I've seen all this before... imagine low-budget versions of Halo, Doom and Resident evil combined. Voila, a moneymaker without anything new. Not recommended unless you've somehow missed all those movies, in which case it might seem original.
20 Reviews
One is left with an empty feeling here...
paul_haakonsen27 August 2022
Right, well a zombie movie with Michael Jai White in the leading role, what isn't there to like here?
Sure, as I sat down to watch the 2022 action horror movie "Dead Zone", I had never heard about it. But seeing it was a zombie movie, of course I had to watch it. And seeing that Michael Jai White was on the cast list, well that was just a great bonus.
The storyline in "Dead Zone", as written by Jeffrey Giles, Michael Klug and Michael Lurie, was pretty much as generic and unimaginative as you could get. This was textbook how-to-make-a-zombie-movie, right down to the letter. And that didn't make for a particularly good movie. Nay, this was pretty stale and cumbersome.
Aside from a very bland and monotonous storyline, then the character gallery in the movie was pretty weak. I honestly didn't care one bit about any of the character, and I don't even remember their names, and I have literally just gotten out of my seat from having sat down to watch "Dead Zone".
The acting performances in the movie were fairly wooden and rigid, and I do wonder how come Michael Jai White is showing up in so many dubious movies these years. Don't expect to be in for a grand cinematic experience of Shakespearian levels when (and if) you sit down to watch "Dead Zone".
The special effects in the movie were fairly limited, feeling like the movie was on a very strict and tight budget. Having made use of more elaborate and spectacular special effects and CGI might have done wonders for an otherwise stale movie experience. And as for the infected in the movie, they were as low-key as you get, and it just made the ordeal feel very amateurish.
If you enjoy zombie movies, like I do, then do yourself a favor and steer clear of "Dead Zone". Believe me, it simply isn't worth the effort, time or money.
My rating of "Dead Zone" lands on a very generous three out of ten stars.
Sure, as I sat down to watch the 2022 action horror movie "Dead Zone", I had never heard about it. But seeing it was a zombie movie, of course I had to watch it. And seeing that Michael Jai White was on the cast list, well that was just a great bonus.
The storyline in "Dead Zone", as written by Jeffrey Giles, Michael Klug and Michael Lurie, was pretty much as generic and unimaginative as you could get. This was textbook how-to-make-a-zombie-movie, right down to the letter. And that didn't make for a particularly good movie. Nay, this was pretty stale and cumbersome.
Aside from a very bland and monotonous storyline, then the character gallery in the movie was pretty weak. I honestly didn't care one bit about any of the character, and I don't even remember their names, and I have literally just gotten out of my seat from having sat down to watch "Dead Zone".
The acting performances in the movie were fairly wooden and rigid, and I do wonder how come Michael Jai White is showing up in so many dubious movies these years. Don't expect to be in for a grand cinematic experience of Shakespearian levels when (and if) you sit down to watch "Dead Zone".
The special effects in the movie were fairly limited, feeling like the movie was on a very strict and tight budget. Having made use of more elaborate and spectacular special effects and CGI might have done wonders for an otherwise stale movie experience. And as for the infected in the movie, they were as low-key as you get, and it just made the ordeal feel very amateurish.
If you enjoy zombie movies, like I do, then do yourself a favor and steer clear of "Dead Zone". Believe me, it simply isn't worth the effort, time or money.
My rating of "Dead Zone" lands on a very generous three out of ten stars.
Not a win, not a lose for a B zombie flick
ebs-1502927 August 2022
First, the High reviews for this are BS, it's a decent B zombie flick, but that's it. Watch if bored, has a few different approaches to the zombie world. Was about to stop watching 5 minutes in but did the whole movie. It's a watch for bored , die hard zombie fans, easy to rip apart but most are.last, the review board states I need 600 characters for this review what is absolutely bs , watch if bored and nothing else going on worth remembering.done''....".................."."..........This 600 character is b u l l $ h I t., this is why so many don't post this about any movie, they want a god damn novel for a review on a half ass b movie.
Terrible zombie film "starring" Michael Jai White
udar559 August 2022
I watched my first (and last) Tubi Original with the zombie-action flick DEAD ZONE (2022) "starring" Michael Jai White. I say "starring" because White is in the entire film but probably only shown on screen for 13 minutes. The rest of the time, he is suited up in a Halo cosplay outfit with a fogged out visor, no doubt to cover the fact it is a double and he probably worked a day or two on this in Colorado. They also do some Iron Man Jarvis-like inserts of his face. I understand that White has a family and they have to eat, but this is really rough stuff. Director Hank Braxtan (Snake Outta Compton...yes, a real movie title) stages things so poorly with the entire commando unit decked out in identical outfits (except for leader White having a red stripe down his helmet), so you can't even tell who is who. Probably on purpose. Replete with bad action scenes, shoddy CGI and a haggard looking Jeff Fahey cameo, it feels like it was a SyFy movie lost in the editing bay in 2005 and recently recovered.
Sick-of close-ups and no substance
The-caped-gremlin-hobbies26 August 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Actors running-around scaring themselves, you know alike the so-called ghost-hunters on Youtube who then run-away when they see something they don't understand...lol! However no dialogue with vague potential comrade portrayal. The Only things I liked were the paintball body Armour they used with special-effects satellite helmet intel. Combined close-up imagery of the actors to avoid any actual visual content of an apocalypse aftermath in a panoramic-view, the real action does take-place for 47 minutes with a vague appearance of a regenerative monster. The convincing realism I give a 1 out of 10, being unless your Brad Pitt whose presence of acting alone can assure you what you see is dangerous?
Boring
motori-2191630 August 2022
It is somewhat watchable, but, if you can avoid. Elements from 28 days later, resident evil.. poorly made. They kept those silent helmets on most of the time. Didn't make that much sense either. Poor quality shoddy cgi and overall quality.
Oddly, for a zombie movie, the city seemed pretty lit up, for everything to have collapsed.
Sat though it as I had nothing best to watch and hoped it was nice, but i was mistaken.
Low budget I would not recommend.................................................................................................................................................
Oddly, for a zombie movie, the city seemed pretty lit up, for everything to have collapsed.
Sat though it as I had nothing best to watch and hoped it was nice, but i was mistaken.
Low budget I would not recommend.................................................................................................................................................
Faceless suits, and shot in the dark, one wonders why they bothered making this.
lenwenzellw27 August 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Michael Jai White is an exceptional martial artist, but not a great actor. Although I like him in action films, we really don't see anything of him except for in a few short scenes, and his face in a few heads up display shots. The faceless combat suits really prevent any immersion in the story, as one usually needs some empathy with the characters, which is hard when they are all alike.
Couple this shortcoming with all the scenes in the film being shot in darkness or low light, and you are left with the impression of blurry movement, and unknowable action scenes as you can't simply see anything.
The creature effects were abysmal, as at no point were you ever offered a clear view of the creature. So one has to be content with creepy music, and insect noises to get a vague creature impression. Not only is the creature largely absent from the film, but the regular zombie monsters were entirely left in the dark, moving at high speeds so visually all you could see is a blur.
The film starts with a silly briefing in a supposed TOC that more gives the impression of being in some garage, or mechanical room. At no point is the supposed TEAM given any actual data, other then this is a vital mission which humanity needs to survive. So with no intelligence, beta test equipment, no supply drops, or transportation, they are on a hail Mary mission, which is basically a suicide run. Hoah Ya, sign me up, fist bump, and away.
Couple this shortcoming with all the scenes in the film being shot in darkness or low light, and you are left with the impression of blurry movement, and unknowable action scenes as you can't simply see anything.
The creature effects were abysmal, as at no point were you ever offered a clear view of the creature. So one has to be content with creepy music, and insect noises to get a vague creature impression. Not only is the creature largely absent from the film, but the regular zombie monsters were entirely left in the dark, moving at high speeds so visually all you could see is a blur.
The film starts with a silly briefing in a supposed TOC that more gives the impression of being in some garage, or mechanical room. At no point is the supposed TEAM given any actual data, other then this is a vital mission which humanity needs to survive. So with no intelligence, beta test equipment, no supply drops, or transportation, they are on a hail Mary mission, which is basically a suicide run. Hoah Ya, sign me up, fist bump, and away.
Watchable
SyamRawk30 August 2022
This is gred B zombie flick movie.
Storyline quite straight. Acting just ok for me.
But it's still entertaining to watch this movie until the end.
Dead Zone is a 2022 American sci-fi action horror film about elite soldiers who must fight off radiation mutated hordes.
Directed by Hank Braxtan (Snake Outta Compton; Unnatural; Chemical Peel; Blood Effects) from a screenplay written by Michael Klug and Tim Ogletree and a story by co-producers Jeffrey Giles and Michael Lurie.
An elite team of soldiers who, to stop the collapse of humanity, descend on a radiation-poisoned town and perform the ultimate stealth mission using high-tech armor and weapons.
Just watch it guys.
Storyline quite straight. Acting just ok for me.
But it's still entertaining to watch this movie until the end.
Dead Zone is a 2022 American sci-fi action horror film about elite soldiers who must fight off radiation mutated hordes.
Directed by Hank Braxtan (Snake Outta Compton; Unnatural; Chemical Peel; Blood Effects) from a screenplay written by Michael Klug and Tim Ogletree and a story by co-producers Jeffrey Giles and Michael Lurie.
An elite team of soldiers who, to stop the collapse of humanity, descend on a radiation-poisoned town and perform the ultimate stealth mission using high-tech armor and weapons.
Just watch it guys.
Defunctionalized Zone
compugor21 February 2024
Even fans of Michael Jai White must admit that this is a real stinker, as nothing works in this movie. Jai White is cool of course, and riffs off some cool military lingo like "ceilings & sixes", while making all the cool military hand signs (backwards fist for "hold up" ; two fingers pointed at the eyes for "look this way" etc but their equipment doesn't work and the dialog is presented from inside their helmets. The shot/counter-shot is quite tedious especially with the audio and the breathing apparatus malfunctioning. The special effects are lousy with the enemy creature being a really bad knock-off combination of Alien/Predator obviously portrayed by a man in a monster mask. Most of the footage is so dark that it is a strain to watch. 2 stars for Jai White who always wins.
It's not right. It's revenge.
nogodnomasters28 August 2022
Warning: Spoilers
The film opens by letting us know there is a zombie virus. The infected are sometimes killed using "radiation bombs" whatever that is. These areas are known as "Dead Zones." Michael Jai White, aka "The Boss" must lead a group of 5 into such a zone in an attempt to retrieve a possible vaccine from a CDC lab. They wear untested gear for the trip, including something lightweight to protect them from radiation, go figure. They meet zombie resistance; discover a human still alive; and of course like any video game, there is a hard to kill big boss they must face at the end.
It starts out with 5 guys walking to swagger music. There wasn't much special about the killing. Much of the film takes place at night with poor lighting and I am not sure how they would have lights at all.
Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity.
It starts out with 5 guys walking to swagger music. There wasn't much special about the killing. Much of the film takes place at night with poor lighting and I am not sure how they would have lights at all.
Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity.
Who doesn't like a good zombie movie?
sara_boyle31 July 2022
Totally tubular tense teli Tubi, totally tubular. Thanks
Top_Dawg_Critic6 September 2022
It's clearly a low budget B film, and considering it's a Tubi original "free" production, it wasn't too shabby. The camera-work was a little too shaky and the editing could've been better, but the pacing was decent for the comfortable 83 min runtime. Even the cinematography, score and directing were decent. Sure the writing had some issues, but with the adequate S/VFX, gore and MJW's awesome action scenes, as well as all cast performances being spot-on, it was still an enjoyable one-time watch. Anyone giving this film one's and two's needs to learn how to count higher. I've paid to see much worse, so I'm not complaining to watch something for free produced by Tubi's shoestring budget with a watchable and suspenseful story and decent actors. It's a well deserved 6/10 from me. Thanks Tubi, please keep them coming.
Actually pretty good.
kirachloe17 May 2023
I was concerned when reading the reviews. Especially when I read the intro that it was about 'an elite team', which usually means you are going to watch a bunch of high school drama dropouts that never held a gun in their life. But, I gave this a shot and was glad I did.
The story was actually pretty good. Toss a few more dollars for special effects and you have a 'made for TV' movie. A little more than that and it goes from good to great, with nary a core cast change required ... because, to begin with, you have actors that actually know how to act in the roles they were given.
The script won't win any awards, but was solid (which for a low budget film is rare), clean and consistent with the story, and without a lot of extraneous baggage. The scenes and scenery were well thought out and implemented/directed. And another wow ... a director that knows that many scenes are going to be in the dark (e.g. At night), but you never felt you had to grab your cell phone's flashlight.
To the production cast/crew, keep it up!
The story was actually pretty good. Toss a few more dollars for special effects and you have a 'made for TV' movie. A little more than that and it goes from good to great, with nary a core cast change required ... because, to begin with, you have actors that actually know how to act in the roles they were given.
The script won't win any awards, but was solid (which for a low budget film is rare), clean and consistent with the story, and without a lot of extraneous baggage. The scenes and scenery were well thought out and implemented/directed. And another wow ... a director that knows that many scenes are going to be in the dark (e.g. At night), but you never felt you had to grab your cell phone's flashlight.
To the production cast/crew, keep it up!
Boring, cheap, and mostly in halo-type suits.
mluinstra11 April 2024
Greetings from the other side. Firstly, I think they should have picked a better name for this movie. Dead Zone is a Stephen King movie, and TV series, so not the best choice in my opinion.
Regardless of the name, this movie is terrible and boring as hell. I'm not a fan of Michael J White, but we hardly see him anyways, because of the Halo-type suits they wear. We hear him talking, and see a close-up of his face in the fancy Heads-up-display helmet, just like Iron Man, which is cheating. Anything to save a buck I guess.
I'm at the 40 minute mark and hardly anything has happened. It's dark all the time, and we don't get a good look at the zombies. We see them running around at a distance, I read another review that said there's some action at the 47 minute mark, which would be a treat.
Anyways, I can't recommend this movie, especially since I might not be able to watch the Entire thing. It's now at the 52 minute mark and still no action, so the other reviewer was wrong with his time. It doesn't matter since I'm done with it.
Regardless of the name, this movie is terrible and boring as hell. I'm not a fan of Michael J White, but we hardly see him anyways, because of the Halo-type suits they wear. We hear him talking, and see a close-up of his face in the fancy Heads-up-display helmet, just like Iron Man, which is cheating. Anything to save a buck I guess.
I'm at the 40 minute mark and hardly anything has happened. It's dark all the time, and we don't get a good look at the zombies. We see them running around at a distance, I read another review that said there's some action at the 47 minute mark, which would be a treat.
Anyways, I can't recommend this movie, especially since I might not be able to watch the Entire thing. It's now at the 52 minute mark and still no action, so the other reviewer was wrong with his time. It doesn't matter since I'm done with it.
Something Missing
jedediahthomas19 January 2024
This is an odd one. It's by far not the worst movie I've ever seen.
In fact it had all the right things going for it. Everything you'd expect in a movie: good premise, good sets, decent actors, decent script, music that actually fits, zombies, gunplay, explosions, intelligent characters, cool costumes, future tech, the list goes on. But somehow it missed the mark.
I can't quite put my finger on what was missing. Like soup without the salt. Or a pencil turned the wrong way on the desk. It affects everything else, but you can't quite see it by itself. It left me with a feeling that I had watched the reflection of a great movie. It looked like the movie it was reflecting, but it wasn't the real movie.
Like running a movie from memory: you get all the main points and it's all there, but it doesn't feel like you're watching a movie. That's the feeling I got from this one. It would've only needed just a little oomph to hit that mark, but it didn't. So it ended up being an okay zombie movie. Not the worst, but nowhere near the gold standard of Resident Evil.
In fact it had all the right things going for it. Everything you'd expect in a movie: good premise, good sets, decent actors, decent script, music that actually fits, zombies, gunplay, explosions, intelligent characters, cool costumes, future tech, the list goes on. But somehow it missed the mark.
I can't quite put my finger on what was missing. Like soup without the salt. Or a pencil turned the wrong way on the desk. It affects everything else, but you can't quite see it by itself. It left me with a feeling that I had watched the reflection of a great movie. It looked like the movie it was reflecting, but it wasn't the real movie.
Like running a movie from memory: you get all the main points and it's all there, but it doesn't feel like you're watching a movie. That's the feeling I got from this one. It would've only needed just a little oomph to hit that mark, but it didn't. So it ended up being an okay zombie movie. Not the worst, but nowhere near the gold standard of Resident Evil.
In the zone
kosmasp11 April 2023
No pun intended - Jeff Fahey and Michael Jai White seem to be in that zone ... well of course they are, as in Dead zone ... but also they do give it their best shot (pun?) - which is almost funny considering the movie is not really that .. well there is not much the story gives them to work with. But they are as straight as an arrow (or bullet?) ... and act like the movie makes way more sense than it does.
All that being said, the action is quite decent. So it isn't just the acting that can work, if you like the people involved. The story is quite simple - again it doesn't really matter, this is low budget and looks good. You know what you get yourself into ... why else are you here, right?
All that being said, the action is quite decent. So it isn't just the acting that can work, if you like the people involved. The story is quite simple - again it doesn't really matter, this is low budget and looks good. You know what you get yourself into ... why else are you here, right?
A Great Zombie Movie
vanwolfster4 August 2022
The cast in the movie done a superb job in acting and even if the special effects were lacking a bit, it still delivered a great zombie viewing experience.
I especially love the zombie designs, reminds me of a combination of other movies to video games, yet I can't give away the details without spoiling the movie. Watch it, it's great.
I especially love the zombie designs, reminds me of a combination of other movies to video games, yet I can't give away the details without spoiling the movie. Watch it, it's great.
Enjoyable
nichit12 September 2022
I enjoyed this movie. It's an obvious B movie since it's on Tubi for free, but I liked it. It had a little bit of everything; horror, action, even some humor thrown in. This being a zombie movie, it's not meant to be taken seriously. I liked all the characters played by Michael Jai White, Chad Michael Collins, Jeff Fahey, Antuone Torbert, Whitney Nielsen, James Markham Hall Jr, Tarkan Dospil and J. Michael Weiss. My favorite character was Ajax, portrayed by Chad Michael Collins. There was a little bit of humor with Ajax and "Boss" that I liked. Even a little bit of an action scene as they test out equpiment.
An effective indie zombie effort
kannibalcorpsegrinder2 January 2023
Heading into a dangerous combat zone, a team of soldiers looking to grab an experimental vaccine supposedly being developed in a small town learns that a previous mission to poison the town has instead kept the infected alive and forces the team to adapt to the situation to get out alive.
This was a rather solid and enjoyable zombie effort. One of the better elements of this one is the general setup here that provides a ton of high-quality action involving the soldiers and their mission to get out of the infected town. With the backstory involving the military radioactively poisoning infected towns to prevent the spread of the virus and revealing the news about their need to retrieve a potential vaccine that was being developed in one of them, this all sets up a rather intriguing storyline about the team's mission and what they're supposed to be doing. That all goes hand-in-hand with the high-tech equipment used to protect them throughout here, with the futuristic suits and capabilities on display to protect them from the hordes of zombies running wild in the area. Being shown to withstand the type of general onslaught that most zombie films feature as the swarming scenes have more effect on them than would be expected with their high-quality firepower, the excess features with their early-detection systems and communication technology that offers the kind of futuristic ability to get around the creatures. In addition to that, there's also the rather impressive general action featured here as the series of encounters pick up as this goes along. The ambush at the main compound and the horde swarming the team at the garage provide fun, energetic sequences that showcase the power of the zombies in fine detail while serving to set the stage for the final encounter with the mutated entity which has been shown following them for their mission. A brutal, thrilling series of encounters that drive up the suspense of the situation while trying to utilize a series of intelligent traps to trick it, which alongside the fine creature effects feature a lot to like here. There's not much to dislike here but it does have some issues. The main drawback to be had is found in the main setup here as the team's ability to find them from a distance means they're much stealthier and therefore less likely to engage in the kind of action usually associated with here. Being able to outwit them easily means fewer encounters and that ends up lowering the type of action and gore throughout here which is somewhat distressing, much like the other issue here with the laughable inserts to the team wearing the equipment that's completely unrealistic and illusion-busting how these play out. These are what manage to drag this down.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language and Graphic Violence.
This was a rather solid and enjoyable zombie effort. One of the better elements of this one is the general setup here that provides a ton of high-quality action involving the soldiers and their mission to get out of the infected town. With the backstory involving the military radioactively poisoning infected towns to prevent the spread of the virus and revealing the news about their need to retrieve a potential vaccine that was being developed in one of them, this all sets up a rather intriguing storyline about the team's mission and what they're supposed to be doing. That all goes hand-in-hand with the high-tech equipment used to protect them throughout here, with the futuristic suits and capabilities on display to protect them from the hordes of zombies running wild in the area. Being shown to withstand the type of general onslaught that most zombie films feature as the swarming scenes have more effect on them than would be expected with their high-quality firepower, the excess features with their early-detection systems and communication technology that offers the kind of futuristic ability to get around the creatures. In addition to that, there's also the rather impressive general action featured here as the series of encounters pick up as this goes along. The ambush at the main compound and the horde swarming the team at the garage provide fun, energetic sequences that showcase the power of the zombies in fine detail while serving to set the stage for the final encounter with the mutated entity which has been shown following them for their mission. A brutal, thrilling series of encounters that drive up the suspense of the situation while trying to utilize a series of intelligent traps to trick it, which alongside the fine creature effects feature a lot to like here. There's not much to dislike here but it does have some issues. The main drawback to be had is found in the main setup here as the team's ability to find them from a distance means they're much stealthier and therefore less likely to engage in the kind of action usually associated with here. Being able to outwit them easily means fewer encounters and that ends up lowering the type of action and gore throughout here which is somewhat distressing, much like the other issue here with the laughable inserts to the team wearing the equipment that's completely unrealistic and illusion-busting how these play out. These are what manage to drag this down.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language and Graphic Violence.
Great film! Enjoyed it!
rachelmaytum22 March 2023
Finally got round to watching Dead Zone here in the UK. I like the interaction between Michael Jai White and Chad Michael Collins. Both of them portrayed their characters well. All the cast did a great job. The outfits were great. Liked the idea of knowing which character was who through seeing their faces head on within their helmet. Would have liked to known more about the character's background, more in depth conversations, and had ending where they depart in the helicopter, looking down at the aftermath! Just to make me feel better knowing they were completely away from the Dead Zone! Haha! I enjoyed it!
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