The Walking Dead

[FrankBooth]

Guns play less of a role with this, because the noise attracts them and they are now seeing them become much larger groupers (herds)

This becomes more significant when they are static in a location for a period of time.

[Quakecry]

Well, as i said in the other thread:

About less talking, more slaughtering.
In all good zombie-movies (including romero) the setting is only a "background" for what is actually happening.
Romero used zombies as a reason to put humans under extreme pressure, in a situation where they want to survive against all odds even though that means loosing the humanity itself.
Simon Pegg describes it well in one of the "the walking dead" books.

With The Walking Dead, Robert Kirkman has brilliantly captured the spirit of George A. Romer's definitive version of the modern zombie and applied it to his own epic tale of survival. I would imagine everybody reading this has at some time or another asked themselves the question: What would I do? How would I survive if it was me against them? Whilst our favourite zombie movies always seem too finish far too quickly, leaving us wondering what happened next, Kirkman is able to savour the journey and explore the many dangers and dilemmas facing his increasingly diminishing and outnumbered band of survivors. Often, as in some of the best zombie stories, the ghouls themselves are merely bit part players, a context in which to play out the human story. Our real concerns are for the people that remain, for their future and by proxy, our own.

The Walking Dead brilliantly captures the simple truth that in the face of Armageddon, the little things remain unchanged. We still love and hate the same people. We still like the same bands, get the horn, remain frightened of heights and spiders. Kirkman cleverly focuses his narrative on the enduring minutiae of human existence and uses a full blown zombie apocalypse to bring it into sharp relief. Often the roots of great fantasy are firmly embedded in the truth. It is this simple reality that makes The Walking Dead such an engrossing read.*

(simon pegg in walking dead volume 2, "miles behind us")
Zombies, is as said just a excuse to put humans into a desperate situation, it could by all means just have been a natural disaster, a war or whatever reason. Romero and Kirkman choosed to have zombies because they are much cooler, and helps make more excitment than the alternatives.
series/movies.
The walking dead uses more of the "human-drama" so to speak, because it has time to do it. A luxuary most ordinary movies don't have. The luxuary to do a really deep dive into the mind of the human imagination and play around up in the heads to some that have everything and nothing to live for. And the drama that then can happen.
If you have problems to imagine such "dramas" to happen in reality, you can just watch how humans react when put in extremly difficult situations.
Plane crash in the andes-mountains, stanford prison experiment and so on.
If you've read the walking dead cartoons, as i did - it is very much that happens, (and words by the author himself) that says that this is 90 percent about the characters, and not zombie-slaughtering

[JKD]

I enjoyed it more than any episode of the first season. The pacing was better and they found a better balance between the zombie action and interpersonal melodrama.

Walking Dead's still not quite there yet but sometimes shows take a while to find their footing. Star Trek the Next Generation, as an example, didn't really hit its stride until the third season.

[Anthony91]

I enjoyed it more than any episode of the first season. The pacing was better and they found a better balance between the zombie action and interpersonal melodrama.

Apart from the Pilot, this has been one of the best episodes. Save for the annoying blonde bitch and the little girl....they deserve to be zombiefied more than the stupid black guy.

Its quite odd really, never before have I truly cared about whether or not the characters live or die as much as I do with The Walking Dead. Maybe its because the work is a television series or that its beautifully created in all aspects of production, but i've often sat for hours and discussed this series in-depth with my mates about their tactics, what they should have done, and to a lesser extent, what did we think about the episode as a whole. God I love being a raging nerd.

But I would like to see some more zombie kids.

[Fargin]

My main problem with the series is I want all the living characters to die.

[seraosha]

Ok, the whole "I would be driving my pimp ass all over in an APC, geared up for a picnic in Faluja, robbing armories" only gets you so far. Like frank mentioned, and we saw this episode...the "herds" of zombies just get bigger and bigger. How much ammo would you need to put them all down? When each gunshot is audible for miles, and each zombie that turns to follow the sound alerts the others around him, pretty soon you have a problem that doesn't stop, doeasn't sleep, doesn't breath, just keeps coming and coming and coming until it's brain is destroyed, or you get bit. Lets say that out of the 4,124,300 folks living in the 10 county region around Atlanta, half are zombies, the other half deaddead...2 million zombies. There just isn't enough ammo, nor shooters that can take that kind of foe. Sure, there would be other survivors, but take "Survival of the Dead" or "Diary of the Dead" where we see a small a squad of NoGos running around...and they get eaten eventually too.

As suggested in the "Zombie Survival Guide", and as we saw in "WWZ" being quiet, small mobile groups, that can get up close and use melee weapons, then fade back have better chances of surviving, likewise organized "stand-off' positions prepared in advance.

My chief complaint so far is that the first priority should have been training each and every person in their group how to shoot, have them armed, and all with spears/halberds, or some kind of melee weapon that keeps the zombies out of arms reach, as well as changing into some clothes that would offer a little more protection than tshirts and tanktops. Sure, silencers for everyone on ARs would be groovy...but where are those stashed? Guess we'll find out if they ever make it to Ft. Benning.

[Quakecry]

Exactly what Anthony says! And, off course things like this is important. Romero didn't exactly get popular because it was just another zombie movie, there are loads of underground zombie movies and B-movies. There is a reason he did it much better than his collegues like Lucio Fulci.

[seraosha]

On that note, check out "Le Horde", a French Zombie flick that is the bombdiggity.

[custodes]

Don't see it happening, the source material just isn't like that and that is why it is interesting. Execution for live action might just not work with this. There are some big zombie battles but Kirkman makes sure to always wrap the humanistic element carefully into most of them.

Frank did you see the IGN panel at NY Comic Con with Kirkman/Walking Dead? I wasn't about to wait in a line for more than 2 hours but, I heard it was one of the top 4 big lines. Along with Avenger Movie, Robot Chicken and Venture Brothers.

[khalifah]

Guns play less of a role with this, because the noise attracts them and they are now seeing them become much larger groupers (herds)

This becomes more significant when they are static in a location for a period of time.

Although, guns still do play a role. Its a valid argument about the noise factor when it comes to guns, but then again what about the smaller calibers? .22, .380, .17, etc. They all are not as loud as others. (thinking on .22 especially). BUT, the argument against using these small calibers is that they may not cause enough trauma/damage to the brain, and at such a close range as well.

My main problem with the series is I want all the living characters to die.

Well, in one part of the 1st continuum they kinda hint at who'se really living, and who'se really dead.

[Hollis]

Watched it last night. Well some Zombies did get more dead. It was So so. I would prefer less soap box drama in it. Also maybe smartin' up the crew a bit. They do stupid real well. I am not sure who is slower, the survivors or the Zombies.

[Createdeemcee]

I would be looking for an archery center, seems best weapon of choice now is that crossbow. Great/Sad First episode of the season.

[Beowulf]

thinking about the conversation between the group and the old-timer when they find out he faked the truck being still broken - ending up with another group member killed.

[Beowulf]

the crew is pretty retarded - i was cringing watching that broad try to put her pistol together....ugh.

[seraosha]

For a 'random' selection of normal people, they are a pretty proficient group...wait for Andrea to quit ****ing around with pistols.

And you guys are going to love Michonne.