Review of film: "WARM BODIES" = Is "ZOMBIE-COM" in the air-- or about to appear ON-SCREEN?!...

2013, 01-11:

Review of film:  “ WARM BODIES ”  =  Is there “ZOMBIE – COM”  in the air—

or about to be seen ON-SCREEN?!...

 ...  As stated a number of times on my web-site, overall, my LEAST-favorite genre of movies are "HORROR" films...

...  I straight-out AVOID going to "SLASHER" films (like "SAW 3D"), & generally tend to bypass ones about "VAMPIRES" & "ZOMBIES" & the like because most of them strike me as patently STUPID in concept & execution, & are usually poorly acted (and / or downright BORING to me)...
 

           ...  But, trying to remain at least partially "OPEN-MINDED", I nevertheless decided to go out in a drizzling rain to see an advance screening of a 97-minute "ZOMBIE-COM" film called "WARM BODIES" (which uses a number of funny tag lines, one of which is "He's still DEAD--  but he's getting WARMER...")... 

                      ...  I did it in part because a writer friend of mine named Brian said it was apparently surprisingly WELL-done...  And, I was intrigued when I learned it was written & directed by JONATHAN LEVINE, who did 2011's excellent "50 / 50" which I'd enjoyed very much;  see the review at  http://voice-of-film.blogspot.com/2011/09/review-of-film-50-50.html ...)...





                           ...  I was NOT especially impressed when I viewed its TRAILER on-line--  but I did like the film's concept I read about on the internet--  namely, that it concerned a "zombie" working to find a way to become ALIVE again... 

                 ...  In the lobby, the waiting line for it (mostly consisting of people in their 20's & 30's) was considerably smaller than the seemingly way-OVER-booked line which had congregated for the advance screening of the Marlon Wayans film "A HAUNTED HOUSE" in another part of the lobby...


        




        ...  The "WARM BODIES" film I saw was a quite pleasant SURPRISE: 

                      ...  It was CLEVERLY done, filmed in the Montreal area, with British star NICHOLAS HOULT giving a "tongue-in-cheek" performance as a "DIS-SATISFIED" Zombie named "R" (as in "Romeo"?)...  (Nic played "Hank McCoy / Beast" in "X-MEN: FIRST CLASS";  our Review can be seen at:  http://voice-of-film.blogspot.com/2011/06/review-of-film-x-men-first-class.html ) ...

                            ...  We hear him complain (in off-screen commentaries) about how hard & unpleasant his life is-- always walking so miserably SLOWLY...

                                    ...  And about constantly "bumping-into" other zombies as he has to search for food (usually of "organic" living HUMANS), etc...

                                 
   
                    ...  He has a zombie "friend" named "M" (played by ROB CORDDRY), &, such as they can, they try to "help" each other & "commiserate" & "communicate" (which tends to be difficult when you can do little more than GRUNT!)....

                          ...  By chance, as "R" is on a "food"-slog search, he comes upon live HUMANS who are trying to find medications & the like in the zombie area beyond their walled city... 

                                  ...  A fight ensues between him & a "decent" guy named Perry Kelvin (played by DAVE FRANCO), who tries to protect his girlfriend Julie (played by TERESA PALMER)-- who's the daughter of the man who controls the barricaded group of remaining humans, General Grigio (JOHN MALKOVICH, shown below)...

                                ...  The story continues with "R" trying to keep Julie safe from the other (not-so-"friendly") ZOMBIES & from the "lower"-class even-"deader" SKELETON - BONES who are chasing after the ZOMBIES...   

                                        ...  Quasi-akin to "Romeo & Juliet", a "RELATIONSHIP" starts to develop between "R" & Julie...

     ...  Will "R" be able to KEEP Julie safe?... 


     ...  Will Julie be "content" to STAY with "R"?... 


     ...  Will his efforts start to "CHANGE" him & possibly others in some way, either "inside" or "outside"?... If so, will it be for the "BETTER"?... 


    ...  WHO will "catch-up" with who, & what will "HAPPEN" from that?...   



                 ...  I found the little film quite FUNNY in an "underlying" & pleasurably understated way...  It's not written to provide big "laugh" lines as jokes (tho there ARE some hearty laughs):  it's played generally "straight", with the humor & cleverness arising out of the "SITUATIONS" set-up by the plot & its "twists" on the "usual" story in "zombie" flicks... 

                               ...  It's not a "great" film;  but, because of the unusually fine work inherent in it (especially by the creative writing, & the acting by Nic & Teresa), I would rate it like 7.75* out of 10 stars, because of the way it accomplishes something unexpectedly GOOD & EFFECTIVE with an often-hackneyed genre (in how it in-effect makes FUN of many of the stereotypes of its genre, & "explodes" certain "preconceptions")... 

                                       ...  And, I particularly like trying to "encourage" the making of well-done "INDIE"-type projects like this...

                                    ...  The movie is being shown in a number of other advance screenings in the next few weeks, before its scheduled general release on February 1st (perhaps as a "back-handed" --  or "short-handed" --  sort of "commentary" on VALENTINE'S DAY?!...) ... 

 

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