Warm Bodies

Warm Bodies

Zombie (Comedy, Romantic)

2013

Rated: PG-13

Running Time: 98 minutes

Starring: Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, Analeigh Tipton, Rob Corddry, Dave Franco, and John Malkovich.

Directed By: Jonathan Levine

Rating: 5 out of 10

Outline

The world is in the state of a zombie apocalypse. An unusual zombie starts to regain some human traits that could change the course of humanity.

Review

My zombie mind is telling me noooooooooooo…..but my zombie body…...my zombie boddddy’s telling me yessssssss. Warm Bodies is the story of a world in a state of zombie apocalypse. We follow the life (or undead life) of a zombie named R. He is a zombie just looking for his next meal of human flesh and brains. That is until he sees a human girl (Julia) which sets off a course of events that will change the fate of the world.

The premise of this movie is pretty cool. While there are many books detailing the zombie’s perspective, there are relatively few movies that show the zombies point of view. We start off the film by having the zombie R, detailing his daily routine. He grunts and shuffles his way around an airport terminal. He tells the viewer about his zombie friends, what he likes to do on a daily basis, and zombie tendencies. It is an entertaining opening as R is not your typical zombie. He has his own place where he likes to chill. He has a record player that he likes to listen to 80’s music on. He even likes to have grunting conversations with his best friend (another zombie.) Zombie life is all he knows, but hunger is always his strongest imperative. So, R and bunch of his zombie pals have to head into the city for some light, human flesh snacking from time to time. On one of these flesh devouring excursions, he meets the human girl of his dreams (cue Roxette’s, It Must Have Been Love.) This human (Julia) is strong, she is determined, and she is beautiful. Her presence is so powerful that she even restarts R’s long stopped heart. Circumstances see the two of them having to hang out together and this is where the movie is at its best. Julia’s repulsion quickly turns to interest as R is clearly different. With the restarting of his heart, R starts to regain some of his humanity and the two of them are entered into a tenuous friendship. The awkward relationship between a human and a zombie is lighthearted and fun to witness. He is creepy and socially awkward; she is guarded and justifiably scared. The two of them are forced to bond and learn about each other through a weird courtship.

Nicholas Hoult plays the zombie, called R. He is perfect for the role, as Hoult is a strange looking dude in real life. I found him easy to follow and even to root for when times are tough. Julia is played by Teresa Palmer. I found her to be a little distracting as her acting skill and look reminded me too much of Kristen Stewart. Palmer may have a little more emotional range than Stewart, but they are almost twinsies. It was off putting. Holt and Palmer develop a solid chemistry, and although a budding romance between a zombie and a human should be perverse, these two make it work. John Malkovich, Dave Franco, and Rob Corddry have small supporting roles if you are fans of theirs.

Love is a powerful emotion, and it is about to change the fate of the world. R and Julia’s relationship causes a chain reaction of zombies starting to become human again. But when you have fought zombies for as long as you can remember, most of the humans are going to be resistant to the change. There are also zombies that are so far gone that they are sadistic animals (called Boneys.) So as you can expect, the humans, human zombies, and the Boneys, all fight for their respective rights and territory. So, will love win out? Or will the world fall into zombie chaos? In Conclusion, I liked the story told from the zombie perspective, and I liked the originality of some of the zombies wanting to better themselves. The film was always fun and very easy to watch. The negatives were that I thought the film was a little cheesy/juvenile for my tastes. The zombie humans were not the best to look at, and the Boneys were a fail as they were computer generated (also known as I Am Legending the zombies.)This genre also needs blood to survive, and so although this is entertaining, it never hit the right blend of love story to gore for my tastes.

I think that director Jonathan Levine did a great job with this film. While it wasn’t a success in my eyes, I have the feeling it will hit the right chords with the younger peeps. He tones back the scariness on the zombie look to make this viable for the younger crowd. The impossible love story between a zombie and a human is neat twist and the film does have a few laughs. Most noticeably a zombie saying, “holy shit.”

I cannot recommend this movie, but it does have its touching zombie moments.

T Factor + If you are a huge fan of the zombie genre then this could score higher on the rating scale.

T Factor – If you do not like computer animated zombies then this could score lower on the rating scale.

IF you liked this film reel recommendations: Shaun of the Dead, Zombieland.