I rarely feel compelled to write reviews about movies as most are neither particularly good or particularly bad. However, on this occasion I cannot help but feel I need to warn the rest of you potential victims that this movie is a complete waste of space.Directorship - OMG! Acting - Oh dear! Storyline - Hmmm!?!?! Effects/Action/Gore - Don't get me started! Camera work - Poor at best.How anyone could have likened this to The Walking Dead series (of which I am an avid fan) needs a smack! Honestly, go do some knitting with your grandma, you'll feel ultimately more satisfied.Enough said.

Dead Season (2012)** 1/2 (out of 4) Better than average film starts off after a zombie apocalypse takes out most people. Survivors Elvis (Scott Peat) and Tweeter (Marissa Merrill) meet by chance and soon the two jump in a boat and head off to an island. Once there they find more survivors being led by a man (James C. Burns) who is up to something darker than zombies. DEAD SEASON suffers somewhat from its obvious low-budget but for the most part this was an entertaining film that managed to have some brains for it, which isn't the norm for this type of picture. Unlike most movies that turn up on DVD, this one here isn't about cheap gore and dumb action. Instead we're given a pretty interesting story that actually had me caring about the characters, their issues and the situation that they're in. I thought the entire story was pretty good and I enjoyed seeing what a group of survivors might be doing to try and continue their lives while everything around them is pretty much dead. A lot of credit must go to the performances, which I found to be very good. I especially liked Merrill who was great in her role and I hope to see more of her in the future. I also enjoyed Corsica Wilson who plays a daughter locked up in the village. The gore effects are pretty graphic for this type of picture as there are several damaging bites and heads being shot off. I think a higher budget would have allowed for some of the plot to be developed more but there's still no question that this film gets quite a bit done and the majority of it done very well. Fans of the genre should be entertained by this one.

It's good if you aren't wanting a hero Could have been worse, or better. Personally, it would have been better with a female lead who was actually heroic rather than careless. It was as if she refused to believe that it is the deadliest situation the world has ever faced, getting other people killed with her thoughtlessness, from disregarding safety procedures to running, screaming, through gates not warning the guard who unlocks them that his friend running behind her is now a zombie. While she pretends to care about other people and hating the group leader for making cold, mean decisions, she lets someone take blame for her actions, and doesn't mourn the results of what she did. she repeatedly fails to care about other people herself. I suppose it's an interesting comparison about human nature, but with these kinds of movies I prefer a little more winning and less fail.

Now here's a scary movie that stages an intriguing premise: Instead of shuffling, shambling, mindless brain-eating freaks, "Dead Season" holds its audience with a much more plausible fright: the all too real victims of a raging epidemic. Instead of special effects, the filmmakers have poured their imagination and energy into crafting a story that engages and challenges with just enough twists and turns to keep things from getting predictable. The day-to-day issues of how to eat, how to stay away from infection, and how to hold on to your sanity and your humanity are covered intelligently and convincingly. Yes, "Dead Season" does have some genuine scares. But it also has a heart, a mind, and--with the exception of the infected--a soul.