A man with partial blindness and a young pregnant police officer must work together to escape from a deadly virus that has spread across Grey County.
5 of 7 viewers "Liked" "DEADSIGHT" (2019, USA)
Creature reviews have been minimally altered in an attempt to maintain their voice:
Lord Battle - "Zombies populate a cinematic world created by George Romero. Other filmmakers may explore this world and even change it to suit their needs. Deadsight chose not to retread Romero's water by explaining rules to a savvy audience but instead used this extra narrative time to set a tone with dilapidated rural homes and colorfully lit underground mazes populating our unlikely survivor's 90 minute journey. Zombie fans may not enjoy the gore (especially a couple of CGI headshots that stand out) but may enjoy the strong cinematography, bleak storytelling, and post-apocalyptic exploration." - 3.5 Stars
Huntress - "Deadsight follows two rationally unskilled, extra vulnerable people as they make their way through a zombie ravaged world. Most of their run-ins with the infected felt like they were won simply due to dumb luck, which I really liked. But the overactive background music smothered the potential for tension to build. Deadsight simultaneously felt like several movies smashed together as well as its own thing, which is becoming increasingly uncommon in a genre that's been through as many renditions as zombie movies have. Our leads had the uncomfortable chemistry of an arranged marriage, which also adds to the authenticity of their relationship." - 3 Stars
Wandering Panda - "Deadsight is full of hits and misses for me. If the characters were not fumbling in the dark or in an actual dire situation the film would be so much better. The two characters at times feel like they have complete mastery of what they're trying to do. I also love the joke of "let's hand the blind guy very dangerous things." Like seriously, he was handed an axe and a shotgun. A frickin' shotgun!!! He's blind!!! Also, he had perfect aim for some reason or whatever." - 2.5 Stars
Eddie the Gamer Ghoul - "I made the mistake of taking it seriously... and the start of the movie sold its seriousness. Too soon I was laughing with the others at the blind swordsman/gunslinger rolling 20's with weapons he'd only used once (of which there were several). All in all, a great zombie comedy! That no one should suffer more den once... I was left with so many questions. Why did some zombies require headshots and some didn't? What happened to Patient Zero? She was like, 'I once was an infected like you, till I took a bullet to the knee.'". - 3 Stars
Math Mage - "Fargo + 28 Days Later sounds promising but goes nowhere, explores nothing, and is full of lame tropes (especially all weapons are single-use, zombies spawn in front of you, aim for the head, etc). Also, the blind guy rolls nothing but 20's." - 2.5 Stars
Greyranger - "It's cheap, none-too-original, but it's surprisingly affecting! Far from perfect, but it's sticking with me. Stellar opening, too!" - 3.5 Stars
KillDozer - " I appreciate a film made by filmmakers who want to make a film. A beautiful score and some moody atmosphere make for a watchable independent film that will remind you of minimalistic 28 Days Later." - 3 Stars
The Overlook Theatre Final Rating*
I decided to play Deadsight first on this particular Overlook Theatre Thursday and it was the first time in years that the reviewers questioned my choice. I was surprised by this since the film paired to play with Deadsight was Iron Sky 2: The Coming Race, which had a lot of baggage and was a ridiculous comedy. I knew if I had reversed the two that the audience would be less open for a slow-paced film, which I was only guessing Deadsight would be.
I should mention that the Thursday screenings that have been going on for over 3 years now take place at 6:30PM to give people enough time to eat/change or whatever before coming over. If you open up a double feature with a thoughtful/deliberately paced film, you are catching people just as they are unwinding. I found this to be a great spot for a film that demands attention. The only problem is if it's really "heavy" or just really good you may be kneecapping the following film. Also, keep in mind 99% of the films screened on Thursdays are unvetted.
Deadsight started strong and held the audience's attention completely until the beginning of the 3rd act. As the action amped up and we got a couple of "How the hell did the blind guy..." comments accented by some CGI head explosions, cross conversations broke out.
I will say that we had a couple of strong outliers during the film who continued to focus through the chatter, so the conversation can be considered mostly rude.
I should mention that the Thursday screenings that have been going on for over 3 years now take place at 6:30PM to give people enough time to eat/change or whatever before coming over. If you open up a double feature with a thoughtful/deliberately paced film, you are catching people just as they are unwinding. I found this to be a great spot for a film that demands attention. The only problem is if it's really "heavy" or just really good you may be kneecapping the following film. Also, keep in mind 99% of the films screened on Thursdays are unvetted.
Deadsight started strong and held the audience's attention completely until the beginning of the 3rd act. As the action amped up and we got a couple of "How the hell did the blind guy..." comments accented by some CGI head explosions, cross conversations broke out.
I will say that we had a couple of strong outliers during the film who continued to focus through the chatter, so the conversation can be considered mostly rude.
~💀~
After this screening, we were joined by Deadsight director Jesse Thomas and co-writer/co-star Liv Collins for episode 149 of The Overlook Hour, where they elaborated on their stylistic choices with the film and talked about the entire filming process. There were some slight technical issues we had no control over, which we talk about in the intro, but if you just want to skip directly to the interview, it starts at 1:08:43.
Thanks again to RLJE for sending us an early screener of DEADSIGHT!
The Overlook Theatre materialized in a Residence for a screening on 6/27/2019
*Based on the star ratings turned in by character reviewers, others viewed and got to "Dislike" or "Like" but that does not affect the rating.
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