Ok. So zombies are currently experiencing an 80s fashion like revival. Blame (or congratulate) The Walking Dead for that. So there was only a finite amount of time until someone truly PG'd it and fed it to the masses. Now for all us True horror fans (see how I group myself with you, you should feel awesomer) that could cause some deep bowel like pain. But should it really? I mean, isn't a mainstream zombie flick still have that "Maybe the kids will turn out all right" feel to it? Something that Twilight, or the upcoming Mortal Instruments could never accomplish.
Dammit. I enjoyed this movie. That's really what I'm trying to say but I figured I should at least try to set up some reasons before throwing myself before the true horror tribunal.
First, I will go through the plot. The zombie apocalypse happened. Zombies tour the world at large looking for humans to eat, and humans stay safe behind a giant wall, only venturing out for grub, and medicine. One zombie (to later be named "R") has had an unfortunate development; He thinks. About everything. There are also Zombie level 2's that they call "Boneys". These are zombies that have evolved into complete death monster things. Whatever. Anyway, he and a group of zombies voyage off one day for food. At the same time a group of human surviving young adults voyage from the city on a mission for supplies. They meet, and while R is eating her boyfriend, he decides that he must save "Julie" from death at the hands of his friends. He disguises her scent and takes her back to his lair. An abandoned airplane. And well, from there he starts to um... warm up. And regain his abilities to be something closer to human.
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| Wait, sooo... You're team edward? |
Second, this film is written and directed by Jonathan Levine. A man who is responsible for one tripped out little teen flick The wackiness and one of my all time fav as-of-yet-unreleased horror treasures all the boys love mandy lane. So I didn't doubt the directing would be bang on and it is. Never afraid to transition from some cheese moment directly into peril. With ease. The acting in this film is good, very good, though John Malkovich really does do shit all. The leads however, Nicholas Holt (who I now begin to forgive for participation in Jack the Giant Slayer) and Teresa Palmer (So very hot that I almost called this review - She'd warm my dead parts up... Ya. Almost) have undeniable likeability and connection. That makes the movie. Period. If the leads were less awesome, and cute, and believable, the movie would crash and burn (shout out to - Hackers). Here's one thing I was not expecting, a voice over that rocks! The narrative from R is grand. Even providing perhaps... (deep breath)... the best explanation for why Zombies eat brains I have ever heard. Yup. True story Bro. Unlike a lot of movies where the narrative feels forced, or there simply to explain plot, R is a zombie, so he can't really communicate, so we need to hear his thoughts... and they entertain.
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| You're dance moves are like dead sexy girl.... |
Rob Corddry has a nice roll as R's undead bestie. They have a nice moment sitting at an airport cafeteria grunting at each other. Because as R says some days its almost like we have real conversations.
Listen, if you just wanna rewatch your Night of the Living deads, and Zombi 2s, and such, awesome, I support that. But if you enjoy seeing different takes, and ideas within the genre... I.E. Fido, Ahhh Zombies, and some of the other cool takes, this should be right up your alley. I wish there was a little more violence, of course, I am Chuck B Boonsweet afterall. But, I had fun, and because of the leads was invested in the romance portion of the film much more than I thought I would be. The boneys are a nice villain, however, I would have been waaaaaay more impressed is they were practical as well (instead of looking like skin less versions of the whatever-the-hell-they-weres from I AM LEGEND)
Over all, fun. Some laughs, some sexy, and some brains.... trifecta I say!
As a zombie fan I look at this as I do KUNG FU PANDA ... seriously. Stay with me for a sec. I love kung fu/martial art flicks. Violent crazy cool stuff. But I love Kung Fu panda too, with the same zeal for the kung fu but with a sprinkle of the inner child. Thats exactly why I dug this one. I love zombie films... crazy, bloody, body ripping.... but I enjoyed this too. Blame the inner child... that I too often allow to be outer.... :P
Movie scale 3.5 out of 5 stars
Horror Comedy scale 4 out of 5 stars.
Bring your kids. If you have kids. If not, maybe this film will inspire you to practice... with loved ones.... lol
1 last thought. Nicky Holt really does sell the zombie in this film. Watch his movement/running as the film evolves so does his movement. I thought it was a nice touch, and I could almost hear the director off screen "No, less shoulder, more stumble! More Stumble!"
:)(:
- Chuck Boonsweet says Teresa Palmer can bring the dead to life! Probably. Still waiting on the scientific data.
1 comment:
Good review. It's sweet-natured and has a feel about it that wants you to actually believe in this relationship, which is surprisingly something that happens.
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