A refreshing take on the age-old zombie tale with a bleeding heart at its center

Rating: 7/10 (29 November 2013)

11/29/2013
A refreshing take on the age-old zombie tale with a bleeding heart at its center
Preface: Some of you reviewers are not using your own mind. Complaining about this not being a conventional Zombie tale is like complaining about someone having a better idea than you If this was written just like Dawn of the Dead but with teens, you'd be complaining just the same. Take this film for what it is—a unique interpretation of an old cult classic. And really? Another remake of Romeo and Juliet meets zombies? Did you even READ the play? The ONLY similarity is that their names begin with the same letters. Grow a brain!
The film has a provocative introduction with R. jumping right into his view of life as a zombie, and we are pulled not pushed immediately into this post-apocalyptic world. The subtle satire is more than amusing, and his interest in Julie and desire to protect her start us off in a new direction.
I personally love the idea of some zombies still being closer to their humanity than being a zombie, and it is ignorant to declare that this is so out of the realm of possibility when we see in our own world today how isolation and alienation can lead to these same undead-like traits in very much living, breathing human beings, who begin committing inhumane acts such as rape and murder, and thus become degenerates of society, rejected and abhorred by all. I personally feel killing someone and eating their brain to provide sustenance to oneself is certainly more HUMANE than rape, torture, and murder, but I digress.
Julie continues to try to leave as R. must subsequently protect her, which does not fall into the overused damsel-in-distress motif that other reviewers indicated was so offensive. We are talking about ZOMBIES here, so it would stand to reason that if we're not going with the guns a-blazing, shoot 'em all in the head approach, a zombie would be the only one who could protect her. This is in no way anti-feminist, but believable for the story.
R. narrates a bit about zombies and himself, illustrating the ways in which he feels different than the rest, and also serving as a means of clarification to the audience that through the film, not just he, but all the zombies (with the exclusion of 'Bonies') are changing.
The story moves along well until the pivotal plot point where R. must do the honest thing and tell Julie that it was he who killed her ex. She utilizes a classic defense mechanism, stating she had been mentally preparing for such an event, however disappears the following morning to return to her father. Meanwhile, R. finds his zombie friends were run off by the 'Bonies' who wish to quell this newfound hope beginning to run rampant amongst their zombie counterparts who are meant to become them. This is all quite believable until this point, as we are to believe that the 'Bonies' became just that because they lost hope and therefore do not think, however it is just that that the story leads into.
I do find it quite surprising that John Malkovich comes off very two-dimensional and lacking the charisma and wit we are used to seeing from him, however one could leave this to bad writing and/or direction. I did find the pace to retain my interest and was fascinated more by R. than any other character.
Overall, the film is quite entertaining with a refreshingly original look at a tried-and-true plot line. Nicholas Hoult and Teresa Palmer excelled in their respective parts where the others just kind of faded into the background. I really would've liked to have seen more from Dave Franco, as I think he is fresh, up-and-coming talent. Good storytelling with some minor plot holes, and respectable direction that holds the audience's interest throughout. I for one appreciate the author as well as the screenwriter's intention on making a film that steps outside of the box and asks us to not just think differently, but to explore a psychological perspective in a situation that would make this otherwise impossible. Kudos to the filmmakers!
7.0 out of 10.0
-H. Martin