Fear The Walking Dead Episode 1 Review

Spoilers Ahead

Waiting for the End of the World

Fear The Walking Dead Episode 1

Director: Adam Davidson

Stars: Kim Dickens, Cliff Curtis, Alycia Debnam-Carey, Frank Dillane

Some things are critic-proof. It doesn’t matter how dull or pointless the latest Transformers film is, it is still guaranteed to clean up at the box office. The Walking Dead is a critic-proof TV series: since it started in 2010, spinning out of the comic by Kirkman, Moore and then Adlard, it has broken TV viewing figure records. Fear The Walking Dead, the first spin-off from this contemporary cultural phenomena, has already garnered impressive figures on its showing in the US alone. The series is set before the action of the main series and takes a look at Los Angeles before the virus has spread through the prism of dysfunctional family the Clarks which includes mother Madison (Kim Dickens), stepfather Cliff (Travis Manawa), daughter Alicia (Alycia Debnam-Carey) and troubled son Nick (Frank Dillane). Perhaps there is an interesting story of just how whatever created the Walking Dead has spread through the US here but the premiere episode feels generic and clunky. The Clarks are a very cookie-cutter family: Cliff has an ex wife Liza Ortiz (Elizabeth Rodriguez), son Nick has a drug habit while daughter Alicia is desperate to leave LA and her family woes behind. Technically it can’t be faulted as the direction and acting is of the same quality as the main series. But the bottom line is that zombies aren’t very interesting and while there is some tension to be had here waiting for the world to end, I am not sure just how long they can string this out before it becomes just like the main series except set in Los Angeles rather than Atlanta. It will be a hit. Arguably it’s already one as the second series has already been greenlit but its shortcomings are evident already. Fans of The Walking Dead will tune in but viewers looking for something with a bit more depth probably won’t. But as I said at the beginning, some things are critic-proof and currently The Walking Dead and by extension this spin-off falls into this category.

JOEL MEADOWS

Madison Curtis (Kim Dickens)

Alicia Curtis (Alycia Debnam-Carey)

Cliff and Madison Curtis (Travis Manawa and Kim Dickens)

Cliff and Madison Curtis (Travis Manawa and Kim Dickens)

Alicia Curtis (Alycia Debnam-Carey)

Madison Curtis (Kim Dickens)

Alicia Curtis (Alycia Debnam-Carey)

Cliff Curtis (Travis Manawa)

Cliff Curtis (Travis Manawa)

Cliff and Madison Curtis (Travis Manawa and Kim Dickens)

Nick Curtis (Frank Dillane)

Madison Curtis (Kim Dickens)

Cliff and Madison Curtis (Travis Manawa and Kim Dickens)

The Walking Dead – Season 1-4 [DVD] [2010]