Film: The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Lived
Year: 2024
Directors: Bertie Ellwood, Michael E. Satrazemis, Michael Slovis and Amber Templemore
Writers: Scott M. Gimple, Danai Gurira, Nana Nkweti, Gabriel Llanas, Matthew Negrete and Channing Powell
Starring: Andrew Lincoln, Danai Gurira and Pollyanna McIntosh
Review:
This was another off shoot of The Walking Dead. I was a fan of season 1, aside from the ending. I thought that season 2 and what followed was good for a solid stretch, but I lost interest after the Saviors came. Even when the Whisperers showed up, I was there. The problem for me is that it got too repetitive. Upon competition of watching this, I learned that this was the movie they were going to do. It then shifted to a trilogy and they ultimately decided to do it as a mini-series. Since this is listed as a film on Letterboxd and it doesn't look like they're going to continue it, I'm doing a review.
Synopsis: the love between Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira). Changed by a world that is constantly changing, will they find themselves in a war against the living or will they discover that they too are the walking dead?
What we're getting here starts with what happened to Rick. We see when he was taken on the helicopter to the Civic Republic Military. He's depressed so he's trying to find a way to escape. He was brought here by Jadis Stokes (Pollyanna McIntosh). He started with Pearl Thorne (Lesley-Ann Brandt) who was in a similar place to him. She sees what the CRM can do for her and buys in. Rick gets to meet Major General Beale (Terry O'Quinn), who changes his mind. There's also Donald Okafor (Craig Tate). He's the first commanding officer for Rick and Pearl. He knows that the CRM is doing horrible things and wants to change it from the inside.
We then see that Michonne has never given up and is still searching for Rick. I love how these two come together in this series. She almost dies multiple times. It also becomes dangerous for him if their superiors learn the truth. There's also a complication that if the CRM finds out about Alexandria, they will wipe it out. Even more so if Rick and/or Michonne flee back to it now. There are layers under this as well.
Since this is a mini-series that I'm assuming is concluding Rick and Michonne's tale within The Walking Dead universe, I'm going to leave my recap here. There are years and seasons from the start to where we end up here. What I like about this is the heart that is brought in here. Lincoln can showcase even more Rick's psyche and how every decision he's made wears on him. The thought of not getting to go back to Michonne, Judith and he doesn't even know about RJ until Michonne finds him. The thought of Carl keeps him going, but that is wearing thin on him as he can't remember his face. Seeing him deal with depression, the fear of the CRM wiping out Alexandria and then seeing the love between him and Michonne was good. It caps things well for the character.
I'll also commend Gurira. I love how difficult she is and won't listen to things that she doesn't agree with. Rick sets up a plan for her to escape, but she can't leave without him. I forgot that she made a promise to Judith that she would bring her father home. It tugs at heartstrings that if they don't get out alive, these children are orphaned. There are good people around them, but it isn't the same.
Let me then shift to the villains here. My issue with the show is that we get great groups and leaders like the Governor, Negan and the Saviors as well as The Whisperers. I know the last season had the corrupt government. This group that we're seeing here is the CRM who were introduced in The Walking: The World Beyond. We know their corrupt already. This feels on par with the last couple seasons of the OG The Walking Dead. I guess you truly can't top government corruption as the villain. I like Jadis as someone who is a grey character. The true villain though is Mjr Gen Beale. He seems nice, but there is that dark side underneath. Part of that is credit to O'Quinn. I also like that he has blind followers like Pearl under him. I don't find this as exciting or tense though as earlier villains.
There is one last thing for the story that I wanted to tell. Beale does give what the CRM scientists believe to be the timeline for the walking dead. I thought that was an interesting concept to toss out there. It makes me wonder though if this is going to be like the novelization of Night of the Living Dead, where anyone comes back after that and if precautions need to be taken.
I've already been discussing acting performances so let me say that Lincoln, Gurira, McIntosh and O'Quinn are great. I'd also say that Brandt plays a solid character that gets introduced. I love how she complicates things late in this series. I liked the appearance by Seth Gilliam as Gabriel Stokes and how he softens Jadis. I also liked Matthew Jeffers, Breeda Wool, Cailey Fleming and Antony Azor to round this out as well.
All that is left then is filmmaking. The cinematography here is good. They know how to capture the world we're in and the framing helps there. We get different locations around the United States since the CRM has that capability. Also, how these ties in with events from other storylines as well. I love the effects. The zombie make up is great. There is CGI that I don't love, but it at least looks good. This has the budget there. Other than that, the soundtrack was fine for what was needed. More credit to the sound design, especially for the zombies.
In conclusion, if you know me then you know that I'm burned out on all the Walking Dead. It doesn't capture that spark for me anymore. I still enjoyed what they did here. This would be a good send-off for the Rick and Michonne characters if that is truly what we're doing here. I like the story that this tells and how it wraps up things from the show. The acting is great with special credit to Lincoln, Gurira, O'Quinn and McIntosh. This is well made from the cinematography, framing and the effects. Just slight issues with CGI here and there. If you love these shows or a completionist like me, then I'd recommend it. If you've fallen off, I can't blame you for avoiding this.
My Rating: 7.5 out of 10.
