Unexpectedly entertaining

Rating: 9/10 (16 June 2013)

I didn't expect much from this movie. There have been more than enough zombie films lately and the idea to mix it up a bit with Twilight-style romance didn't make it any better. But the trailer was interesting enough and the ratings were decent so I gave it a try. 1. The film is very even. And by that I mean there are no weak moments that you would like to skip. 2. There are no unnecessary details over what caused all the mess and why, and I liked it that way. 3. The soundtrack is worth noting. There are numerous nice old songs throughout the movie, a few modern ones (Chad Valley's Shell Suite was a find for me) and some original tracks when they are needed. 4. The acting is very good. I especially liked the supporting by Analeigh Tipton and Rob Corddry. Nicholas Hoult (R.) was good but since his zombie basically was deprived of emotions for the most part it is hard to judge his performance. Teresa Palmer was great at most scenes (especially showing terror), but some of others were unimpressive (balcony scene for one). I feel like in some scenes she didn't really understand what was required of her and the director didn't really help or correct her either. 5. There are enough funny moments. Just many enough and funny enough. 6. What I especially liked is how the important moments were mostly silent scenes. Really shows you don't have to talk to make a point, something I would like to see in other films. 7. The romantic part was charming and heartwarming. The leads definitely shared some chemistry.
So overall I definitely recommend this. It's a romantic comedy and it nailed those aspects. It doesn't have the deepest of meanings but it's not shallow either.