Nerdly » ‘The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live’ Blu-ray Review

20th Aug2024

‘The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live’ Blu-ray Review

by Alain Elliott

Stars: Andrew Lincoln, Danai Gurira, Pollyanna McIntosh, Lesley Ann-Brandt, Terry O’Quinn | Created by Scott M. Gimple

It’s hard to say I am even a fan of The Walking Dead. Initially I only watched the first two seasons and I didn’t enjoy it enough to keep watching. Then after several more seasons, I was offered the chance to review (I think) season seven. And while I enjoyed some of it, once again it didn’t capture my imagination enough to continue to watch it. But now with the spin-offs, I thought I’d give the show another chance.

So why is a good question I guess. A huge epic zombie show still 100% appeals to me but I often thought with The Walking Dead that, because there were so many episodes each season, the quality went up and down so much. I saw The Ones Who Live had just six episodes, none of them more than an hour long, so I was confident the quality could be kept high, especially with Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira back in the lead roles. I did though watch an official catch-up video on YouTube to get myself up together with the characters and stories. I recommend everyone to do this too, even if you’ve watched it all before. The ten-minute video covers The Walking Dead and any spin-off episodes that are connected to The Ones Who Live. It was super helpful.

We start off with Rick in the CRM (Civil Republic Military) and he’s been trying to escape several times over the five year he’s been there. Michonne on the other hand has decided to leave where she is (and her kids) to go and search for Rick, who she believes and hopes is still alive. I don’t think it’s any spoiler to tell you that the do indeed find each other – very early on in the show – and they work together to attempt to take down the CRM and get back to their children.

I think one of the most impressive things about the show is how big and epic it feels. Clearly, there was plenty of money spent on it and it shows. The world feels huge even if we only see small parts of it, the make-up effects for the gore and the zombies is as good as you’ll ever get – as expected from the makers of The Walking Dead – and the cinematography is fantastic. It really feels like blockbuster TV.

It comes as no surprise that Lincoln and Gurira reprise their roles seemingly effortlessly and they show great chemistry. Even as someone who doesn’t know their backstory well, and hasn’t seen much of them on screen together, I quickly understood their relationship. I think episode four, which features them two for almost its entirety and links their backstory, was a big help in this. Other notable performances are those by Pollyanna McIntosh, Lesley Ann-Brandt, and Terry O’Quinn. I actually had no idea McIntosh was in The Walking Dead and its spin-offs and remember in the brutal The Woman and more recently Apocalypse Clown. She’s fantastic though, as is Ann-Brandt, who, despite a smaller role, still shines.

The quality of each episode, as I had hoped, is very good. There are a few little dips and maybe it all ends a little bit on a whimper – although I did enjoy the action scenes in the final episode – and with plenty of cheesiness. This is a love story, remember? Horror fans will be glad to hear that they don’t hold back on the brutality and gore that comes with making a zombie TV show. There’s still lots and lots of killing, in a variety of ways and nearly always, highly entertaining ways.

On the Blu-ray the extras include a preview of the show and a 42-minute kind of ‘making of’ which is very good.

Who would have thought that fourteen years after it started, The Walking Dead would still be going strong with several spin-offs and one of its better ones heavily focusing on a love story. And it works really well. As with anything with The Walking Dead, it never really ends, and there’s always the possibility of a season two. But if this is the end for Rick and Michonne, then it’s a near-perfect way to end their story. Love, zombies and plenty of action. The Ones Who Live hits all the right notes.