Z-Lister (2012) User Reviews

A Sci-Fi Comedy That reaches out on all fronts

[redleadernigel · 10/10 · 16 October 2012]

Z Listers is a film that offers a new twist on a well trusted theme. Martin Ballantyne (from Harry Potter series, Batman -Dark Knight, and ITV's Kingdom), plays an out of work actor struggling to learn his lines for an audition. Earning his keep appearing at Sci - Fi conventions is clearly not doing his esteem any good, in fact it is bringing him down. Things appear to get worse when he becomes the subject of a female fan group bet. However the laugh is certainly not on him!

He also meets and falls for a single mother who is also at a low point in her life. They end up together, and again life gets in the way and causes problems for them both. Martin uses his life skills to overcome these,and it all ends satisfactorily for everyone.

So what prevails with this production.

The cast all play their parts well, and the location shots (especially when filming the Attleborough Christmas Lights Switch on), bring a lot of charm and atmosphere to the film.

The Conventions are well shot with excellent back drops, and all this adds up to a well scripted and smoothly run production.

Z- Listers is quite simply a charming and well played comedy with a slice of true life running right through it.

Well done to you Kris and Martin and all of the cast.

A mention in dispatches to all concerned!!

Love it, love it, love it!

[sam-tomlinson1 · 10/10 · 10 May 2013]

If you grew up with anything Sci-Fi related, especially with those who were in love with shows like Doctor Who, Star Wars or Trek, this film will blow you away!!

This romantic comedy makes fun of the genre of Sci-Fi (in a good way) and has surprisingly cool appearances from actual Z-List celebrities (John Chapman) I will watch this again. Some films are just classic without any explanations whatever. This is one of them. The actors throughout the plot outline are spectacular and hilarious. You feel for them which is a good thing and the film does however balance a certainty of seriousness which creates such a great equilibrium for the character of Jon and the people around him.

Once again, an outstanding film with great performances!

"Z-Lister, Z-Lister. Frustrated actor, he was an extra"

[nathan-samson · 10/10 · 8 May 2013]

Okay, so Z-Lister is one of those romantic comedies that we've all seen before. Boy meets girl, obstacle gets into way and boy must prove his love for her. But there's such a dynamic quality to the storyline that makes me want to watch it more. Writing is very funny and somewhat heartfelt to the audience... at least I felt it! I felt that the acting was a little shoddy, like the performance from Jon Malkovich and the step- daughter character Alex could be improved but besides from that the acting worked. I am a Martin Ballantyne fan, I love his work and knew he would be great to watch ever since he did 'Logg Time' but this one just stands out so badly. In a magnificent way! Hats off to Ballantyne, cause his acting in Z-Lister will be the best thing he ever does! Usually whenever I watch an ending to a film and don't want it to end, that's a very good sign. Note to the crew: make a sequel!!!

heartwarming story.

[billionbites · 10/10 · 6 November 2023]

Loved this short film. It was funny in places and had a lot of good direction. The overall story was very clever and heartwarming, it made me want to rewatch it. I liked both the main character and the love interest. I've known Kris Smith for a while and it's very impressive how he has created a great body of impressive work. I will definitely check out Kris' other work, certainly a director to look out for, who is also multi-talented for sure. The performances were also great as well, and it had a real feel-good ending. Definitely respect everyone efforts in making a long short film. I will re-watch it for sure. 10/10.

For Z-audiences

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 24 July 2016]

"Z-Lister" is a Bristish 39-minute (not 30 as it states on IMDb) short film from 2012, so almost 5 years old. The writer and director is Kris Smith, co-writer is Martin Ballantyne who is also the lead actor portraying another Malkovich. I don't know why Z-list actors are considered likable. For the dedication to their craft? I disagree. To me, it is desperation and the lack of ability to realize that they don't have the talent, charisma and recognition value to becomes a-list actors. But of course the ones to blame are the people who don't cast them, right? Oh well, maybe they just care for their projects and don't want them ruined by untalented actors. Anyway, about this film here, it is entirely negligible in terms of drama, comedy, romance and story-telling in general, which means it's the perfect watch for everybody who appreciates Z-Listers. Apparently, that's quite a few looking at the ridiculously exaggerated rating this film has here on IMDb. I do not recommend the watch. Thumbs down.

Good short film

[hayley-crubbs · 5/10 · 8 May 2023]

Martin, Sid and Janan are captivating as the lead characters. Z-Lister is an experiment, the first official TV Bandits production to be exact. It's an ambitious thing to do; to make a comedy pilot short film and try to pull everything off. Unfortunately I felt that the film was 50% funny but 50% falls flat on its face with the awkward timing, lengthy editing and out of place soundtrack. The jokes could have easily been more vulgar at times and the ending should have been broadened on better. Nonetheless Z-Lister is attempt to make something different and I respect the filmmakers for even trying so.

Not a bad British film

[alan-gibbs2 · 6/10 · 13 March 2020]

All these standard comedies that people do these days are getting stale. This one seems to have had some originality to it. Very good comedy 6/10