We’ve all seen zombie flicks from all sides of the spectrum — the low-budget indie films to the blockbuster motion pictures. The problem with that is … just that! We’ve all seen zombie flicks from all sides of the spectrum! It’s all been done before, so where can filmmakers take the sub-genre that hasn’t been seen? It’s extremely hard to say and unfortunately Andrew Gilbert’s Infected just doesn’t do anything to further the zombie craze.
Infected is similar in premise to a whole lot of other zombie flicks — a group of teens and the remaining soldiers who tried to take control of the situation are holed up in an elementary school after an infectious disease has turned seemingly everyone into the flesh-hungry undead.
There have been plenty of indie zombie flicks that have blown me away with some great storytelling, impressive special effects, and overall creativity. Sadly, I cannot classify Infected as one of those projects. I found the acting to be mediocre, the story unimaginative, and a lot of the dialogue to be boring and drawn out.
In hopes of not sounding completely negative about my viewing experience, I do want to end this write-up on a much more positive note. I want to give Andrew Gilbert the proper credit that he deserves. I know it is extremely difficult to make any type of film, let alone a feature-length one with a running time of two hours. Not only did he create a film that he wanted to, but he also got it distributed by a studio that has put some of pretty great stuff, RLJ Entertainment.
If you’re a fan of everything zombie, you may have seen it all, but there is always room for more in your collection. True supporters of indie filmmaking should certainly take the time to check out Infected. It is available now on DVD from RLJ Entertainment.
I give this film 1 soldier out of 5.
