MOVIE OF THE WEEK (2/1/13): WARM BODIES
KEY CAST MEMBERS: Nicholas Hault, Teresa Palmer, Rob Corddry, Analeigh Tipton, Dave Franco and John Malkovich
WRITER(S): Isaac Marion (novel); Jonathan Levine (screenplay)
DIRECTOR: Jonathan Levine
WEB SITE: www.warmbodiesmovie.com
THE PLOT: Based on the novel by Isaac Marion, Warm Bodies stars Nicholas Hault as "R," a guy in his late teens/early 20s who is just like you and me except for one minor little detail: He's dead. Like, no pulse, no breath, eating people dead. He's a zombie – a full fledged, brains eating zombie.
That's not to say he likes it, however. All he has to communicate with is another mumbling zombie, "M," (Rob Corddry), which should explain why he is lonely. Unable to remember his full name, where his lives or pretty much anything else about his past, R stumbles around his new home – an airport where plenty of other non-living inhabitants have chosen to congregate. As he explains via his inner monologue, while he may have fallen victim to a near apocalyptic-level plague of an unexplained nature that has taken over the world, he still has feelings ... Even if he can't really feel anything too much.
Meanwhile, Julie (Teresa Palmer) is living in a Walking Dead-style fortified city where her father Col. Grigio (John Malkovich) rules with a cautious iron fist. Heading out to find medical supplies with her boyfriend Perry (Dave Franco) and her best friend Nora (Analeigh Tipton), Julie encounters a large group of zombies out looking for a nosh – One of whom is R. And for Julie, that's a good thing, too, since he ends up saving her life ... After (although admittedly regrettably) taking someone else's in the process. (You want the spoiler, read the book!)
Now blessed with the ability to see his victim's memories, R begins to feel a connection to Julie – even if she's absolutely terrified of him at first. But as time wears on, Julie begins to learn that R really is a pretty nice guy ... A pretty nice, dead, blood-stained guy whose ability to speak seems to get better the longer he's around her. And as they grow closer, not only does his speech seem to be getting better, but so does everything else in regards to him becoming more and more ... human.
But once the "Bonies" (zombies that have fully committed to their new situation) start taking notice of R & Julie's growing relationship, the fate of mankind could literally be on the line ...
THE TAKE: Zombies, it seems, are the new vampires. Not that zombies truly went out of style, per se, but for a while there, it wa fair to say they kind of lost their spot on the monster/scary food chain. For a while there, it was all about spirits seeking revenge in the world via some fourth dimension, then it became all about guys with blunt instruments torturing people ... And then they gave way to vampires and werewolves fighting over teenage girls as pale as they are. Then came the Dawn of the Dead remake, 28 Days Later, Shaun of the Dead and The Walking Dead (both in comic book and TV form) ... And now, the time has never been better to be a zombie (or a fan of them).
Thankfull, Warm Bodies proves Hollywood can still inject new life - pun intended - into the genre given its nice mix of humor, self-awareness and solid acting.
Hoult is pretty damn great as R, providing a zombie with a voice that is not only aware of his plight, but so uch so that you really identify what it would be like to be in his position unwillingly and try to deal with the situation. What makes the film, however, is his interaction with Palmer (whose performance is simple yet strong and effective for the purposes of the film). As their relationship evolves, so does the story (which, even though you can tell the outcome from a mile away) at a crisp, funny, sensible and natural pace.
Throw in a humorous performance by Corddry as R's best friend and what you end up with is a perfect date movie for the modern couple: Funny, sweet and sincere ... With just a little bit of gore and violence for a good PG-13 balance.
That's not to say he likes it, however. All he has to communicate with is another mumbling zombie, "M," (Rob Corddry), which should explain why he is lonely. Unable to remember his full name, where his lives or pretty much anything else about his past, R stumbles around his new home – an airport where plenty of other non-living inhabitants have chosen to congregate. As he explains via his inner monologue, while he may have fallen victim to a near apocalyptic-level plague of an unexplained nature that has taken over the world, he still has feelings ... Even if he can't really feel anything too much.
Meanwhile, Julie (Teresa Palmer) is living in a Walking Dead-style fortified city where her father Col. Grigio (John Malkovich) rules with a cautious iron fist. Heading out to find medical supplies with her boyfriend Perry (Dave Franco) and her best friend Nora (Analeigh Tipton), Julie encounters a large group of zombies out looking for a nosh – One of whom is R. And for Julie, that's a good thing, too, since he ends up saving her life ... After (although admittedly regrettably) taking someone else's in the process. (You want the spoiler, read the book!)
Now blessed with the ability to see his victim's memories, R begins to feel a connection to Julie – even if she's absolutely terrified of him at first. But as time wears on, Julie begins to learn that R really is a pretty nice guy ... A pretty nice, dead, blood-stained guy whose ability to speak seems to get better the longer he's around her. And as they grow closer, not only does his speech seem to be getting better, but so does everything else in regards to him becoming more and more ... human.
But once the "Bonies" (zombies that have fully committed to their new situation) start taking notice of R & Julie's growing relationship, the fate of mankind could literally be on the line ...
THE TAKE: Zombies, it seems, are the new vampires. Not that zombies truly went out of style, per se, but for a while there, it wa fair to say they kind of lost their spot on the monster/scary food chain. For a while there, it was all about spirits seeking revenge in the world via some fourth dimension, then it became all about guys with blunt instruments torturing people ... And then they gave way to vampires and werewolves fighting over teenage girls as pale as they are. Then came the Dawn of the Dead remake, 28 Days Later, Shaun of the Dead and The Walking Dead (both in comic book and TV form) ... And now, the time has never been better to be a zombie (or a fan of them).
Thankfull, Warm Bodies proves Hollywood can still inject new life - pun intended - into the genre given its nice mix of humor, self-awareness and solid acting.
Hoult is pretty damn great as R, providing a zombie with a voice that is not only aware of his plight, but so uch so that you really identify what it would be like to be in his position unwillingly and try to deal with the situation. What makes the film, however, is his interaction with Palmer (whose performance is simple yet strong and effective for the purposes of the film). As their relationship evolves, so does the story (which, even though you can tell the outcome from a mile away) at a crisp, funny, sensible and natural pace.
Throw in a humorous performance by Corddry as R's best friend and what you end up with is a perfect date movie for the modern couple: Funny, sweet and sincere ... With just a little bit of gore and violence for a good PG-13 balance.
PARTING SHOT: A romantic comedy perfect for teens, older couples and zombie movie fans alike, Warm Bodies definitely has enough life to entertain audiences this winter.
RATING (OUT OF FOUR BUCKETS OF POPCORN):
Comments
Post a Comment