Genres

Visitors Review

t-birkhead 2012-05-20 18:03:58

Gnarly satirical schlock zombie fun

I watched this all in one go on the Saturday night after it finishedairing and I'm happy to say that after my initial slight misgivings itdelivered the goods and was a nice way to spend the 165 or so minutesthat it lasted. Its an apocalyptic tale of zombies overrunning Britainand the Big Brother house becoming the only safe haven from theonslaught. The big draw is that Charlie Brooker wrote this one and hehas been a very funny man for quite some time. Whilst he is well knownthese days for his abrasive TV review show Screenwipe and co creatingthe London hipster blasting comedy Nathan Barley, I remember himfondest for his inspired internet based spoof television guidetvgohome, and his writing for computer games magazine PC Zone, whichincluded the infamous (and hilarious) Cruelty Zoo cartoon. Now DeadSet, sadly is not as vicious in its humour as I would have liked, butthere are still a good deal of classic Brooker style lines and a surehandling of the clichéd genre elements. The show does use the accursedshakeycam filming method at times but overall still manages to fit insome good gore and excitement. Though there is only one scene of outand out spectacular gut munching, there are various shots of peopleeating, some gunshot wounds and a few other goodies besides. Actingwise this is generally quite effective, with standouts including JaimeWinstones tough girl heroine, Riz Ahmed as her boyfriend and Andy Nymanas the foul mouthed and comically obnoxious executive, surely modelledon Brooker himself. Also, Davina McCall makes a surprisingly fearsomezombie. On the whole I thought this was quit a blast to watch. Itperhaps starts too slowly and is predictable more or less throughout(though this may just be because I have watched a ton of zombie filmsin my time) but once it gets into gear it has a lot going for it. Wit,grue and a touch of pathos make this a triumph for television that Iwould heartily recommend.

2012-05-20 06:19:10

The show is a 5 , the DVD is a 4

This review is from: DEAD SET [UK, 2008] [NTSC All-REGION DVD] (DVD) My only complaint is the fact that in the main menu , when you click on "play all" , it's just the first episode . You need to click on episodes and features to get to the rest of the series.

hendi_jamil 2012-05-20 21:19:30

Finally, i was waiting for this since i was born

A drama series with zombie flick.A drama not a comedy, more than 90min(too bad it was so short, to bad).And it was so professional ,withgood acting and good make up effects.In the last years the only moviewhich took seriously this subject was Dawn of the dead 2004.The restwas either garbage with poor acting and effects,either comedy flicks(ilike comedy flicks but they don't have the impact of a drama horror)either the same Romero's style since 1968 - slow boring zombies withrock music on soundtrack and poor effects.No offense,i love Night ofthe living dead but all the rest zombie flicks like Day,Dawn ....didn't succeed to give the same suspense because of the rock music onsoundtrack and old make up effects(same green zombie WITHOUT THOSESCARY EYES which Zack Snyder took it so brilliant in Dawn of the dead)I really hope for next series like this,with i hope over 20 episode(sogood subject - big brother with zombies- wasted with so few episodes.The only negative comment on this TV drama is ,in my opinion,theending.I will not say it for those who didn't see the movie yet but ifelt it could have a much far better ending.What can i say,thank God for this

Lily_Park 2012-05-19 22:53:19

Great blend of zombie horror and comedy

Unusual blend of blood and guts and screaming fast zombies (like 28days later or the new Dawn of the Dead) - but set on the show "BigBrother". Of course the joke is that they don't realize or believe atfirst that they are the only normal ones left, a similar comedysituation to Shawn of the Dead, as the screaming hordes outside the TVstudio are only slightly different to their undead selves. But CharlieBrooker (Nathan Barley) has turned out a great piece of horror-comedyTV, presumably using the "dead set" of Big Brother while its off-air...and gets to take a swipe both at the zombie-like state of TV cultureand still have some horror kicks at the same time. Great cast, greatparody, great horror!

glanesb 2012-05-17 20:25:15

Finally

OK....Just finished the series and I thought I would sum it up with apopular 3 letter 'Chat mode' word.(omg) This was everything I personally have wanted in a Zombie flick.Being a sort of self titled Zombie Fanatic, I have seen and read it allon the genre. This was by far, the best I have seen and the best I havewanted to see. Excellent job in the realism. More towards the way ofthe 'New and Improved' zombie. They run, they are scary, and did I saythey are scary?!? It was some good fun watching this series. GeorgeRomero should be very proud that someone has finally done justice tothe genre. They did a good job in bringing us the realism that Mr.Romero seemed to have the true knack for. I just love the mix of horrorblending in with real-life situations. The news casts. The announcer inthe background....Brilliant baby.So to wrap this up..again, (omg)..and (ty) and maybe an (lol) and a :)for good measure.

2012-05-17 11:07:42

WELL SOOPRIZE SOOPRIZE

This review is from: Dead Set [NON-U.S.A. FORMAT: PAL Region 2 U.K. Import DVD] (DVD) 100% utterly GREAT! This is how Romero should have been doing it when he re-started the series again with Diary of the dead - and I liked Diary, and I like Romero----but this was worth buying, hands down! You need a region free player - but c'mon USA - read what these reviews say and some american dist. office pick this up so everyone can get it and enjoy it.

smogo-3 2012-05-16 03:54:14

One of the decade's best zombie flicks

Maybe it's impossible these days to make a zombie movie which doesn'tfeel reminiscent of others; in the case of the Charlie Brooker-scriptedTV movie Dead Set, too much of the zombie carnage feels lifted from 28Days/Weeks Later and the Dawn of the Dead remake. But to focus on thatwould be to overlook the brilliant angle Brooker brings to the genre,not least its premise: that some of the few survivors of the zombieholocaust are the house-mates in Big Brother. Other horror films havebeen had reality TV settings, but this Endemol-produced flick has theadvantage of featuring actual BB stars: Davina McCall and a host offormer house-mates. Of the actors, Andy Nyman stands out as the BBdirector whose character is clearly Brooker's stand-in for himself, andwhose comedy scenes are sensibly kept separate from the horror untilthe final scenes. And it's so well-written that you'll actually berooting for everyone to survive.If you love (a) zombie movies, or (b) Big Brother, Dead Set is*unmissably* good.However, I would recommend waiting for the 138-minute DVD on 3rdNovember, as I can't imagine it having half the impact when it'schopped up into five episodes, complete with ad breaks, as it will beon E4 next week.Hopefully Dead Set won't be quickly forgotten as a quirky little TVseries on a minor channel, and will be recognised internationally asone of the decade's best zombie flicks.

bigwill3333 2012-05-15 18:52:30

Well... I am presently surprise.....

First of all, let me just say that i am no "big brother" fan. Neverwatch one hour of it all these time. However.....THIS IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE BEST ZOMBIE FILM (TV movie) i have seen foryears!!! This really has nothing to do with big brother. All it isusing is the idea of big brother as a back drop and tell the store thatway. The concept is nothing new. This is effectly "DAWN OF THE DEAD"--British style. Trap somewhere, try to survive.What is really surprise is the level of gore, which put even some ofGeorge Romero work to shame. And he is the master of zombie. InHollywood. The makeup is simple fantastic, and some scene even make mecringed. Consider this is make on a low budget, i'd say this certainlyone of the best zombie movie around.Unfortunately i believe due to contrain of time and i would imagine...money, it is only about 3 hours long in total...I would live to knowmore about how this all comes about and what is the whole worldlike....Still, if we have more of programs/TV movie/film of this quality allthe time, i believe we can rival some of the hollywoods finest...***Spoiler alert*** I wish they actually do two version. one with happyending and one without.

Neil Welch 2012-05-09 16:51:01

OK, but....

I suppose if you're a fan of zombie movies, this ticks all the boxes.Which is the main problem with it - no surprises whatsoever, simply arepetition of all the well-worn zombie movie tricks starting withRomero's shambling monochrome walking dead, and running right up to theOlympic sprinting carnivores of the 28 days/weeks later movies, and alldelivered with a kind of naive glee as if the makers had only justthought of this stuff, "No-one else has ever done it, only us, well,only us on TV". The only surprise is the Big Brother setting and, assomeone who avoids Big Brother assiduously (I see no attraction inspending countless hours in the company of people I would cross thestreet to avoid) this was not a reason to put Dead Set high on myviewing list.But I watched it and, as noted above, if you're a zombie movie fan thenyou'll probably enjoy it. I am a marginal zombie movie fan, so myenjoyment was marginal also.Much annoyed me about it; 1. For a start off, while I don't mind some swearing, this was constantand to be effing frank I got effing fed up with it about five effingminutes after the effing start. For eff's sake.2. The gore - well, it was a zombie movie after all, but I felt therewas an element of smug wallowing in gore for the sake of it at times,particular when obnoxious producer ass was carving up flamboyant campqueen to be used as bait.3. I was staggeringly annoyed (though not surprised) when, after beingspecifically warned not to untie wounded large black lady because shewill kill you when she turns, flamboyant camp queen reacted to hersaying "Oh, these ropes are so tight" by - oh surely not? Yep. Andguess what? She killed him when she turned. Thick as two short planks.And not so much idiotic (although it was) as clichéd. As I said, nosurprises.4. And, for heaven's sake, when obnoxious producer ass was throwing hisweight around so offensively, having bullied his way in and shown whatsort of person he was (and, more pertinently, what they were in forfrom now on), why didn't pert but foul-mouthed production girl simplyplant a round in the gobby pain's cranium? End of problem.5. Somebody please explain how come zombies can exercise sufficientphysical coordination to sprint like professional athletes, yet lackthe ability to climb out of a hot tub?I didn't mind the ending, but I did mind having been annoyed by theabove.Production values good, performances good.Oh, and for heaven's sake please would everybody look at some filmsfrom the days when they used to put cameras on tripods and you couldsee what was going on, before audiences were assumed to beritalin-guzzling hyperactives with attention-deficit disorder, andreturn us to the days when we were presented with something we couldactually watch and understand the visuals of, not something whichjittered across the screen in a constant jiggle of misplaced would-beverite.

2012-05-09 06:29:08

DEAD SET

This review is from: Dead Set [NON-U.S.A. FORMAT: PAL Region 2 U.K. Import DVD] (DVD) DEAD SET IS ON PAR WITH THE WALKING DEAD!!! WHY ISN'T IT AVAILABLE HERE IN THE US? THIS IS NOT A THIRD WORLD COUNTRY,YET. I JUST PURCHASED A REGION I VERSION. CAN'T WAIT! I LOVE THIS FLICK. 10/10

goettel-881-904368 2012-04-30 00:37:23

Dead Set nails it.

SPOILER !I'm not taken to giving top rating to anything, but it's so hard tofind any fault with Dead Set that I'm going to make an exception. Thepremise, the sets, the characters, the hilarious dialog, thecinematography, even the music, everything is dead on (sorry).But the real reason why this is so good is because its makers display aexceptional grasp on the things ANY classic zombie flick needs: theremaining character(s) realization that there is ultimately no hope ofescape, petty but lethal squabbling amongst survivors, spades of blackhumor to hide the grimness and a strong theme centering on the flaws ofhuman society.Charlie Brooker is a god. And a tw*t. A tw*t god !If only The Walking Dead had turned out even half as good as this...

Rich Davis 2012-04-29 11:16:50

Big Dead Brother

Had really high hopes for this zombie series, hell, anything withzombies in is worth a look even more so when it's on television as aseries. Unfortunately, the zombies weren't the problem, it was everything else! As everyone is no doubt aware the series revolves around azombie outbreak and the remaining contestants in the UK Big Brotherhouse. Add in a few television crew and some outsiders and you havewhat is a few days of survival horror against an army of the undead.Plus, these aren't your shuffling Romero undead, they're more yourSnyder fast zombie. Sounds good eh? On a personal note, I still prefermy zombie to be slow and menacing, rather than fast and instant... ifyou get what I mean.However, bar the build up and the initial zombie attack, we're leftwith so many annoying characters trying to survive that quite franklyyou won't be cheering for them more than you'll be cheering for thezombies. Why is it that the majority of the female characters seem morein control and sensible than ALL of the male characters? Even thefemale lead (Kelly) seems to have had fire-arms training (apart fromthe fact she seems to constantly want to chamber an extra bullet beforefiring - sorry, nitpicking a bit). The male characters range from loudand annoying to stupid and panic stricken. Yep, come the end, you'll beclapping every time one of them gets eaten alive.The camera work has been mentioned before but I feel needs highlightingagain. Why is it that some directors seem to believe that true horrorcan only be gained by having the camera shake around constantly. I'mall for building up the tension but this can be done with storyline,music, acting.. etc.. not by putting the camera in the hands of a 5year old on a skateboard. Plus, Dead Set does feature some very nicegore effects (top marks for this) yet 'shaky-cam' distracts from this.You'll be trying to see through the shakes just to work out what'sgoing on.Saying all that though, the fact that this was a series on televisionand it did feature some very disgusting moments, makes me give it a 6out of 10. I can only hope that it isn't a one off and we will see morelike it. Yes, maybe even a weekly zombie series. Just please stay awayfrom the 'shaky cam' routine, and lets have some characters we want tolike, rather than characters we just want to see become zombie lunch!

sharkattack1978 2012-04-26 19:49:38

Dead set is dead good, even the zombies like it

I thought that there would never be a zombie epic to beat or evenovershadow George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead (apart from Shaun of theDead) and now FINALLY I think we in Britain have finally got a film/TVmovie/ mini series that does rival that. Dead set is a horror setaround the Big Brother phenomenon and a terrifying real zombieapocalypse. The general public and the house-mates even the crew of BigBrother become unknowingly involved in a vicious fight for survival asthe dead start eating the entire British population one chunk at atime. I truly loved this, I love zombie movies (yes even the crap andextremely cheesy ones too) and this was the best millennium zombiebased survival horror I have ever seen. As far as I was concerned theremake of Dawn of the Dead, remake of Day of the Dead, the new 3Dversion of Night of the living dead and every other 'poser' zombiemovie out there nowadays that doesn't fulfil the code of the zombiehorror movie i.e. intense scenes and graphic gore, Dead set fulfils onall levels. Firstly the acting is great from Andy Nyman (severance) asthe totally obnoxious producer of Big Brother Patrick to Jamie Winstoneas the poor floor runner Kelly forced to become the heroine in chargeof the survival of the house-mates of the Big Brother house. There'seven past BB housemates who star in cameos at the start of the seriesand some even become zombies later but you'll have to watch it to findout who becomes one and who becomes zombie brunch. Next I'll move tothe gore. Don't think that just cause this was a made for TV movie thatthey skimp on the gore because they don't. I was very surprised by thegore and bloody carnage that they were allowed to put on the smallscreen. E4 have definitely pulled out their balls and had the guts (nopun intended) to show this movie he way we'd expect it to be seen inall its gutsy glory (again no pun intended.) Some of the effects rivalthat of Tom Savini's groundbreaking and very gruesome special FX on theoriginal George A. Romero's Day of the Dead. I was in awe by what theywere allowed to show on the screen and thank god they did. Next thesocial commentary that George included in Dawn is re-invented and usedin Dead Set. How the characters talk about the zombies and how thezombies watch the revealing show via TV sets that they walk aroundfinding their next meal and what society is reduced to. Lastly thezombies in this are genuinely chilling, they look menacing and viciouseven at times somewhat evil and very ravenous… and I mean ravenous forhuman flesh (take note Resident Evil Trilogy) Yes even for the firsttime I can even pass the fact that these zombies can run and prettydamn fast. Just like the zombies from Dawn of the Dead remake, Day ofthe dead remake and 28 days/weeks later these will tear after you ifyou are seen and that is scary but although they can do that the slowstyle of zombie i.e. Romero's zombies are much more frightening thanthe fast future style zombies of today. The dark overtone of the storyadds an air of dread to the atmospheric tension and terror that DeadSet has deep in the underbelly of Charlie Brooker's well thought outscript. Britain proves that what Hollywood can do, with a bit ofcareful structure and preparation the UK can do it better. We did itwith Shaun of the Dead which was a global hit and I believe that we caneasily do it again with Dead Set when it finally reaches USA shoressoon. The climax genuinely had made both thrilled, chilled and scaredand not many horrors can do that with me.Dead Set is a thrilling gory"shoot me again I ain't dead yet" excitingpiece of UK style horror and should be seen to be believed.

lloyd1018 2012-04-26 09:44:43

The ultimate eviction night at the BB house

I was attracted to this micro series for two reasons: I. I love a goodzombie flick & 2. I absolutely hate BB. Seeing a group of inane,vacuous Big Brother contestants being subjected to a zombie feedingfrenzy was too much to resist. And inane and vacuous they were. It wasclever of the writer to primarily set this piece in the BB house.Perfect for Channel Four, who already host this abomination of a'reality' show. Only downside is that the writer is presumablyconstrained in totally lampooning a program I love to hate. Guess it'shard to bite the hand that feeds you.Overall I found this to be a very entertaining series. It was wellpaced and had a feel of authenticity about it. It was clichéd butthat's almost an occupational hazard when dealing with this genre.Would have been nice to see an original twist put on some of the zombiemythology but the writer only had so much time.I wasn't so thrilled with some of the characterisation. First of Ithought the two police acted in a totally unrealistic manner given theapocalyptic circumstances. Seemed as if they were only there to makesome ham fisted political statement about police brutality. And what isit with the kick arse women in this show? One punches a guy in the facefor not fixing her car and another totes a gun like she's an SAScommando. Meanwhile the guys discuss what they can make for dinner. Notliterally but you get my point. The only strong male character is theproducer who is a total arsehole. The other forty something guy is apervert. Bit of gratuitous agism at play here? At least they all get itin the neck in the end. I also agree with others that the conclusioncould have been a lot stronger.In spite of this I'd love to see more from the creator of this series.There were plenty of highlights. He obviously has talent I thought theproducers put together a decent cast and gave the show a good look fora relatively low budget production. I hope a second installment is inthe wind without the PC overlay.

Xeker 2012-04-25 13:20:50

All gimmick...a wasted opportunity...

I was really looking forward to this. After being told about this a fewweeks ago I was eager to see what they'd do with the premise or zombieapocalypse survivors being the contestants on Big Brother.Unfortunately, what we get is Big Brother contestants surviving thezombie apocalypse. I have to hand it to the producers, they'verealistically portrayed the fictional contestants because I can't standa single one of them. In no way do I want them to survive. In fact, Ituned out shortly after Davina McCall gets attacked. It was terrible,beyond bad.The makeup effects may as well not have been used because of the shakycam - guys, it's not half as cool as you think. It doesn't add anysense of urgency or panic, it's just annoying.I'd guess the underlying theme would be, who's a more vacuous waste ofspace? the zombies or the Big Brother contestants/fans - I'd go withthe latter. If it wasn't for the BB angle I doubt this would have beenmade because when that is stripped away all you have is a poorly acted,poorly directed, poorly written script full of one dimensionalcharacters who spout terrible dialogue.A wasted opportunity to make a really great zombie holocaust survivalstory.

2012-04-25 00:54:04

This actually plays in your regular US. Region 1 DVD Player

I bought this U.K. Pal DVD for a Region-Free DVD-Player I bought specifically to play all the great European (but mostly British) releases that aren't yet available in the U.S.However, guess what - this actually plays in my regular DVD Region 1 player also. Not that I would have known if I hadn't tried it out of curiosity. The show is great right up until the poorly written last 10 minutes or so where people do ridiculous things for no good reason. But, the ending aside the chase scenes and tension-building are very good, much like '28 Days Later' as are the Zombies, who are all fitter in death than they are in life.

Monos Z. 2012-04-23 18:33:03

Zombie TV

Dead Set is the critically acclaimed mini - series created by CharlieBrooker. Anyone wanting to immerse themselves in 2 and a half hours of brilliantapocalyptic fiction will enjoy dead set immensely. A zombie apocalypse breaks out as the contestants of Big Brother areunaware and it is the only safe place for the people to reside.What follows is a survival horror at its' finest as the charactersbattle the zombies have internal conflicts and find it increasinglyhard to get along and make sane decisions.The zombies are the fast kind popularized by 1985's Return of theLiving Dead and 28 Days later. They attack swiftly and can run veryfast but they do however very decreased brain activity and know onlyone instinct and purpose i.e. kill and eat humans.What sense can one make in such a world? What is there to survive for?There is no hope for a future. The crisis is at a global level andthere is no safe haven anywhere but yet these people try to soldier onfor as long as they can because the human spirit cannot be defeatedeven with no future in front of them because mankind will always fight,the struggle to survive will never end and that is what Dead Set shows.

deaks25 2012-04-23 00:38:42

Don't be fooled by BB cynics, this is great.

OK, the recipe is simple: Zombie movie that happens during a series ofBig Brother, focusing on the contestants and crew. If you watch the full length version, i advise you to watch it like youwould a 'B' movie. Thats what it is. The actor and actresses aren'twell known but are competent and give good performances, the effectshaven't had the equivalent of a small countries GDP spent on them, butare convincing and the idea, well zombie movies aren't new. However, the script is incredible. In fact i can't tell how good it is.You desperately want the Characters to survive or escape, you are ableto connect with them, they're just ordinary people with ordinary lives.Secondly, the sheer realism of the BB event, the presence of Davina,the contestants themselves, the appearance of former contestants, thewhole Big Brother eviction night event, all of it makes this sotantalisingly real that it is actually quite scary. Because BB hasbecome such a major part of Channel 4 you sometimes feel like you couldreach in and touch the events. In this day and age, 'Original' is hard, an original zombie movie, iseven harder but this, with a respectful nod and modern twist on Dawn ofThe Dead, is something well worth watching. In my opinion, this is quite a stand out production, perhaps, maybeperhaps, a modern Zombie classic?

Chrisonnet 2012-04-21 17:20:05

A zesty spin on Zombie horror!

Charlie Brooker's brilliant mini-series will have you hooked from startto finish! Dead set is a colourful cocktail of horror, humour, anddrama, and when you add one of the most well-known reality TV shows tothe mix, you have something refreshingly original, that any horror, BigBrother or casual movie lover will enjoy! The series is simply well-done. Good writing, good direction and goodacting, and you can't tell it was made on a limited budgeteither...great effects! The characters are realistic and best of allthe show is unpredictable...breaking the mould and the usual horrorclichés.Go watch it, you'll love it!

jadflack 2012-04-21 12:57:31

I Hate BigBrother But I Love This

I don't think there is anything new that can be done with the "zombiefilm" ( i hope WORLD WAR Z proves me wrong)and this is far from new,but it is one of the best and exciting outlays of the horror genre.Dead set has it all, and for what it is, is very well done, the actingis much better than i expected.Yes, film borrows liberally from otherzombie classics notably all the George a Romero films and the newversion of " dawn of the dead" and both " 28 Days Later" and " 28 WeeksLater", but in my opinion can hold it's head up proudly as it takesit's place beside them as a zombie classic.It has gore, lashings ofhumour and is thrilling, and although the climatic sequences completelyrip off Romero's " Day Of The Dead" it doesn't cheat and although somereviewers here have said they don't like the ending, for me itconcludes the only way it could as a " happier ending" would havelessened the film considerably.For a Channel 4 film, this is very verygood and will satisfy horror fans.