A little too sweet, but there's a lot to like.

Rating: 7/10 (30 June 2013)

As a guy, sometimes this movie would really work for me. The cast is great from top to bottom. Rob Corddry was perfect. Analeigh Tipton never wastes a minute on screen. I've never seen Teresa Palmer before, but I'll be looking out for whatever she's in next. And Nicolas Hoult keeps showing me range I didn't know he had.
But at times they just pushed too hard for that sort of...fairytale...hakuna matata..."the world is made of roses" vibe. They'd show some really interesting, quirky ideas of life in a zombie outbreak, but then they'd get really sitcom-y when things should've gotten a little more serious. And a lot of it just felt too written. Like they didn't earn something that happened, a writer just decided it's time to happen now.
R talked too much, too soon. Soldiers dropped their weapons too quickly. Everything just got accepted so quick. It felt like everyone was just playing their part to help these two's love story, instead of being real characters that act in any way that makes sense.
It's a great idea. There are some really nice moments. And even when it gets dumb, it doesn't get as dumb as a lot of summer blockbusters can get. And it makes sense for the story it's telling. It just kinda disrespects zombie movies a lot. And doesn't find the balance between fear and love like it wants to. And kinda wastes a really really great premise, taking shortcuts to help make these two's world-changing love work.
It's kind of a testament to Teresa Palmer and Nicolas Hoult that the movie stays together and still pulls you in. They make odd leaps and choices at weird or off times. The problem is, this movie really respects the love story it's telling a hell of a lot more than the world they built around it.
But I still liked it.
Like a lot of people, I'm a sucker for zombies. And I think guys and girls who are just happy to see a prettier Kristen Stewart who can act and Tony from Skins doing a really good job will like this. And zombie fans who don't care too much about the details or scares and have been itching for Zombieland 2 will like it as well.