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Zombies
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Post by
Skreeran
But how long will a zombies muscles be able to continue functioning if they're eating themselves? It wold be similar to being chased by a crowd of slow moving starving people who've already used all their fat reserves. And that's assuming cell metabolism is still even functioning. If the organs aren't functioning, why are the nerves and muscle cells still functioning?
Well, I don't know, but I'd imagine that in some way zombification involves the formation of an electrical impulse, along your nervous system, then making muscle contraction possible. Maybe that's why zombies need to eat; they ingest the remains of the living. Or, they use their victims' blood (generally victims seem to be bitten at a major vein or artery, in zombie flicks I've seen) to transport the victims' nutrients around themselves. Again, we're clutching at straws. :PI editted my above post, btw.
In Max Brook's canon (
World War Z
,
The Zombie Survival Guide
) at least (using him as the example because he has the most thought out approach), zombies do not digest the flesh the eat at all, and their blood is congealed.
I understand that we're grasping at straws, and I'm really not trying to say "Zombies don't make sense, you shouldn't like them!" I'm not even trying to prove you wrong.
I'm just saying that
hard science
is very important to me. If a movie breaks the laws of physics, I end up spending the rest of the movie either disappointed or trying to figure out how it would work.
Take Avatar, for example. I watched the first half hour of the movie, and then spent the remaining time wondering how the avatars broadcast a signal back to the machine from which the driver controls them with seemingly no lag. And then wondering if the avatar's nervous system had it its own consciousness that was buried under the driver's when in use, or if they'd somehow been gutted to just the neurological 'hardware' without any of the 'software.' Soft science kills immersion for me, so I like movies with hard science. Hence my preference for living zombies. That's all I'm saying... :P
Post by
Patty
I know you're not, and I'm just offering other (
completely logical
) suggestions. From what I remember in The Walking Dead TV show... it was explained that zombification essentially reanimated the brain stem, but not the cerebral cortex or other areas.
Then, there's this:
Zombie bites are not how the "infection" is spread, its just that zombie bites and zombie slobber cause infections that are 100% lethal. Characters have speculated, but cannot confirm, that what ever causes zombies to re-animate is some sort of virus that everyone in the world is technically infected with, but which is only triggered by death.
.........
The first zombie encountered by Rick Grimes outside of the hospital appeared to be immobilized after some kind of decay. Zombies are shown to be frozen, one almost bit Glenn. A zombie attempted to attack them, however it fell to the ground but couldn't manage to stand up. This may be a sign that zombies will eventually decay to the point where they are no longer a threat to humans which would mean that the outbreak will eventually end on its own accord.
Post by
Skreeran
Sounds like a bit of a harder series, which I can appreciate. Seems to me, though, that as long as they're the walking dead, they can never be scientifically conformative (unless perhaps the rest of the body is still functionally alive while the creature itself is brain dead... that might work).
Post by
240140
This post was from a user who has deleted their account.
Post by
Skreeran
You guys should discuss zombies forever. Mmmmmmm.Lol.
Science is power.
Post by
Patty
Sounds like a bit of a harder series, which I can appreciate. Seems to me, though, that as long as they're the walking dead, they can never be scientifically conformative (unless perhaps the rest of the body is still functionally alive while the creature itself is brain dead... that might work).
Of course, but I think with zombie flicks you can't watch them expecting hard science backing their existance. In fact, I think you would like
The Walking Dead
... the characters are quite well fleshed out, and it is one of the 'scienfically harder' pieces of zombie fiction I've seen. I might start buying the graphic novels, but I don't know; I've still not watched all of season 1 of the TV show yet. ;)
Post by
124027
This post was from a user who has deleted their account.
Post by
240140
This post was from a user who has deleted their account.
Post by
Skreeran
ΔW/Δt is power.Fixed.Sounds like a bit of a harder series, which I can appreciate. Seems to me, though, that as long as they're the walking dead, they can never be scientifically conformative (unless perhaps the rest of the body is still functionally alive while the creature itself is brain dead... that might work).
Of course, but I think with zombie flicks you can't watch them expecting hard science backing their existance. In fact, I think you would like
The Walking Dead
... the characters are quite well fleshed out, and it is one of the 'scienfically harder' pieces of zombie fiction I've seen. I might start buying the graphic novels, but I don't know; I've still not watched all of season 1 of the TV show yet. ;)I would like to watch it.
I'm just saying, of all the different types of zombies, I prefer the living zombies the most, because they're the scientifically hardest.
I can enjoy fiction without it having to conform totally to Science. Dead Space, for example, I really liked, despite its retardedly unscientific zombies. I just prefer that if any explanation is given, it should conform to the laws of physics.
Post by
Gone
A couple things I wanna say.
First off, anybody who enjoys The Walking Dead telivision show, should
ABSOLUTLEY
read the comics, I cannot stress enough how great they are. The show is good but the source material is >>>>>>>, plus when you start reading a bit later on there are a few things that Im fairly sure will be left out of the show, too *!@#ed up for AMC. And as much as I like the show there are already a few things they changed, not that some change isnt good, but people should really check out the original.
HUGE ASS SPOILER
Shane trys to kill Rick, and gets shot and killed by Carl
^ This point already came and went in the TV show without happening, so naturaly there are going to be changes down the road just by this not going down.
The other thing is to Skreeran, yes based on what we know now the idea of the living dead seems pretty implausable, but try explaining modern science to people 200 years ago, we dont know everything, im most zombie mythos its usualy some new virus or epidemic that people havnt seen yet, its possible, unlikley but possible that an indiscovered virus could do things that we dont think possible at the moment. Now let me clarifie I do not think zombies could ever actualy exist, but in the fiction mythos it could be plausable covered by the blanket of "we just dont know everything".
Post by
Skreeran
Eh, it would have to be a radically different type of virus that had survived millions of years without verified observation, which seems kinda implausible in itself. If the virus is capable of causing an end of the world scenario, its outbreaks must be very difficult to control. If it's existed constantly for millions of years (remember, viruses don't reproduce on their own, they have to reproduce through host cells), how would they have not already caused a massive end of the world epidemic, or at the very least been scientifically verified.
Yes, at this point I'm just looking for things to be unhappy about. If you like zombies, that's totally fine. I'm just explaining that I like living zombies more because they don't require as much willing suspension of disbelief from myself.
Post by
Monday
So you prefer things like the Ing on Metroid Prime and the whatchamacallits from Resident Evil 4?
Post by
xlanadenx
Would "I Am Legend" fall under the category of zombies? If so I found this
clip
of someone's adaptation of it around the time the movie was coming out. I honestly found it worth watching. There's no special effects but I thought he did a good job of creating an atmosphere I like in zombie movies.
Post by
Adamsm
Skree, no offense...but you are way too anal about things.
Post by
Skreeran
So you prefer things like the Ing on Metroid Prime and the whatchamacallits from Resident Evil 4?Well, the Ing are closer to magic zombies than viral zombies, and I let magic slip by my science hardness rule so long as its
self consistent
.
The Resident Evil 4 zombies are an interesting case, but I don't know enough about the game to come to a solid conclusion (I know about the ancient parasites or whatever, but I don't know all the circumstances behind them).
I think 28 Days Later had my favorite zombies (besides the fact that the transformation was too quick in my opinion and the movie itself was unimpressive), followed by Left 4 Dead and I Am Legend (the book, not the movies).
I liked Romero's movies (Dawn of the Dead was my favorite), but the zombies themselves required some willing suspension of disbelief.
Dead Space required a lot of suspension of disbelief, but the games are fun and Issac is a badass (and a good badass: a genius level engineer who's fighting to survive, rather than a big cocky macho man like Marcus Fenix or Duke Nukem). I like that there's unconventional body horror zombies, rather than just slow walking dead people.
Skree, no offense...but you are way too anal about things.Yes. Yes, I am.
Post by
Gone
Would "I Am Legend" fall under the category of zombies? If so I found this
clip
of someone's adaptation of it around the time the movie was coming out. I honestly found it worth watching. There's no special effects but I thought he did a good job of creating an atmosphere I like in zombie movies.
If you read the novel I Am Legend is supposed to be vampires. I didnt really care for the movie, I may have been spoiled by the book (better than Dracula).
Post by
Skreeran
Would "I Am Legend" fall under the category of zombies? If so I found this
clip
of someone's adaptation of it around the time the movie was coming out. I honestly found it worth watching. There's no special effects but I thought he did a good job of creating an atmosphere I like in zombie movies.
If you read the novel I Am Legend is supposed to be vampires. I didnt really care for the movie, I may have been spoiled by the book (better than Dracula).I thought it was better too.
And while they're "vampires" they have all the trademarks of zombies.
Post by
Monday
Would "I Am Legend" fall under the category of zombies? If so I found this
clip
of someone's adaptation of it around the time the movie was coming out. I honestly found it worth watching. There's no special effects but I thought he did a good job of creating an atmosphere I like in zombie movies.
If you read the novel I Am Legend is supposed to be vampires. I didnt really care for the movie, I may have been spoiled by the book (better than Dracula).I thought it was better too.
And while they're "vampires" they have all the trademarks of zombies.
Except for sleeping during the day, being staked, being repelled by religious icons, intelligence, etc.
Post by
Gone
Would "I Am Legend" fall under the category of zombies? If so I found this
clip
of someone's adaptation of it around the time the movie was coming out. I honestly found it worth watching. There's no special effects but I thought he did a good job of creating an atmosphere I like in zombie movies.
If you read the novel I Am Legend is supposed to be vampires. I didnt really care for the movie, I may have been spoiled by the book (better than Dracula).I thought it was better too.
And while they're "vampires" they have all the trademarks of zombies.
Except for sleeping during the day, being staked, being repelled by religious icons, intelligence, etc.
plus they drink blood
Post by
Skreeran
Would "I Am Legend" fall under the category of zombies? If so I found this
clip
of someone's adaptation of it around the time the movie was coming out. I honestly found it worth watching. There's no special effects but I thought he did a good job of creating an atmosphere I like in zombie movies.
If you read the novel I Am Legend is supposed to be vampires. I didnt really care for the movie, I may have been spoiled by the book (better than Dracula).I thought it was better too.
And while they're "vampires" they have all the trademarks of zombies.
Except for sleeping during the day, being staked, being repelled by religious icons, intelligence, etc.I'm not saying that
are
exactly like zombies, merely that they're a permutation.
They are explained scientifically, rather than magically; they are the result of a virus; they attack in crowds; some of them come back from the dead...
George Romero took inspiration from I Am Legend for his movie
Night of the Living Dead.
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