In the 2010 zombie film ‘The Dead’ a zombie plague spreads through Africa like wildfire. Now the Ford Brothers are back with the 2014 sequel ‘The Dead 2: India’.
Nicholas, an American engineer working in India is in love with a young Indian woman, who is pregnant. When people begin attacking each other in the streets Nicholas abandons his post to make the journey to the slums of Mumbi, to rescue his girlfriend Ishani (Meenu Mishra) . On the way he rescues Javed, a young orphaned boy, and together they set out to make the dangerous trip to the heart of the outbreak.
‘The Dead 2 ‘ goes beyond the average zombie movie, though they never say the word ‘zombie’ at any point. What it lacks in special FX it more than makes up for it with the story. The zombies are secondary characters in this movie, instead it focuses on the story between the uninfected. It’s common in many zombie movies that the quality of cinematography is sacrificed so that budget can be conserved for the FX. In ‘The Dead 2’ it’s completely opposite and it worked out well in my opinion. There is not a lot of blood and gore, but in my opinion, they did fine without it.
Joseph Milson’s performance as Nicholas gives a realistic feel to the movie, unlike most lead roles in zombie films, Nicholas is not a fighter, a good shot or badass, he’s just a regular guy trying to survive and do the right thing. I’m not sure if it’s just me, but the issue of infinite ammo and outrageously good luck in zombie movies irritates the hell out of me. In ‘The Dead 2’ ammo is constantly running out and nothing seems to go right for Nicholas, which seems more realistic.
Young Anand Krishna Goyal, who played Javed, did an absolutely fantastic job. His level of talent is surprising for a kid his age. Joseph Millson who played the role of Nicholas, did a great job as well. To be honest I was pleased with all of the main cast. Writers/directors Howard J. Ford and Jonathan Ford should be proud of their film.
‘The Dead’ and ‘The Dead 2: India’ are both out on DVD.
