Who says zombies are heartless?

Rating: 9/10 (24 June 2013)

Initially, I never really gave a thought for Warm Bodies until last week, when I read the book in a day, and immediately went out and bought the DVD afterwards. And I was very, very glad I did.
It's such a fresh and original take on the zombie genre. Up until now, I'd only ever seen zombies be brainless (pardon the pun), moaning and groaning, absolute dehumanised... things, really, and never a film from the perspective of the zombie them self. And yes, these zombies moan and groan too, but it's either funny (case in point, R and M's "almost conversations"), or endearing when concerning R (is it weird to find a groan endearing?)
Nevertheless, R, played brilliantly by Nicholas Hoult, really is an endearing character. He's a zombie with a conscience - which is such an oxymoron that it's brilliant - which enables him to behave a little different to the rest. As his dialogue (not including the voice over) is minimal, we're mostly left to rely on his facial expressions for prompts, which I think Nicholas does so down to a T. His eyes say a lot. And I liked seeing his character develop, thanks to his interaction with Julie (played by Teresa Palmer). The relationship between the two mains is sweet, but not over done. And I think they're both capable enough in themselves that neither of them ever seems "weak" - vulnerable, yes, but not weak. The chemistry between the two is nice as well. The scenes with them in the plane I thought were especially good. The voice-over was a nice touch, because without it, well, we'd be a little lost between moans and groans until things begin to develop a little later on. It's also pretty humorous, and helps to lighten the atmosphere of the film as a whole, I think.
It's clever, too. There are deeper issues to this film that render it with a good sense of substance. The social commentary included that shows the zombies are really only what they are because of their loss of their own humanity. I loved the symbolism. And personally, I liked the homage paid to Romeo and Juliet.
I really enjoyed this movie, and it stays relatively true to the book, which is great. I would have liked to have seen more scenes translated from book to film, but I understand that obviously, not everything can be included.
One of my favourite films of 2013, so far. Definitely give it a go!