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| MOVIE
REVIEWS |
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Oasis Of The Zombies (1983)
[Le Trésor des
Morts Vivants]
Deserts and zombies simply don't mix. I can say that with much
confidence after seeing Oasis Of The Zombies. There
is absolutely nothing terrifying about zombies haunting
an oasis in the middle of the Sahara.
The movie centers on a young student who, upon hearing of his father's death, travels back to his home in Africa with a group of his friends. He had read in his father's diary of the story of how his conception came to be. During World War II, the Allies ambushed a German convoy carrying a shipment of gold. That battle took place at a desert oasis, and left only one survivor, an American soldier...his dad. While being nursed back to health, his father fell in love with the daughter of a sheik. She would later have his child and die during the birthing process.
His son doesn't really care about any of it except for the part about the gold. He doesn't seem to mourn his father's death or care about meeting his grandfather and learning more about his mother. Director Jesus Franco uses a flashback to show us all of that back-story to set up a very simple tale of greed and its rewards. Most of it seemed unnecessary and I have to believe that there was a more concise and less long-winded way to get the story across. I would like to believe that Franco did it that way hoping the viewer would care about what was happening to his characters on the screen. It didn't work. I just didn't care if the zombies munched on their brains or not. Let the zombies feast, see if I care!
Oasis failed on many levels. Direction was lacking
to say the least. Many scenes were far too drawn-out, and
some scenes weren't even necessary. And what was the deal
with the spider? I counted at least 4 close-ups of a spider
in its web preceding most of the zombie attacks. It didn't
increase the tension, didn't come close to scaring anybody,
so why was it in there? I'll toss it in the already half-full
trashcan labeled "Things that don't make sense and distract
the viewer."
By no means am I a musical expert, however, I've seen enough movies to know what works and what doesn't work in a movie. I do pay attention, and when the music consists of what sounds to be banging on pots and pans, and strumming rubber bands...it just doesn't cut it. Neither do the weird creaking sounds as the zombies were coming out of the sand. Do zombies creak? Does sand creak? Then where was it coming from? I have no clue, but it sounded like someone running a finger up and down a comb!
To be fair, there were a few positives to Oasis.
I was pretty impressed with the make-up. It wasn't just
some green paint slapped haphazardly on the actors' faces.
It looked like they actually took some time and cared about
their job. I'm not saying it amazed me, but it was inspired
work compared to the quality of the rest of the film.
I've always been a big fan of seeing zombies escape from
their grave, dig their way to the surface, and then begin
their carnage. While crawling out of the sand wasn't nearly
as spine-tingling as seeing it happen in such films as Zombie
or Return of the Living Dead, it was a noble attempt.
Chalk it up to the limitations of an oasis in the middle
of the Sahara.
While Oasis of the Zombies is not a great film, not
even an average film, I want to make the point that it's
not the worst zombie film ever made. I've seen worse. There
was a small bit (very small) of promise but ended up as
just another piece of zombie refuse. The only way to get
any value out of the film is to gather your friends together,
make fun of it, and laugh your ass off. Due to either the
horrible script or the dubbing translation, some of the
lines are absolute classics!
| RATING |
(out of 5) |
| THEATER
RELEASE DATE |
March 1 1983
(Spain) |
| DVD
RELEASE DATE |
| April 10 2001 |
| DEAD KEV'S ADVICE |
| The best thing I can say is that it's not the worst
zombie flick out there. If you don't expect too much
and want some cheap laughs, rent it! If you
want to torture yourself by repeated viewings of Oasis,
then by all means buy it. |
ZOMBIE LESSONS LEARNED |
1. Don't try to steal the gold of dead Nazis.
2. Skipping your college exams always results in something bad happening. So stop slackin'! |
| FAVORITE QUOTES |
-"You coming along?"
-"If you want me to. I'm going to fail my exams anyways."
-"That would be swell!" |
| DIRECTOR |
| Jesus Franco (Revenge in the House of Usher) |
| Marius
Lesoeur |
| WRITERS |
| Jesus Franco |
| Ramón Llidó [story] |
| PRODUCER |
| Daniel Lesoeur |
| CAST |
CHARACTER |
| Manuel Gélin |
Robert Blabert |
| Jeff Montgomery |
|
| Myriam Landson |
|
| Eric Viellard |
|
| France Jordan |
|
| Antonio Mayans |
The Sheik |
| Miguel Ángel Aristu |
Ahmed |
| Eduardo Fajardo |
Kurt (Spanish version) |
| Albino Graziani |
Professor Denicken |
| Daniel Katz |
|
| Javier Maiza |
Robert's father |
| Doris Regina |
Sheik's daughter |
| PRODUCTION COMPANY |
| Eurociné |
| STUDIO |
| Image
Entertainment |
| COUNTRY OF ORIGIN |
| Spain & France |
| RUNNING TIME |
MPAA RATING |
| 82 mins |
Unrated |
| INTERESTING TIDBITS |
| This film is supposed to have been filmed twice,
both in French and Spanish. The two versions shared
some footage but did use some different cast members
for minor characters. The Spanish version The Tombs
of the Living Dead (1983) has not yet been released
in North America. |
| AKA : La Tumba de los Muertos Vivientes (1983
Spain); The Oasis of the Living Dead (1983
USA); Bloodsucking Nazi Zombies (1983 video);
Grave of the Living Dead (1983); The Treasure
of the Living Dead (1983) |
| AROUND THE WEB |
| Biography
of Jess Franco - Jess-Franco.com |
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