Right, well I might as well just be honest and say that this movie, given it's very "Shaun of the Dead" look-alike movie cover and the fact that it is a zombie movie made me sit down to watch the 2021 movie "Dead Again".
And the title actually gives away how you would feel once you watch this movie. Yeah, this movie was a massive swing and a miss.
First of all, the storyline was just not overly well-written. Sure, it was watchable, but it didn't really feel like much effort was put into the writing of the script and storyline. So it felt very much like some kind of home video project.
And then there were the zombies. No. Just no. That didn't work out one bit. Zombies that were sort of half-lurching, half-running? No, it didn't work in favor of the movie. Nor did the fact that there was literally no proper zombie special effects or gory make-up. So the zombies in the movie felt like little more than just extras milling about with some theater paint brushed on their faces.
The characters in the movie definitely had potential. But given the inadequate script and the whole down-the-drain atmosphere permeating from the movie, then it was just near impossible to actually take much of a liking to the characters. I wanted to, sure, but I just couldn't find the angle.
Sure there were some nice enough references to other movies throughout the course of "Dead Again", but given the acting performances and the interaction between the characters, it felt like these attempts were tossed up in the air only to be left falling flat on to the ground. The dialogue in the movie was not something that will leave you wanting for more.
"Dead Again" from writer and director Steven M. Smith was a swing and a miss. I watch a lot of zombie movies, and "Dead Again" was by no means remarkable or noteworthy. It came without as much as making any noise, and it will fade into oblivion just as quietly. This is not a good zombie movie.
My rating of "Dead Again" lands on a generous two out of ten stars, mostly based on the effort the people working on this project had put into it.