I didn't know anything about this movie prior to purchasing it from the Amazon marketplace. But hey, it is a zombie movie, and that is essentially all that I needed to know to have an interest in it. Once I received the DVD and read "The Raid meets Dawn of the Dead" on the cover, I must admit that I was intrigued.
So did the movie deliver a mixture of "The Raid" and "Dawn of the Dead"? Well, I would have to say yes. Yes it did. There was a lot of action in the movie, much similar to the style and setting as seen in "The Raid". And there was an abundance of zombies and gore throughout the movie. So yes, it was a wonderful mixture of the two movies.
And as a fan of both of the previous movies, you might wonder why I am 'only' rating "Shi Cheng" (aka "Zombie Fight Club") a mere six out of ten stars. The reason for that, simply put, is because the movie was really good and entertaining, right up to the point where the story changes from following the outbreak in the skyscraper to where it went to a global thing where a single man was apparently ruling his own empire. From there on, the movie just spiraled out of control and became a farce on itself. It was really a shame, because that really killed the movie off in a most horrible and undeserving manner. Had director Joe Chien continued in the way that two-thirds of the movie was kept, then it would have been a much more enjoyable and awesome movie. But alas, he went in a whole different way; a way which sabotaged all that he had previously built up throughout the course of the movie.
For a Taiwanese zombie movie, then "Shi Cheng" was quite good, right up alongside "Z-108 Qi Cheng" (aka "Zombie 108") from 2012.
There was a good amount of zombies, blood and gore throughout the course of the movie. And for most parts, then the effects were quite good. Unfortunately there were some instances where you just stare in disbelief at the fake effects. And personally, I think the zombie with the massive maw torso was really stupid. It was something you might expect from the "Resident Evil" game or movie, but it didn't fit into this movie at all, especially since all other zombies were 'ordinary'. But all in all, then the effects served the movie well, and the make-up and special effects department did a good job with this movie.
The acting in "Shi Cheng" was adequate for the genre, just don't expect anything on a Shakespearian level, of course.
One thing that was interesting and good about the movie, was the fact that no one of the cast was initially safe. You know, whereas many movies tend to keep the main cast alive throughout the entire ordeal. People were dying all over the place throughout this movie. And that was something that worked well in favor of the movie.
"Shi Cheng" puts Taiwan on the zombie map once more, and helps to establish their foothold in the genre. "Shi Cheng" is very enjoyable, just a shame that the director opted for such a ludicrous approach to the last third of the movie.
So did the movie deliver a mixture of "The Raid" and "Dawn of the Dead"? Well, I would have to say yes. Yes it did. There was a lot of action in the movie, much similar to the style and setting as seen in "The Raid". And there was an abundance of zombies and gore throughout the movie. So yes, it was a wonderful mixture of the two movies.
And as a fan of both of the previous movies, you might wonder why I am 'only' rating "Shi Cheng" (aka "Zombie Fight Club") a mere six out of ten stars. The reason for that, simply put, is because the movie was really good and entertaining, right up to the point where the story changes from following the outbreak in the skyscraper to where it went to a global thing where a single man was apparently ruling his own empire. From there on, the movie just spiraled out of control and became a farce on itself. It was really a shame, because that really killed the movie off in a most horrible and undeserving manner. Had director Joe Chien continued in the way that two-thirds of the movie was kept, then it would have been a much more enjoyable and awesome movie. But alas, he went in a whole different way; a way which sabotaged all that he had previously built up throughout the course of the movie.
For a Taiwanese zombie movie, then "Shi Cheng" was quite good, right up alongside "Z-108 Qi Cheng" (aka "Zombie 108") from 2012.
There was a good amount of zombies, blood and gore throughout the course of the movie. And for most parts, then the effects were quite good. Unfortunately there were some instances where you just stare in disbelief at the fake effects. And personally, I think the zombie with the massive maw torso was really stupid. It was something you might expect from the "Resident Evil" game or movie, but it didn't fit into this movie at all, especially since all other zombies were 'ordinary'. But all in all, then the effects served the movie well, and the make-up and special effects department did a good job with this movie.
The acting in "Shi Cheng" was adequate for the genre, just don't expect anything on a Shakespearian level, of course.
One thing that was interesting and good about the movie, was the fact that no one of the cast was initially safe. You know, whereas many movies tend to keep the main cast alive throughout the entire ordeal. People were dying all over the place throughout this movie. And that was something that worked well in favor of the movie.
"Shi Cheng" puts Taiwan on the zombie map once more, and helps to establish their foothold in the genre. "Shi Cheng" is very enjoyable, just a shame that the director opted for such a ludicrous approach to the last third of the movie.