I'm a huge zombie film buff, and while intrigued by the films premise, the concept delivery was confused and very disappointing. I really applaud the unique idea, as well as the general fx given the budget. I will also give the poor (sometimes strange) acting a pass due to budget, I almost could not help but like how weird some people acted, and Z plagues cause people to get weird right?
With that said, i find a few things really sad about this missed opportunity...
1. The films central premise (zombies kill in self defense), and its unique direction, erodes completely into a grade D zombie mayhem flick (tiny m) halfway through. From there all the way to the end the unique concept is discarded!?!? In a film billed as a fresh take on zombies they dissolve to the worst sort of tired Z mayhem garbage halfway through? Most bad (and good) zombie films are "things were good, now they're bad". This was supposed to be different, its not.
2. Apparently one isolated act caused a whole county of zoms to go nanners and not just hunt the perpetrator but kill every person in 500 miles? Super. If so, please maybe make one small mention of how the hell they all know? Maybe even have someone say "huh, its like...they are all connected"?
3. The cover tagline is that zombies are the endangered species, however they appear both plentiful and quite capable, so...huh? If everyone who dies and becomes a Z and thousands of people die when even one Z is shot... and become more Zs...just how are they endangered? Maybe a new tagline that actually makes sense?
4. Highly dead, long rotting shufflers zombies cannot simply become track stars when they get upset! They are not living people who are infected, or corpses injected full of a mutant vitality serum. This is just silly. They just go from old, moldy dead...to almost outrunning a fit guy in his mid 20s. Also, they seem to have the dexterity of a living person after not having it the entire first part of the film. Boo.
5. Lastly, everyone apparently loves that Z guy (captain no eyes) and the rad fx effects, well lets use some simple logic next time folks. Great job on the dried up husks of long dead eye sockets, clearly hes very dead...but then they have wet and plentiful blood running down him like Carrie at prom. Dumb. The mouth drool is OK, but the arm blood is excessive and it's not a Raimi film, stop it. Is he dead and dried out or not, lets pick and not ruin the scene.
In summation, this film starts admirably and then gets confused as to what its trying to do. It then does too much and looses its point, which was to be something different, which it's not.
With that said, i find a few things really sad about this missed opportunity...
1. The films central premise (zombies kill in self defense), and its unique direction, erodes completely into a grade D zombie mayhem flick (tiny m) halfway through. From there all the way to the end the unique concept is discarded!?!? In a film billed as a fresh take on zombies they dissolve to the worst sort of tired Z mayhem garbage halfway through? Most bad (and good) zombie films are "things were good, now they're bad". This was supposed to be different, its not.
2. Apparently one isolated act caused a whole county of zoms to go nanners and not just hunt the perpetrator but kill every person in 500 miles? Super. If so, please maybe make one small mention of how the hell they all know? Maybe even have someone say "huh, its like...they are all connected"?
3. The cover tagline is that zombies are the endangered species, however they appear both plentiful and quite capable, so...huh? If everyone who dies and becomes a Z and thousands of people die when even one Z is shot... and become more Zs...just how are they endangered? Maybe a new tagline that actually makes sense?
4. Highly dead, long rotting shufflers zombies cannot simply become track stars when they get upset! They are not living people who are infected, or corpses injected full of a mutant vitality serum. This is just silly. They just go from old, moldy dead...to almost outrunning a fit guy in his mid 20s. Also, they seem to have the dexterity of a living person after not having it the entire first part of the film. Boo.
5. Lastly, everyone apparently loves that Z guy (captain no eyes) and the rad fx effects, well lets use some simple logic next time folks. Great job on the dried up husks of long dead eye sockets, clearly hes very dead...but then they have wet and plentiful blood running down him like Carrie at prom. Dumb. The mouth drool is OK, but the arm blood is excessive and it's not a Raimi film, stop it. Is he dead and dried out or not, lets pick and not ruin the scene.
In summation, this film starts admirably and then gets confused as to what its trying to do. It then does too much and looses its point, which was to be something different, which it's not.
