Electric Avenue Review: Dead Air (2009)

When I read that Dead Air starred Bill Moseley and featured "flesh eating maniacs", I was immediately drawn to it like a moth to a light. The Mose pretty much insures a good time for all but ever since I saw Evil Bong just because his name was on the marquee, I started using caution. And with that, I bring you ETMC's secnd installment of the Electric Avenue Reviews.

After a chemical gas is released at a sporting event, the spectators go all 28 Days Later on the outside city spreading the infection and causing major havoc. The Mose plays radio shock jock Logan who learns about the outbreak from panicking callers. He and his staff use their hit show to educate listeners on the developments as they occur.

The Mose is a model of consistency no matter the film

The first 30-35 minutes of this film was some cheesy fun, but too many other factors sank it to the bottom shortly thereafter. I feel bad saying this about director Roger Dorn, I mean Corbin Bernsen, but if you are going to blatantly rip off "the infected" of 28 Days Later and even dabble in the waters of Pontypool, please don't make it a serious film. This should have been a fun and goofy ride all the way. It was heading there at first but then abruptly changed course for the worse.

The film gets to a point where there are no more interactions with the "infected" and becomes more of a hostage flick. Throw in a terrorist angle that becomes the centerpiece of the flick and a dab of political messaging about stereotypes and Muslims...and you have a pretty wasted film on your hands. Sorry Bernsen, I love ya' but you and The Mose could have accomplished so much more.

Come on, Dorn! What's with this Olay bullshit?!

Limited budgets are understandable and that's not my issue here. The issue is that this film is played dead straight (not being punny) and rejects the cheese factor that it had going for it in the beginning. The Mose gives it his all and bring his usual on-screen charisma but the film itself didn't help back him up.

Another issue is that the film seemed to be unnecessarily padded out for the ending. It was several minutes of nothing that led to a very lame and predictable conclusion. It might have been setting things up for a sequel but a continuation is not necessary or even welcomed from my perspective.

Remember that the more Eddy Grant Heads the worse the film is, so with that in mind, Dead Air gets:

out of 5.

Watch 28 Days Later and Pontypool instead, whether it's out in da' streets or out in the playground and give this re-rehash a skip. Unless you are a Moseley completist like myself.