This is just hypothermia! Watches that appeared in zombie movies [Part 2] ~Actor's Watch #68~

"Actor's Watch" focuses on watches worn by actors in movies, television, etc.
This is the 68th installment, and we will be continuing from the last one and bringing you the second part of " Wristwatches that appeared in zombie movies ."

*Source: https://zombiejunkyard.com/

Zombie movies, which first appeared in the 1930s as "magic movies that bring the dead back to life," became a popular horror movie genre in the 1970s as "monster movies in which the resurrected dead attack and eat people." In the 21st century, "zombies that attack with superhuman athletic abilities" became popular among young people as a subject not only in movies but also in TV games and manga.

Zombies have become so popular that they have even been the subject of TV dramas such as " The Walking Dead " (2010). This time, we will take a look at watches that have appeared in zombie movies released in recent years.

Land of the Dead

LAND OF THE DEAD (2005)

*Source: https://muitomolho.com/

The zombie plague has spread and the world is overrun with zombies as a matter of course. The survivors begin living on land sandwiched between rivers that zombies cannot cross. While slum dwellers live in fear of zombie attacks, the wealthy live in fortress-like high-rise buildings and lead a comfortable life with supplies collected by the slum dwellers. Cholo ( John Leguizamo ), a member of the supply procurement team, is tired of being used by the city's ruler Kaufman ( Dennis Hopper ) and is looking for an opportunity for revenge. Eventually, intelligent individuals begin to appear among the zombies, and the conflict develops into a three-way battle between the wealthy, the poor, and the zombies.

After sounding the alarm about mass consumerism in " Dawn of the Dead " (1984), director Romero's next theme is "social inequality." The film depicts the contradiction that zombies, who have begun to acquire intelligence, are able to live more like humans than slum dwellers who continue to suffer without being able to escape poverty.

*Source: https://interwatches.wordpress.com/

The watch that appears in the film is the TAG Heuer Aquaracer (Ref. WAF1110.BA0800 ) worn by John Leguizamo, who plays the role of slum dweller Cholo. As the zombie film is set in a city surrounded by rivers, the highly waterproof Aquaracer is a perfect watch for the location.

Resident Evil III

RESIDENT EVIL: EXTINCTION (2007)

*Source: https://interwatches.wordpress.com/

The leak of the T-Virus, a virus weapon developed by Umbrella Corporation, spreads a zombie plague all over the world. The Earth is covered in zombies and civilization collapses. Alice ( Milla Jovovich ), a former member of Umbrella's special forces who has turned against the government, heads for Alaska, a supposedly safe place, fighting back against the zombies.

This is the third live-action horror action movie based on the adventure game " Resident Evil ," released for the PlayStation in 1996. This zombie movie is set in a desert under the blazing sun, a complete departure from the dark underground and nighttime scenes of the previous movies.

*Source: https://almostontime.com/

The watch that appears in the film is the Timex Ironman Triathlon 30 Lap (Ref. T53151) worn by the heroine Alice, played by Milla Jovovich . It is a multi-functional sports gear equipped with a timer and lap time measurement function, created at the request of triathlon race athletes, but unfortunately it does not have a map display function like the one in the image. As far as I have researched, I have not been able to find an all-black model with this shape, so I suspect that the entire watch was colored black to create a feeling of apocalypse and wear.

28 Weeks Later…

28 WEEKS LATER (2007)

*Source: https://www.disneyplus.com/

London is infected by a virus that invades the brain within seconds of infection, destroying the infected person's rationality and making them violent. After the surviving non-infected people escape and quarantine measures are completed on the British mainland, the violent infected people die out within the quarantine zone, and the area is declared safe 28 weeks after the outbreak. Don ( Robert Carlyle ), who survived by abandoning his wife who was attacked by an infected person, learns that she is still alive in the evacuation zone. He sneaks into her room in quarantine and kisses her, apologizing for abandoning her. However, since his wife was an asymptomatic carrier, Don is infected with the virus. As Don becomes violent and escapes, the infection spreads rapidly within the evacuation zone...

28 Days Later (2002) and its sequel 28 Weeks Later (2007) depict the spread of a dangerous virus that makes living things aggressive, and both are stories about living infected people turning aggressive, so technically they are not zombie movies where the dead come back from the dead, but because the infected people look just like zombies no matter how you look at them, I will dogmatically and prejudicely include them in the zombie movie category. Not Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016).

*Source: https://www.fanpop.com/

The watch that appears in the movie is the Luminox Navy SEAL (Ref. 3001) worn by Sergeant Doyle, a special forces sniper played by Jeremy Renner . It is a so-called "mil-spec" watch that was developed in collaboration with the US Navy's special forces "SEALs ". Sergeant Doyle is a member of Delta Force (US Army), but since mil-spec meets the official standards of not only the Navy but also the Army, it would not be out of place as a Navy SEAL watch.

World War Z

WORLD WAR Z (2013)

*Source: https://www.vigilanzatv.it/

Rain ( Brad Pitt ), a former UN investigator, was living a peaceful life with his wife and two children. One day, he witnesses a mysterious virus that causes people to suddenly turn violent, infecting one person after another. As the world is on the brink of collapse due to the spread of infections known as "Z," Rain returns to the UN to protect his family. As he continues to investigate the infection situation in various countries around the world, he notices that there are people who are not attacked by zombies, and comes up with a hypothesis...

This blockbuster zombie film was produced and starred in by Brad Pitt, and directed by Marc Forster (Quantum of Solace (2008)). It made $200 million in production costs and grossed $530 million at the box office, making it the biggest hit of any film starring Brad Pitt. As you would expect from such a huge production budget, the number of zombies that appear is overwhelming. The zombies are literally piled high with corpses, and are depicted in an incredible amount.

*Source: https://www.spotern.com/

The watch featured in the film is worn by Rain, a UN investigator played by Brad Pitt. Terra Cielo Mare Orienteering (Ref. TC7008PVD3PA) is a watch from a new brand founded in Italy in 2001. This watch is designed for the orienteering competition, where participants rely only on a map and a compass to find their destination. It is equipped with a compass function that allows you to know north, south, east and west from the position of the sun. It is a perfect watch for the wrist of a United Nations investigator who travels through dangerous countries, like Marco Polo and Columbus in the Age of Discovery.

I Am a Hero

I AM A HERO (2016)

*Source: https://www.spotern.com/

Suzuki Hideo ( Oizumi Yo ), a military manga artist whose hobby is clay shooting, has yet to produce a hit work and is stuck working as an assistant even at the age of 35. One day, a mysterious infectious disease breaks out across the world. Anyone bitten by an infected person turns into a zombie and attacks others, causing the infection to spread in an instant. While on the run, Hideo escapes a zombie attack and meets Hiromi ( Arimura Kasumi ), a high school girl who is an "infected person who does not turn into a zombie." Believing the rumor that "the virus dies at high altitudes," Hideo and Hiromi head for Mount Fuji, but along the way they come across a huge shopping mall where people who have escaped the infection are taking refuge...

This Japanese zombie blockbuster, directed by Shinsuke Sato of " Kingdom " (2019) and written by Akiko Nogi of " Unnatural " (2018), features a popular all-star cast including Yo Oizumi , Kasumi Arimura , Masami Nagasawa , and Yu Yoshizawa , and is a zombie movie full of passion and quality that rivals Western films. As a zombie movie fan, I am very happy that we are now in an age where such great zombie movies can be made in Japan. I ended up watching it three times at the theater.

*Source: Toho

The watches that appear in this film are Rolexes worn by mall survivor Abe-san ( Tokui Yu ) and popular manga artist Nakata Korori ( Katagiri Jin ). As there are no close-ups of them being worn, the model and serial number are unknown, but in each scene, lines such as "Is this a Rolex?" and "Rolexes are really cool after all" are heard, so it can be inferred that they are being worn. Among the watches collected in baskets as supplies, many Daytonas and Submariners , which are thought to be props, are also shown, depicting the "unchanging human spirit" that continues to yearn for luxury watches even in the face of the collapse of civilization.

*Source: Toho

In this movie, Rolex is clearly depicted as a " symbol of wealth ," and it is memorable to see the unsuccessful hero enviously looking at the Rolexes of Koroli and Abesan. The hero also escapes to a shopping mall and obtains his "long-awaited Rolex," but in the second half of the story, the Rolex shows its true role as the " king of practical watches, " so please look forward to it.

summary

What did you think?

Even in a zombie movie, which in some ways is the height of absurd B-grade horror , I think you can see that the watches that appear in it are treated as important props that express the personalities of the characters and the locations.

Rather, it is precisely because this is an extreme situation in which even a momentary error in judgment could lead to death that the question of " what type of watch would a person choose to wear in order to survive " becomes even more important.

There are sure to be many more zombie movies made in the future, so I'm excited to see what kind of watches the characters will choose as their survival companions.

see you!