Oddball zombie thriller has found a winning formula

Rating: 9/10 (19 July 2019)

Nicholas Hoult also stars in a sci-fi thriller called Equals (2016) with Kristen Stewart. Here, with Teresa Palmer in 2013, I found an odd similarity between the two, as both are love affairs. Equals is a regimented, sterile society with space travel, whereas Warm Bodies is an enclave and hard and gritty with zombies outside, but both stories are somewhat Romeo and Juliet. I wonder if one was the inspiration for the other. Warm Bodies has high production values. There is good cgi throughout, and as they have gone to the expense of using good cgi for some of the zombies, this movie has managed, in my mind at least, to jump from just another nod to cult popularity, to the true realms of really good sci-fi movie-making. Breathtaking backdrops on a scale like I Am Legend enhance the apocalypse vision here. I had to tag a point for never quite commanding the line between oddball (romance) and serious (apocalypse), as well as at least one minor flaw in the story. Aside from that I found it one of those movies that aims to get better, both visually and in terms of excitement, as the story progresses. This is a really good zombie film, and one where, even if you aren't a fan of zombies, you may just find yourself enjoying it.