme in which earthy, dirty tones predominate. The occasionally slightly exaggerated contrasts, on the other hand, actually ensure that there are a few minimal points deducted from the otherwise very good detail presentation. Overall, though, the visuals capture the atmosphere of the film very well. And the sound, which comes in an occasionally lively DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix, is also convincing with some good surround moments and atmospheric ambient sounds. Good!

Extras: Unfortunately, the bonus material could not be tested on the press disc.

Conclusion: Dead Rising: Watchtower is an entertaining mix of Walking Dead, The Rattlesnake and the zombie films of George R. Romero. The feature film spin-off to the obese videogame series is a B-movie through and through, but it can make up for its weaknesses in effects and dialogue with a heavy dose of self-mockery and a coherent end-times atmosphere. If you can overlook small lengths and want to see a wild zombie clown for once, you can safely risk a look at this home theater premiere. Recommendable

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp