WARNING:: This post does include SPOILERS!!! If you have not seen ‘The Crazies’, or read any part of ‘FEED’ by Mira Grant – Don’t read this post if you don’t want anything given away. Bookmark it for later and rent the movie, or read the book, or do both because both are worth it!!
Now, for starters I want to clarify that I never do movie reviews on new releases while they are still in the theatres. I always wait until they come out on DVD so I can do a more thorough breakdown of relevancy to survivalism as a whole. My reviews should never, ever, come from the stance of ‘hey, you should go see this while you can still pay way too much for soda and popcorn’. My reviews always come from the heart of survivalism, and what we can learn from any particular fictional, all hell has broken loose, kind of scenario.
Mira Grant mentions something in the opening chapter of FEED. Her fictional characters credit George Romero for inadvertently saving the world by starting the cult phenomena that prepared us for what was to come. The minds behind ‘The Crazies’ also give tribute to George Romero and the entire zombie apocalypse genre. This is just another spin on the same story, and one that is even more terrifying because its plot and plight are so much more believable.
The Crazies does not involve the dead rising. There is a bio-weapon accidentally released that causes a very intense, murderous, madness to spread, while the assailants display very little emotional connectivity or range to what’s going on. There’s no feasting on flesh or any of that.
Truthfully, these are a much more realistic sort of ‘zombie’. The hosts of the virus just go blank, yet retain an ability to think and reason, along with a desire to kill. The deaths are violent and cruel. There is very little survivalism in this movie. It does not involve any kind of post-apocalyptic dystopia, but it could potentially lead to one. It’s dystopia could involve those who were immune to the virus naturally.
Any survivalist queues we might glean from this one are limited to individual fight scenes where we can examine such concepts as weapons proficiency, adrenaline dumps and all out dirty fighting. There was absolutely NO USE OF MARTIAL ARTS anywhere in this movie. No one suddenly started kicking ass or anything. Our survivors were just in each moment, trying to stay alive, in a kill or be killed setting.
However, the greatest threat to human life did NOT come from the virus!!!
The greatest threats to human life in this movie are coming directly from the military / law enforcement operations that are launched in an attempt to ‘contain’ the break out. Their attempt is unsuccessful because they underestimate the human will to live, and they believe the only way to truly contain the virus is to kill every possible living host of it.
Some people want to stay alive, no matter how much of a threat they are to others.
Some cops simply have orders to SHOOT.
This brings in some very interesting ‘what the hell do we do with this’ kinds of questions. Here’s a few for starters:
What do we do when we feel that law enforcement has become the enemy? How are we to react when those who have taken orders to protect their country from all threats, both foreign and domestic, begin to see civilians (armed or unarmed, crazy or not) as one of those threats?
Have you ever taken the time to think about their dilemma? How would you handle it if you were forced with that kind of choice? Kill dozens, to save thousands… kill millions, to save billions. Please, I’m serious here; take a moment to really think about that. What would you do? Could you pull the trigger? What if it wasn’t something quick like a bullet… what if your only choice was to cause brilliant, searing, slow and agonizing pain and death with a flame thrower?
Here’s another question; do you think it can’t happen here? If you do, you’re wrong.
Now, I’m not going to go all government conspiracy nut on you. That’s not my point. I just want to call attention to a few things. You can look them yourselves and draw your own conclusions. The first would be the Kent State shootings, aka the May 4 massacre or the Kent State massacre. This happened just over 40 years ago and involved the Ohio National Guard opening fire on Kent State University students during a war protest.
More recently, practically in my own back yard of St. Paul Minnesota, there was an incident at the 2008 Republican National Convention where police engaged protestors with tear gas, smoke bombs, pepper spray, flash bangs, and rubber bullets. Really, not an apocalypse by any means, but still. What would have happened if the thing had escalated to live fire?
Okay, so both those examples cover protests – which has absolutely nothing to do with The Crazies, Viral Weaponry or Zombie Apocalypse scenarios. I just wanted to point out that when properly provoked, law enforcement will engage the civilian population with force if they have to. It’s very possible that force could involve the use of live fire. So, the answer is yes, it CAN happen. So what are YOU going to do if it does? What can YOU do to make sure it doesn’t?
Keep in mind, my entire company was built to support those who work in law enforcement. I have a very deep and abiding love for anyone who has taken an oath to protect my life with the use of deadly force if necessary. I want to also point out that there are some VERY STRICT RULES that law enforcement professionals absolutely MUST FOLLOW in regards to engaging unarmed civilians with the use of lethal force. Even when their own lives are very much in danger, they get into some very serious trouble if they hurt someone.
Okay, so let’s get back to The Crazies and ask some more questions. In the movie, the bio-weapon is being transported via plane and the plane goes down. It goes down in Iowa.
One of the guys in the movie is questioned about the plane, and his answer is that the bio-weapon was on its way to a facility in Texas to be incinerated when the plane went down.
Um… what’s the only state NORTH of Iowa?
Yeah… exactly! Gotta beg the question… why were they flying across Iowa? Next, the US Government actually DOES have a playbook when it comes to pandemics, and it can and will involve the use of either US Military or other branches of government if it has to. On October 24, 2009 President Obama declared the Swine Flu to be a National Emergency. That means that during that time, had the virus become particularly concentrated in one area, he could have done in real life EXACTLY what happened in The Crazies.
First, a plane goes down, and not just any plane, it was a C130. BIG PLANE!!
Second, absolutely NO ONE knows a fucking plane went down! They were THAT QUICK to cover up the mistake.
Third, they cut the towns communications off completely.
Forth, they began unmarked surveillance within the town.
Fifth, they sealed off the town.
Sixth, they rounded up the people and put them in outdoor cages. They indiscriminately separated man from wife, woman from child, and told no one what was going on.
Seventh, then they killed everyone.
Eighth, then they nuked the town.
Now… to the best of my knowledge, that last bit is a work of pure fiction. The pandemic playbook actually does not allow for the US Government to use nuclear sanitization on American Soil… but the rest of it though, all true. It can happen.
Again, I implore you; take a moment to think about this. Yes, there are actual government facilities working on nasty bugs. Yes, there are government transports of said nasty bugs. Yes, those transport systems are completely hidden from the civilian populace. The next plane you see flying overhead, the next tanker truck you see next to you on the highway, the next box car you see at a train stop. Any and all could contain enough bad shit to take out an entire city. All it would take would be a dumb bird, a blown tire, or some debris on some tracks and the nearby cities and towns could have a very bad day, and there’s not a damn thing any of us can do about it except try to survive if it happens to us.
So… what do we do?
Well, we do what we always do! We plan ahead. Your survival stock piles, kits and bug out bags need to contain way more than just food, water and spare ammunition. Keep some stuff around that is designed to prevent infectious pathogens from entering your body. It could be as simple as peroxide and a face mask. I don’t care! Just have some kind of plan! Okay?
The people in The Crazies had no such plans – but some of them demonstrated some rather remarkable survival skills in the moment and we can learn a lot from their examples:
~Sheriff David Dutten: His story begins as the actual first law enforcement professional to shoot a civilian in the movie. However, it was NOT an unarmed civilian; but one who was a very clear threat. He did the right thing and as viewers we all sympathize with him completely. We lock into him, and we identify with him. So what makes him different than any of the other law enforcement professionals who are seen as evil bad guys in this one? Truthfully, I don’t know.
For the most part Sheriff David Dutten plays his role as the hero rather well. Once he and his wife are separated by the events of the movie, his one and only thought is to get back to her and get her to safety. He saves her life several times during the course of the movie, at great personal harm to himself, including a very impressive fight scene where he must use the psychology of human nature to draw his wife’s attacker. This is right before he engages the same attacker in a flash both further self injury and violence. The pure fury of a man protecting his beloved is profound in that moment.
From there it’s just same shit, different hour: wife in danger, rescue wife, wife in danger, rescue wife, lather, rinse, repeat if necessary.
The only smart thing of planned survivalism he ever did was START a bug out bag when the shit got crazy. He had a spare gun with six rounds (count them, six) and in his ‘on the fly’ bug out bag he managed to grab some spare medical supplies and a flashlight when they were getting out of dodge. He also picked up some water at a truck stop. He completely MISSED several opportunities to gather information, weapons and protective gear. More than once he had fought someone to the death, and could have taken what they had on them for further self defense.
~Deputy Russell Clank: His story begins when he bares direct witness to Sheriff Dutten’s shooting of Rory Hamil, the first person to fall victim to the virus. His character arch gets really damn interesting from there. As much as I found our hero admirable, yet predicable and boring, I really loved Deputy Clank so much more.
Personality wise, he’s very direct, and not as clean cut as the Sheriff – it’s easy to see why he’s the Deputy. YET, during the course of the film he’s the ONLY ONE smart enough to grab a long gun and protective gear. He demonstrates weapons proficiency by shooting an attacker through a second story window from the ground level outside. He demonstrates quick thinking when he decides to suddenly make damn sure a particular SUV stops by spiking the damn road – once it’s off the road, he’s the only one smart enough to search the vehicle.
It becomes abundantly clear by his escalated violence throughout the movie that he’s been infected – YET, he holds it together long enough to save the Sheriff’s life THREE TIMES, and once he has the self awareness of his own infected state – he dies a hero’s death so the Sheriff and his wife can get to safety.
The man was awesome!
~Doctor Judy Dutten, wife of Sherif David Dutten: Her story begins right where it should, in her clinic, as she meets the second person to fall prey to the virus. She does exactly what she’s supposed to do. She runs the standard series of tests and sends the man on his way. She wants to do more serious tests in the large city nearby, in a few days, but she never gets the chance. He murders his family that night. Doctor Duttens’ dismay over this is exceptionally emotional and heart wrenching. The woman does not stay calm at all. Her pregnancy might have something to do with that. I’ve been pregnant. Pregnant women are C-R-A-Z-Y !!
From there, you pretty much know the deal, mortal peril, get rescued, mortal peril, get rescued, lather, rinse, repeat if necessary.
There really aren’t very many characters worth mentioning besides those three. For a short time Becca Darling, administrative assistant to Doctor Judy Dutten, travels within the character arcs of the others – but her presence is of minimal importance, save for a really interesting death scene. She was kept around long enough for us to be horrified by her demise, that’s all. Had either the Sherif or the Deputy had the common sense to keep a simple pocket knife, we wouldn’t even have had that.
So, again: What can we learn from their examples.
ONE: If you kill someone who has better weapons and armor than you in a continuing life or death struggle – take their gear!
TWO: Have a Bug Out Bag Prepared!
“Why SimpleMom, what’s a Bug Out Bag?” You might ask. Easy answer, follow this Wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bug-out_bag.
Even easier answer, Simple Survival has taken the liberty of putting one together, with all the essentials. It’s only $165, and you can find it here [ The Simple Survival 3-Day Survival Pack (bug out bag) ]
That’s it for now.
Keep it Simple! SURVIVE!
~Tarra
.aka SimpleMom
p.s. – the bag:
