A genre is born

Rating: Null/10 (16 February 2013)

Both rom-com and zombie flicks have been around for a long time. When somebody finally comes up with the bright idea of marrying the two, a new genre is born: the zom-rom-com. This experiment, incidentally, turns out to be a success, a consensus among critics and general audience alike.
While stylish, classy Edward Cullen undeniably triggers an infatuation-type crush from teenage belles, for "true-true" (yes, inspired from "Cloud Atlas") love, it takes the gentle, awkward, shy and at times self-deprecating zombie "R" to really steal her heart. While Edward needs a shirtless rival to pad the attraction of his movie, R does it all by himself. I'll skip the details of the story set in a post-apocalyptic ruins of a city with a wall that reminds you of THE WALL ("A game of thrones", though not quite as formidable) to keep out two deadly (in more ways than one) species: zombies (or "corpses", as officially known) and bonies (an advanced stage of the zombies).
Nicholas Hoult, from the titular role of "About a boy" (although true lead is Hugh Grant) a decade ago, is today perfect for one of the most sympathy-winning roles ever offered in a movie, R the young zombie. His love object Julie is played by Teresa Palmer, remembered as "Number 6" by those in the audience who have seen "I am number 4" (2011). In my user review on that movie, I used a single word to describe her "hot". Here, in a Bella-Swan-type role (and many have remarked on her close resemblance to Kristen Stewart, in the context of these two movies), she is quite endearing. The best thing is the delightful chemistry between these two leads.
The one that truly captures my heart in this movie is Analeigh Tipton who plays Julie's sidekick Nora, who ends up saving the day for the lovers. Topton's performance is sparkling and show-stealing, and may Nora find her own darling zombie. Another show-stealing performance in the support cast is from Rob Corddry who plays middle-aged zombie "M", our protagonist's sidekick. While Tipton's charge is to provide comedy, Corddry's role is heart-warming pathos. Both are absolutely first-class.
That leaves John Malkovich who plays Julie's father, a militant leader with a philosophy of "shoot first, ask later" when it comes to zombies. An acclaimed flamboyant actor, Malkovich must be complimented for his restraint in playing this somewhat stereotypic role. Flamboyant or not, this actor is a true professional.