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Miniatures Adventure => Post-Apocalyptic Tales => Topic started by: Agent Brown on April 12, 2019, 12:42:02 AM
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Black Summer is out on Netflix and well worth your time. Created and directed by John Hyams, it's supposedly meant as a prequel to Z Nation but has a completely different tone, being far more grounded and having none of Z Nation's sillier moments.
Eight episodes of varying length depending on what the story needs (for example, one action packed episode is only 20 minutes long). Other episodes have almost no dialogue while another shows how utterly unprepared we would be to deal with this as five people are shown to be incapable of killing two zombies.
Coming from the director of Universal Soldier Day of Reckoning and Regeneration there's plenty of brutal action but also extremely thoughtful moments of genuine depth. Great stuff and far superior to the Walking Dead imho.
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Thanks for the tip. Had seen the trailer but didn't get the date when it would get on Netflix. Had more fun with the first 2 episodes than the entire run of "Fear the Walking Dead" (which have some cool episodes at start of season 1 but then go off the board).
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Looking forward to this.
I really enjoyed Z-Nation until it got more and more
there and ridiculous.
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Thanks for the tip. Had seen the trailer but didn't get the date when it would get on Netflix. Had more fun with the first 2 episodes than the entire run of "Fear the Walking Dead" (which have some cool episodes at start of season 1 but then go off the board).
If you get the opportunity, it is worth checking out series 4b (episodes 4.9 onwards) of FTWD,. It is much improved [spoilers], possibly due to a radical recast [spoilers] a-la "Red Wedding".
I have Black Summer tagged.
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Yep, totally agree about Black Summer. I just finished binging on it over two nights. I found it very gripping with some genuinely tense and challenging moments.
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If you get the opportunity, it is worth checking out series 4b (episodes 4.9 onwards) of FTWD,. It is much improved [spoilers], possibly due to a radical recast [spoilers] a-la "Red Wedding".
I have Black Summer tagged.
I'll check it out. I have all the episodes saved on my HD ;)
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Apparently it has no connection to Z-Nation after all, which probably explains the tone difference.
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I watched 1st episode and part of 2nd.
I like it so far. But i hate running zombies. Can only watch it during the day I fear. Need to let my brain process.
Episodes have titles breaking up storyline.
1st episode was cool in that it showed multiple persons viewpoints of an incident.
Acting isn't great though. Some interesting characters.
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Apparently it has no connection to Z-Nation after all, which probably explains the tone difference.
Gibby, where did you see this?
Grimm
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The Wiki has this to say:
Connection to Z Nation
The connection between Black Summer and its parent series will take a similar approach as the relationship between Fear the Walking Dead and The Walking Dead, as there are no plans for any of the characters from Z Nation to appear in the companion prequel series.[14] Z Nation actor DJ Qualls revealed at San Diego Comic-Con that the Syfy series takes place "quite a long time" after the event of Black Summer, making him feel that the cast is "too old" for a crossover to work.[11] However, the two series do share "most to all of [their] writing, directing, and producing staff" as well as a production company, The Asylum.[1][14]
The show's starring actress Jaime King, claimed the series has no connection whatsoever to Z Nation, therefore it's a standalone show.[18]
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Gibby, where did you see this?
Grimm
I read an article that quoted Jaime King:
“It's interesting because people started tying [Black Summer] to Z Nation and I'm like this has nothing to do with that. It's not a link to Z Nation. I had never actually seen Z Nation or heard about Z Nation, but I have friends who absolutely love that show, and then people started putting it out there that it was like a prequel of Z-Nation, which it's not. So there was a moment when it was kind of confusing because I was like, wait, how is this related? And really there is no relationship, but the relationship is it came from the people that were involved with Z Nation, but that's where I think it all the sudden became, oh this must be a straight up zombie genre show, and it's so much deeper than that. If you want to see the meaning and the drama and the truth, it's there. And if you're in and down and love something that is genre-bending and terrifying because it's so honest, it's also there. It's got everything. And it was really exciting to blend all of these genres together. That tells a true great story.”
Not sure whether she is out of the loop as many places are saying it's the same universe as Z Nation. But the tonal shift seems a bit weird to me if they intended it to be related.
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The Wiki has this to say:
Well as usual with Wiki you can take it with a grain of salt because that entry is inaccurate.
I read an article that quoted Jaime King:
Not sure whether she is out of the loop as many places are saying it's the same universe as Z Nation. But the tonal shift seems a bit weird to me if they intended it to be related.
I will stick with "out of the loop" for now. As every article I have read thus far states it is the Z Nation world, with the story being more serious in nature and tone.
Grimm
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Got ac chance to watch it last. Intended to watch one episode and ended up watching three.
I like it. Although I do wonder if most everyone would turn bad and evil so soon. Would also
like more zombies.
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I did not like Z nation to comical. But this one is really good so far Love the 1st episode when you can see the same incident from different perspectives (kind of like one of my favorite Halloween movies "trick r treat")
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This is next on my list once I have finished watching the British (and one Commonwealth) Olympic Scenery Chewing team consume their combined bodyweights in sets per episode. Honourable mentions must also go to Cancer Man, Wesley and the post war boss of Roxxon.
I think the next season of Z-Nation is now on Netflix (and iZombie is due in May).
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Bit disappointed in the ending, it was to unbelievable and short and most question are not answered and left hanging. It is still worth watching.
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I have started watching it.
Clever concept,
I wonder if it can keep up the momentum.
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Just finished it.
Very good.
Max Brooks is correct about the emphasis on firearms, admitedly you would not want "fast zombies" to close on you, but no one picked up any melee weapons (except the bizarre choices in the diner) when there were no firearms.
One thing you always need to remember is that we (well most of us) as viewers are "Genre Savvy", we know headshots are the only way to stop them etc. The characters are not. However you do expect them to learn from experience (as an aside, that was odd about TWD and FTWD, in the former it was well into series two - Better Angels - that we find out that you die - you turn. In FTWD it was very quickly determined by the characters).
In answer to a question further up the thread, I suspect that things would fall apart pretty quickly once "authority" is removed. We saw that in 2011.
Plenty of plot threads for the next series.
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I watched the first 3 episodes last night.......
I am struggling with the characters and how they have been written.... it's 6 weeks since the outbreak if I'm correct, you would assume that to survive those initial 6 weeks you need to be lucky, have some form of intellect and be able to handle situations, all those qualities appear to be missing from the people, strolling around hand in hand down the street, holding maps but NOT A SINGLE WEAPON...... shouting for each other inside houses when they know that noise attracts the Zombies....
It was quite infuriating to watch such a bunch of idiots running around without any hint of 'grab a hammer/knife/gun etc'.
The story writing is odd and very off, amateurish when compared to the competitors Netflix has.....
I'll most likely keep watching though and hope it gets better, I hated the first 3 season of Fear the Walking Dead, but enjoyed the 4th, so lets hope Black Summer and it's cast eat some intellect pills and figure out to keep quiet and grab a few weapons ;-)
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I enjoyed it. but a bit hit and miss. Anyone notice when they collect guns they never collected the ammo but lo when they come to use the guns they all have lots of magazines. Worth a watch though.
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@King Arthur:
I mentioned above the absence of viable melee weapons.
One point to remember is that the initial set up was in a "safe" area and the soldiers were checking for weapons.
However, there were opportunities to pick up melee weapons at various points.
Maybe there was a reflection on Max Brooks' comments on how bad it got in the USA compared to Europe due to a fixation on firearms over melee (improvised or otherwise). In TWD, it took a while to notice that use of firearms attracted more walkers. Maybe those with guns used them, and those that did not survived (especially with the level of marksmanship displayed in a "you die, you turn" environment).
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Started watching it the other night, still have few more to go, I'm liking it very much, I like the little side things that you see and happens, but not really part of the main story. Slow shambling zombies are nice and scary BUT running zombies! Scar the WILLIES out of me, only because I just can run as far or as fast as I use too.
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@War Monkey remember you do not have to be the fastest, just faster than the guy behind you.... and you could always trip someone... :D >:D lol
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@War Monkey remember you do not have to be the fastest, just faster than the guy behind you.... and you could always trip someone... :D >:D lol
Or follow Shane's method.
The problem is that once the victim/distraction has "died", you have another one on your tail (the couple being chased being an example of the problem).
They do not seem to hang about to scoff their meals.
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I do literally have more weapons in my toolbox and shed than the entire cast of that show. Come on guys, how difficult is it to pick up a hatchet? A hammer? Just a rolling pin then?
But yeah, running zombies are nasty, Although the zombies seem to have good sprinting form and balance, and know how to pace themselves into a three quarter pace then go flat out for the final few yards.
I am enjoying the show, but picking apart bits you would do differently if you were in charge of the world is just a compulsory exercise.
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I am enjoying the show, but picking apart bits you would do differently if you were in charge of the world is just a compulsory exercise.
This is true. It was a sad day when I realised that, were the zed apoc to hit, my ill preparedness would probably lead me quickly to robbing my neighbours in desperation o_o
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This is true. It was a sad day when I realised that, were the zed apoc to hit, my ill preparedness would probably lead me quickly to robbing my neighbours in desperation o_o
Being prepared is a two edged sword, if you have read "Lucifer's Hammer" you know that being prepared can paint a target on your house.
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We just finished watching the series, and yes I have been picking it apart as well, much I would have done so differently, one can be prepared without raising red flags with your neighbors, you just have to lock your doors if someone comes pounding on your door and fast running Zombies they wont be knocking for long. lol
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I am watching the series at the moment but find the stupidity of the cast very frustrating especially the actions after the school in episode 3 or 4, the guy on his own shouting for help ?? then finding like a fully stocked unlooted store and not wedging the auto opening doors closed beggars belief. I enjoy it overall but chafe at these assumptions that most would be so scared as not to pick up or look for a melee weapon or try and slow an adversary down by closing a door to be a stretch of its believability.
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I quite enjoyed it.
The survivors appear quite naive but I think you can chalk most of that up to us gamers being genre savvy as UVS said earlier in this thread.
If you mainly watch soaps and romantic comedies, live in an appartment in the city and work in an office, you're not likely to know how to kill a zombie and you even if you manage to find an axe, you probably wont be very good with it.
Most people arent used to violence and for many the flight response is stronger than the fight response.
I think its a fairly realistic depiction of how most people would react.
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Being prepared is a two edged sword, if you have read "Lucifer's Hammer" you know that being prepared can paint a target on your house.
Funny you should mention Lucifer's Hammer. I bought it for my Kindle about 5 minutes ago and I'll start reading in a couple of hours. lol
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Funny you should mention Lucifer's Hammer. I bought it for my Kindle about 5 minutes ago and I'll start reading in a couple of hours. lol
"Surf's Up!"
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I'm not generally a zombie fan..the Walking Dead passed me by.
I gave Black Summer a try, and that led onto to Z Nation, of which I've watched all 4 seasons on Netflix. I believe there's a Series 5, but it's cancelled after that?
Always a problem when you invest in these long running series.. characters are lost as actors move on, and someone takes a decision to cancel more often than not with an unresolved series-end cliffhanger.
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Its worse yet when a series is renewed, they have a plot to last 10 seasons - and talk about how the planned character's arcs, and it all sounds awesome. Then the show runners from a similar series are fired for being awful, your series hires them on. ...And those show runners proceed to kill off all of the main cast in the first few episodes of the new series and replace them with characters from that other series.
Fear the Walking Dead had so much potential.
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Fear the Walking Dead had so much potential.
Yes it did, and would have been better if:
They had not moved it around the USA following tax breaks.
They had stuck with moving gently along in 2010 for a while. You rarely get to see civilization fall (too expensive and very dark - imagine filming "the Battle of Yonkers" on a TV budget). TWD went the Triffids/28 Days route - most of it had happened before the POV character regained consciousness, so other members of the cast could explain it to him and by extension the viewers.
I had got to dislike the characters in FTWD by the end of series 3, and from the way the first half of series 4 went, so did the writers. I did enjoy the second half. Series 4 felt like they filmed about two or three episodes using the surviving cast from series 3 then either sacked them or they left. They then cobbled the episodes shot later with the new cast together with the bits they had filmed with the old cast.
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I watched the first episode of Season 3 and stopped. You know I'm not even sure if I made it all the way to the end of even that episode. Then I read the Tv Tropes page and discovered that they killed off the most interesting character in the next episode, followed by the rest of the main cast over the season - and replaced them with a whole new one.
Going into that Season I wasn't aware that they'd replaced the show runner with the same person who'd left The Walking Dead after running that series into the ground. I'd wondered why Season 2 could end on a high, with the potential for interesting characters - then 3 begins and all of a sudden the writing plummeted (where did all those super competent soldiers at the Mexican border go to? Oh, they've been replaced by these childish idiots who'd be better off in Z Nation. Oh, and now they're all dead. Woo!). Which I suppose is more to do with the politics of AMC manoeuvring employees from the main show onto other projects instead of firing them.
...Not to say that the main show was any better for their loss. For the first few minutes of the new series things seemed to have improved slightly till people started acting stupid again (then we lost Rick Grimes and I was done). Its just a pity that Fear the Walking Dead seemed to be getting better and had the potential to replace its parent series, but both wound up being little better than Si Fi originals. A HBO quality Zombie drama will come along eventually hopefully, though it does seem like a genre best suited for slocky junk.
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Having listened to the audiobook/play of World War Z, that would make a great HBO series (like Hitchhiker's, no one has made a film of it).