We should preface this review with a simple statement. We’re a bit biased. We love Resident Evil. We just do. Whether you’re talking about the video game series we’ve been playing since the PS1 (some of us are THAT old) or the film series . . . we love Resident Evil. With this slightly biased view I fully expected to leave a glowing Resident Evil: The Final Chapter review.  I anticipated I’d absolutely love this film. I was wrong.

Most of us take a Resident Evil film for what it is:  a shameless, gloriously violent and mind numbing entertainment experience.  There are a general set of rules that apply to any Resident Evil film up to this point in the series.

• If you’re not a fan of the video game you’ll likely be unimpressed.
• If you’re an overly critical gamer that expects the film to stay true to the games you’ll be disappointed.
• If you don’t find Milla Jovovich to be the talented and beautiful eye candy icing on the cake you’ll lose interest.
• If you expect realism you’ll be disappointed.
• If you can’t get past shotty editing, overuse of CGI effects, thin scripts, plot holes or issues with continuity this is not the film franchise for you.

All of these general rules hold true with The Final Chapter.

Like the majority of the installments in this long lived video game franchise, the reviews on The Final Chapter are quite polarized. People tend to either love it or hate it. As a huge Resident Evil fanboy I fully anticipated loving this film. I walked out of the theater on January 27^th, 2017 feeling much differently than I was expecting. In fact, I actually held off on posting this review. I thought I’d feel differently after some reflection. I thought maybe I was missing something. I don’t and I’m not.  Truth be told, I didn’t love this film.

I feel disloyal saying this, but this just isn’t the fitting send off this series deserved. Honestly, this isn’t even my favorite film in the series. In fact, this might be my least favorite film of the bunch. If this is actually the end of the Resident Evil series I’m a bit disappointed. It’s not that The Final Chapter doesn’t have all the cheap thrills and intense action RE fans have come to know and expect. It does.

You get your typical Resident Evil recap at the beginning of the film that brings everyone up to speed and then it starts assaulting your eyes and ears with incessant action.  In fact, the action feels ramped up and more relentless than ever as it should in the climax of a series with such a rabid fanbase.

Relentless action sequences are entertaining but they’re also a thinly veiled attempt to change the subject. The truth is we don’t have a script, or film, worthy of the long wait we’ve had since Retribution. To make matters worse, the majority of the action sequences are shot and edited with jerky motion and rapidly changing camera angles and views in an attempt to make the action seem more intense. Half of the time the action is a blurry, nauseating and frantic mess.

Like most Resident Evil films, take away The Final Chapter’s feverish CGI action sequences and the mesmerizing effect of Milla Jovovich and you don’t have much of a film. That seems even more transparent in The Final Chapter. Plot holes, thin script and continuity problems are more apparent than ever. Some major plot points from the previous films are completely discarded and changed this time around.  Writer and Director Paul W.S. Anderson attempts to bring things full circle with Alice returning “home” to Racoon City and The Hive. Unfortunately a lot of that seems rushed and forced. The one or two “no way” plot revelations come very late into the film. As the tired old saying goes, it is all too little, too late.

Other than the action being more jacked up than usual, this is your typical RE film through and through. If this is the average Resident Evil film with action sequences on steroids why am I complaining?  We should expect more. Milla and this series deserve more.

Any true fan can push through all of these complaints.  After all, these are all the same things fan have needed to ignore with every other film in this series.  About halfway through this film the fandom and excitement wore off and a revelation became clear. Only one thing was going to be able to save this film: an epic conclusion. You could feel the plot building to a crescendo and a conclusion that might have saved things. Unfortunately Anderson goes the other way and the conclusion falls flat.

Spoiler alert! If you haven’t seen Resident Evil: The Final Chapter you may want to cover your eyes. The rest of this review contains spoilers. With that out of the way let’s get one thing clear. We were lied to folks. This isn’t the end of the series. At least not in this fan’s opinion. Alice herself actually says her work isn’t done at the end of this film. The cheesy open ended conclusion feels much more like a lazy slap in the face than a suitable culmination of this story.

The only thing missing is a corny “To be continued. . .” before the credits.

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but they should have killed Alice. It really is the only ending that would have brought the closure we expected.   If this IS the end of the series I can’t think of a better way for our beloved hero to go out than sacrificing herself to save humanity. For those who aren’t familiar with the plot, let’s rewind.

The entire plot of Resident Evil The Final Chapter consists of one main premise. There’s an airborne anti-virus cure that can be released to save humanity. If Alice gets to it and releases it before Umbrella bombs the rest of mankind into oblivion she’ll save the day.  The airborne cure kills those infected with the T-virus and doesn’t harm the uninfected. The problem is if the cure is released it will also attack the T-Virus cells within Alice . . . killing her in the process. Alice knows this and prepares the viewer at multiple points for the inevitable conclusion they’re expecting.

Having Alice drop dead after willingly releasing the airborne cure would have been the ultimate act of badassery. It would have been the epic. “Oh Sh*t” ending this franchise deserved. It would have convinced us all that this was the end. Instead Anderson takes the easy way out and Alice doesn’t die from the cure. In fact, he takes the insult one step further when Alice tells us the cure could take years to reach all corners of the planet and her work isn’t done. What?

On one hand I wonder whether they simply didn’t have the heart to kill Alice. Maybe this is really the end but they wanted to leave Alice alive for fans. On the other hand I’m sure they took the easy way out to leave this series open for another trilogy if they choose to do so. That makes little sense to me. With the whole genetic clone cliché that plaques this franchise, and this film in particular, they could have easily let Alice die and still left the door open for future films starring Milla.

Unfortunately I fell for the media hype. I wasn’t convinced at first that this would be the end of Alice’s story. Then I read interview after interview with Paul and Milla that basically insisted this was the end.  The beginning of this film even began with a special promotional message from Milla Jovovich and Paul W.S. Anderson thanking fans for their loyalty and encouraging them to continue to go to the movies to support the industry. I bought stuff like this hook, line and sinker. Perhaps I’m mostly to blame for my disappointment. I allowed hype and excitement to create expectations of an epic final film this series probably just isn’t capable of.

Needless to say, as I walked out of the theater on release day I couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed.  I found a question bouncing around my head and I couldn’t help but laugh at the irony. “What did I expect?”  Much like I asked and criticized others for in our Resident Evil Retribution review . . . why did I expect anything different? This time I answered my own rhetorical question with a definitive answer. I expected something more. I didn’t expect a movie that felt like all the other films. For a film that was delayed for a couple years we deserved something great. For a movie that is intended to be the end of the road for Alice we deserved something noteworthy. At a bare minimum we deserved something better than the first 5 films. Fans received none of the above.

Did I enjoy this movie? Yes. I found it entertaining and fun but that just doesn’t seem good enough. For a film that was touted as being the epic conclusion of the franchise this was an utter disappointment.   You most certainly don’t have a film worthy of being the culmination of a 6 film 15 year old franchise.

Part of me hopes this isn’t really the end and Anderson is paving the way for future installments. The other part of me actually hopes this is the end. If this is as good as it gets and the best fans will see this should be The Final Chapter.

3 out of 5

What are your thoughts? Have you seen Resident Evil The Final Chapter? We’d love to hear your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.
 
 

The post Resident Evil The Final Chapter Review. The Final Disappointment? appeared first on ZombieGift.com Zombie Blog.

I missed Zombie Night when it aired on Syfy back in October. That’s right: Zombie Night is a Syfy original movie and that says all it needs to say right there. Feel free to read the remainder of this review if you feel the need.

I did have some high hopes because Zombie Night features a surprising roster of hit actors from the golden years of my childhood. We’re talking several well known actors that are no strangers to the big screen: Anthony Michael Hall, Daryl Hannah, Allan Ruck and Shirley Jones. You younger zombie fans may have no clue who I’m talking about; trust me when I tell you those are all BIG names.  Sadly even the stars of films I watched over and over again as a child couldn’t save me from Zombie Night.

The plot of the film is simple: two families must survive the zombie apocalypse until dawn. Why dawn? Because the zombies come out at night and disappear at dawn. Why? Beats me! Trust me when I tell you sitting through this one until the final credits won’t offer any clarity. Zombie Night is full of answered questions. Don’t believe me?  Here’s a laundry list of questions that remain unanswered after watching Zombie Night:

1. Why are people turning into zombies?
2. Why only at night?
3. Why does Nana scream like that? She barely knows what’s going on!
4. If Nana is blind why on earth does she need to carry a lantern to see?
5. What happens to the zombies at dawn?
6. Do the zombies come back again at night?
7. Why do some of the zombies shamble around in classic uncoordinated undead style while others are capable of things like bear hugs, digging, and grabbing their victim and slamming their head against walls in order to drag them away?
8. Why did that car just randomly explode for absolutely no reason?
9. Why does throwing your shoe distract a zombie?
10. If you’re safe from zombies in a tree why on earth would you jump down and run away?
11. How do you text that fast? Especially when you’re terrified from the zombies that are inches away?
12. Why would a zombie pick up your phone and attempt to eat it?
13. Do zombies like the taste of cellphones?
14. If you chose the above scenario how on earth would you fall into the world’s largest freshly dug grave?
15. Who barricades a window with two loosely placed 1×4’s?
16. If you’re trying to prevent someone from leaving your home and jeopardizing the safety of your family, why would you lock them unrestrained and unsupervised in a ground floor room with a window?
17. Why would you hide from zombies in a greenhouse?
18. How do you have an elaborate safe room but NO plan on what to do when SHTF?
19. Why do some people succumb to the zombie virus and turn when they are bitten and others remain uninfected?
20. Who barricades the inside of basement door that opens out?
21. Why would you chose to hole up in a mausoleum during the zombie apocalypse? Why would you then choose to hide children in a coffin and put them in a vault in the mausoleum?
22. Upon rescuing said children from the coffin why on earth would one of your first questions to them be whether or not they wanted pancakes?
23. How did they get THESE actors to agree to THIS script?
24. Why am I watching this? (Just kidding!)

Admittedly, I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed. It is entirely possible I missed the answers to some of these questions. The fact remains that Zombie Night leaves you scratching your head and asking many questions. (See #23 and #24 above.) Zombie Night is right on par with other Syfy original hits like Sharknado and Sharktopus. It is cheesey zombie goodness.

I wasn’t sure how to rate Zombie Night. Should I rate it like a true zombie film or should I consider this another intentionally hokey and cheese-filled Syfy gem? Then I realized it doesn’t matter. Rated either way this film is about the same: MEH. I’ve seen much worse. I’ve also seen better intentionally campy zombie movies. The bottom line is Zombie Night is just OK and it doesn’t shine at either end of the spectrum.

Should you see it? The answer is yes if you like unanswered questions, plot holes, deliberate bad acting, and characters that make agonizingly stupid decisions. Zombie Night is what it is: a corny Syfy zombie movie that is great for some laughs. If you watch this one expecting perfection you will be extremely disappointed.

Final Verdict: 2.5 brains out of 5

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The post Zombie Movie Review: Zombie Night appeared first on ZombieGift.com Zombie Blog.

Stranded in the midst of a zombie apocalypse, a man sets in motion an unlikely plan to protect the precious cargo he carries: his infant daughter.

Have you seen CARGO? It’s a zombie themed short film that was a Tropfest Australia 2013 Finalist. The film was first published way back  in February of 2013 and currently has nearly 4.5 MILLION views on YouTube! There’s a reason for all those views: the film truly is amazing.  If you haven’t seen it yet I HIGHLY recommend taking the time to watch it.

Coming in just under 7 minutes, I was simply blown away by this amazing short film and the amount of awesomeness that can be packed into such a short time.  This is NOT your typical zombie survival film. Instead it’s about the sheer desperation a father experiences once he comes to after an automobile accident to realize his wife is a zombie, he’s been bitten and he needs to protect his infant daughter. More importantly, it’s about the sheer genius level creativity that the situation elevates the father to in an effort to ensure his helpless child reaches safety. A lesser man might give up or take the easy way out by ending his and his daughter’s lives. Instead this hero, despite knowledge that he’ll soon succumb to the infection, wastes no time creating a plan of action.

How does a lone father get his daughter to safety even after infection, death and zombification? You’ll have to spare 7 minutes of your time to find out. Watch the video below. It’s definitely worth your time.

CARGO was Directed by Ben Howling & Yolanda Ramke
Produced by Ben Howling, Yolanda Ramke, Marcus Newman, Daniel Foeldes

This movie was amazing to me because it’s such a different take on the zombie apocalypse. Maybe I also like the film so much because I’m a single dad.  As a parent I know how much I love my child, how far I’d go to protect them and just how much outside of the box quick thinking you can do when stuff hits the fan and you need to protect your defenseless child.

What do YOU think of CARGO? (TSI “Balloon”)  Let us know in the comments section below!

The post CARGO: The Zombie Short Film That Will Blow You Away appeared first on ZombieGift.com Zombie Blog.

With the DVD release date comes an obvious question, “Which copy of World War Z should I choose?” I was personally hoping for a collectible Steelbook version of the World War Z Blu-ray here in the U.S. but I’m out of luck. (There is a UK steelbook version available from The Entertainment Store, so I’ll have to find a way to purchase the UK version if I really want it).

Although I was disappointed there was no U.S. Steelbook version, I was excited to see a Target exclusive edition of the World War Z Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy combo pack. The Target exclusive edition comes with a 48 page art book entitled, WORLD WAR Z: The Art of The Film. I was even more pleased when I heard Target stores here in the U.S. would be offering it for just $19.99 on the release date. Since I have no interest or need in a 3D Blu-ray version of World War Z, this made my buying decision very easy. So enough rambling, let’s get to my review of the The Target exclusive World War Z Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy combo pack.

A CLOSER LOOK:

The Target Exclusive World War Z 2 Disc Set features:

1. Disc 1 – World War Z Blu-ray featuring the unrated feature film. Disc 1 also features “A compelling insider’s look at the creation of the WWZ apocalypse” (Behind-the-scenes featurettes)

2. Disc 2 – DVD – Theatrical Feature Film

3. One Code to Redeem a Digital Copy of World War Z (Ultraviolet or iTunes)

4. One glossy soft cover 48 page World War Z art book entitled, WORLD WAR Z: The Art of the Film.

This special target edition is essentially just the standard DVD and Blu-Ray combo pack with a bigger black background slip cover encasing the standard DVD/Blu-ray combo pack and the art book.

WHAT’S GREAT:

The Price.  I really liked the $19.99 price tag which made picking this version with extras a no-brainer.

The Art Book.  The art book included with this edition is decent quality with a high quality glossy soft cover and features some very cool zombie artwork at the end.

You Get Both The Unrated and Theatrical Version.  Get the new unrated cut featuring “intense footage” not shown in theaters. You also get a copy of the standard theatrical release version of the film.

Multiple Formats = Awesome.  As with any combo pack you get the film on DVD, Blu-ray and digital copy…which is awesome!

MEH. WHAT’S NOT SO GREAT:

The Cover Art. I really prefer the helicopter cover art with zombies climbing over one another. I am NOT a fan of this Brad Pitt cover. I would much rather see some zombies or other action instead of Mr. Pitt. I also wish the outer slip cover of this set had a different cover art than the disc case itself. The disc slip cover, disc cover art and outer slip cover all feature the same image of Brad Pitt. The outer slip cover for this set does feature a black background as opposed to a white and gray city skyline, but I’d still prefer the cover art sans the male half of Brangelina.

Cheap Slip Cover. The outer slip cover is cheaply made. It’s essentially the same cardboard material as a standard disc slip cover. It likely won’t hold up long unless you treat it kindly. A nicer plastic outer slip cover would have been nice but you get what you pay for.

The Art Book Has Low Points. There is some “boring” art toward the beginning of the art book. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still beautiful, but I just wasn’t into the post-apocalyptic city skylines that make up the bulk of the beginning of the art book. Fortunately the book redeems itself with some sick zombie artwork at the end.

FINAL VERDICT:

4 out of 5

I’m not going to review the film itself because we did that back in June. So my rating of this exclusive Blu-ray is a solid 4 out of 5 brains. I do wish this featured some better cover art and a higher quality outer slip cover, but the art book and price make up for these shortcomings.  The fact that you get a bonus art book for “free” along with the Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy combo pack for just $19.99 makes this an easy buying decision. If you plan on buying World War Z and don’t want or need the 3D version I highly recommend picking up this Target Exclusive while it’s on sale this week.

Notes:
This Target Exclusive Version is also available in a 3 disc set with a 3D Blu-ray which is currently priced just $5.00 more.

World War Z (Unrated) (3 Discs)
Buy Now

The art book included in this Target Exclusive is basically a smaller version of the full 160 page World War Z Art Book from Titan Books.

The post Zombie Product Review – World War Z Target Exclusive Blu-Ray With Art Book appeared first on ZombieGift.com Zombie Blog.

World War Z is finally here. It seems like it’s been ages since zombie fans first heard of plans to bring a zombie film inspired by Max Brook’s iconic novel, World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War to life.  Excitement soon gave way to worry and then dread. It appeared the film was headed for disaster.  First came the photos and the first few clips of production work released to the public. Next came word of problems on set and script rewrites. Things looked bad.  Then came the trailer and things looked really bad.  Bluntly put, it looked like the movie would suck.  Then we saw “new” trailers and clips which were just the same footage re-tweaked.  Next we saw the action figures which  look rushed and unfinished. The mobile game launched just before the movie and it too featured a glitchy launch and gameplay that looked subpar. Long before June 21^st, rolled around I was convinced this movie was going to be absolutely terrible.

It takes a big man to admit when he’s wrong. I was one of the bitter zombie snobs screaming from the hilltops how dreadful World War Z would be. I fully expected the movie to be a huge disappointment. While it’s not the most fantastic zombie film I’ve seen I’m shocked to admit I actually enjoyed watching it.  If you don’t get hung up on the fact that it’s not a faithful novel to big screen adaptation it’s actually a fun action flick and  a decent zombie film.

There were a lot of things I already didn’t like going into this film. First, I don’t like runners. Running zombies with superhuman speed are not my favorite genre of undead.  I was willing to look past that which is a good thing. It turns out these zombies don’t always run and sometimes shamble about when not stimulated.  It was the best of both worlds!

Secondly, I’m not a huge Brad Pitt fan. It’s not that he’s a bad actor. I was just worried he’d skate by on his pretty boy qualities and not play the role of zombie hero very well. Finally I was worried about the PG-13 rating. Fortunately, all of my fears were unfounded and this movie ended up surprising me. With that in mind let’s take a closer look at World War Z.

Plot Summary:

WARNING: CONTAINS MAJOR PLOT SPOILERS. SKIP THIS SECTION IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THE FILM AND DON’T WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS! Click Here to skip the plot summary and continue reading the rest of the review.

World War Z doesn’t waste much time getting started, which is something I worry about with a film with a run time of nearly 2 hours (116 minutes).  The film starts with hints of a major rabies type viral outbreak. We see video clips of major media outlets reporting bits and pieces along with other run of the mill chit chat and TV nonsense. You definitely get the picture that the world and major media outlets are ignoring the severity of it.   We then cut to Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) and his family starting their day in the peaceful suburbs.  It’s the typical scene and the one we’ve all seen over and over again in the same recycled trailers.  The kids bounce on the bed to wake mom and dad and Gerry, now retired from his hectic UN days, makes the family a pancake breakfast.

We then cut to Gerry Lane and his family in downtown Philadelphia.  They’re stuck in a traffic jam and things quickly get worse. These are again the scenes you’ve all probably seen dozens of times in the trailers used for the film.  Many helicopters and police personnel seem to be headed toward the center of the city and no one knows why. A policeman on a motorcycle flies by, knocking the mirror off Lane’s car.  He gets out to inspect the mess and see what’s going on. Another police officer comes along and tells him to get back in his vehicle and stay there. Suddenly a large garbage truck comes barreling through traffic smashing cars out of the way and killing any one in it’s way. One of it’s unlucky victims is the police offer telling Gerry to get back in his car. Panic ensues and we realize something is terribly wrong.  Realizing the Garbage truck is their way out of the chaos that is brewing, Gerry speeds along behind the truck taking advantage of the fact that it’s clearing a path.  It isn’t long before the truck crashes and Gerry and his family are t-boned and their car disabled.  Luckily they aren’t seriously injured and they are able to run away from the scene. It’s at this point we start to see how violent the zombies are and how fast the virus spreads.

Gerry’s daughter has a special stuffed animal plush toy named Subway Sam. She drops it and Gerry goes back to retrieve it after fleeing their demolished vehicle. He observes a man get bitten by one of the zombies just as “Subway Sam” starts counting aloud. It’s an eerie combination to hear a child’s toy counting calmly while we get our first look at  the violent post bite transformation. The virus works very quickly and the path from dead human to zombie involves much twisting, jerking and writhing. As the toy continues to count we see Lane continually glance back. Somehow he has the wherewithal to take mental notes in the face of a crisis: reanimation and zombiedom occurs in about 11 seconds.

The Lane family narrowly escapes and they flee to an apartment complex where they are taken in by a family just in time.  The family doesn’t speak English with the exception of their young son who translates.  The lanes spend the night (the extraction helicopter coming to rescue them can’t make it until sunrise).  Gerry encourages their new friends to leave with them.  He stresses he’s been in difficult situations before and those that survive are the ones that move.  Those who sit and wait for help typically die. “El movimiento es vida” he tells them. “Movement is life.”

Lane and his family prepare to head to the roof of the apartment complex.  The young translator boy joins them unexpectedly, his family presumably overtaken by the undead invading the apartment building.  In the battle to the rooftop a zombie attacks Gerry and when it is killed Lane gets blood in his mouth. He immediately runs to the edge of the rooftop counting quietly aloud. He’s prepared to throw himself off the top of the building if he’s infected and begins to turn.  It turns out he’s fine.  They’re rescued by the helicopter and are taken to a US Navy aircraft carrier just off the coast of New York.  A small fleet of surviving military ha assembled.  What’s left of organized military and government now make a frantic attempt to assess the the scope of the zombie outbreak which by now has already reached pandemic proportions.

One of the team members is a young hotshot virologist named Dr. Fassbach.  He  argues that the fast moving nature of the outbreak means it has to be viral. He claims they can likely make a vaccine if they can determine the origin. The naval commander tells Gerry that they need his help due to his expertise as a former UN investigator.  They ask Lane to travel with Dr. Fassbach and a small special forces team to find the source of the outbreak.  Gerry refuses, stating he left his job to be with his family and he won’t leave them.   The commander points out the ship is for essential personnel only and if Lane refuses to cooperate he and his family will be removed from the ship along with all other non-essential civilians.  Gerry reluctantly leaves on a plane bound for South Korea.

Shortly after arriving at their first destination, a military base in South Korea, things already start to go wrong.   They arrive battling a horrible storm and nearly out of fuel. When they step off the plan the team is attacked. Fassbach, awkwardly toting a pistol, trips when retreating back into the plane and he falls, shooting himself dead in the process.   The team is rescued by the remaining military members holed up at the base.   Here Gerry learns of a local man found foaming at the mouth that bit a doctor.   Next he shows him to a room full of burned corpses where they first saw the outbreak.  A prisoner being held at the base (a CIA traitor) tells Gerry Jerusalem has survived the initial outbreak by building a wall and completing construction of a safe zone  just prior to the outbreak.

After more loss of life when refueling the plane, only Gerry and his pilot partner remain.   They head to Israel to meet leader Jurgen Warmbrunn.  Jurgen explains Israel learned of the potential outbreak from India.  They then set up a safe zone, established a quarantine, and were letting uninfected civilians into the safe area.  The civilians began to sing loudly in celebration and prayer.  The noise coming from within the zone riles up th  infected on the other side of the walls and they begin to form a creepy writhing horde and swarm of undead that manage to climb over one another higher and higher until they spill over the walls into the safe area. Bedlam ensues and Jurgen appoints a small team of soldiers to get Gerry back to the airport and on his plane. During their escape an escoret soldier,Segen, is bitten.  Acting quickly, Gerry cuts off her hand to prevent the spread of the infection and keeping her from turning.  They arrive back at the airstrip just to see Lane’s lane taking off. They stop an airliner, the last flight out of the Jerusalem, and manage to climb aboard take off just as Jerusalem falls to the undead.

On the plane Lane patches up the female soldier’s amputation and begins to have a revelation. He recalls zombies along the way that have ignored or avoided sick or injured people. Empowered by his new revelation he thinks he may have a solution to the zombie pandemic.   He contacts his old partner, Thierry, and tells them to to find the closest still functional medical research facility. He gives his satellite phone to the pilot and co-pilot and the plane is diverted to Cardiff, Wales where there is a World Health Organization research facility. Noone knows if it’s still functional.  Of course things aren’t going to be that easy.  There’s a lone stowaway zombie on the plane.   He attacks a flight attendant and the infection quickly spreads. The ensuing horde becomes too much to fight off. As a last resort  Gerry throws a grenade at the rear of the plane.  The explosion blows a hole in the plane and the rapid depressurization of the cabin sucks out zombies, the living and anything else not strapped down. The plane crashes and the scene fades to black. We then return with Gerry Lane passed out dripping blood and dangling from his seat.  He’s impaled through the side of his abdomen with a piece of metal. He manages to unbuckle himself and falls to the ground. He then sees Segen walking toward him. The pair walk to the research facility where Gerry passes out. He’s out for three days. In that time the folks back on the Navy ship decide he’s dead and they send his family (now non-essential personnel) off to a refugee camp in Nova Scotia.. Gerry awakens strapped to a table with a his wounds treated. After some convincing the researchers remove his restraints and Gerry tells him of his plan to make a sort of vaccine to use against the undead.

He tells them he’s observed how the zombies avoid anyone who has a terminal illness or major health condition. He has a theory that the infected only seek out healthy hosts. If they take one of their most deadly and incurable diseases and inject the population with it, they’d essentially be camouflaged and all but invisible to the undead.  Of course all of the pathogens that might be suitable for the vaccine are stored in a vault in “B-Wing” of the building. B-wing is now infested with at least 80 zombies, former research facility employees. One of the lab workers working on analyzing blood samples from the initial outbreak accidently infected himself, and the rest of his coworkers. The remaining survivors blocked off the doors to B-Wing.

Gerry, Segan and the head of the research facility decide they have to sneak into B-Wing.  When they make too much noise and draw the attention of zombies Gerry makes noise and runs off in a different direction to create a diversion.  Unfortunately the other members of the trio still can’t make it to the vault in B-Wing and they retreat back to the safe area of the facility, bringing a horde of zombies they just manage to lock out.  Meanwhile Gerry stumbles onto the vault he needs.

It’s a large refrigerated glass room.  He puts together a box of specimens but before he can leave a lone zombie notices him in the vault and stands ready at the door. It’s a pretty tense moment with closeups of the zombie snapping and clacking it’s teeth.  Gerry has no weapons and no way out.  He decides he must test his theory personally. Unfortunately he has a box full of specimen vials and no knowledge of which one to choose. He could choose a relatively harmless flu specimen or a deadly and incurable disease. The remaining researchers, watching on a security camera, have no way to tell him which vial to use. Even if they could, there’s no guarantee it would work to ward off the infected.

Gerry scrawls ,”Tell my family I love them” on a notepad and holds it up to the camera.  He then picks a vial at random and injects himself with the specimen.   After giving the pathogen time to spread in his circulatory system he opens the door to the vault and the zombie comes in, but does not attack. Lane strolls out of the vault and back to the safe area of the research facility. Along the way he takes time to stop at the vending machine and have a soda. He then hits a lever releasing all the soda cans. The noise draws the attention of the zombies gathered at the barricaded door to the other wing of the facility. Gerry strolls past the zombies which are pursuing the noise and ignoring him. The doctors cure Lane and they’re able to formulate the “camouflage” vaccine which is delivered across the globe. The vaccine doesn’t cure anything but it does give soldiers and civilians a way to fight back.  We see Lane and Seegan walking out of the research facility and then Gerry returning to his family at the refugee camp in Nova Scotia.  Humanity now has hope. The film ends with a short narrative by Gerry Lane.  Footage of soldiers fighting zombies, civilians fighting back and more zombie fighting plays while Lane makes statements such as “This isn’t the end. Not even close.” The film is definitely left open for at least a sequel which makes sense since there has been talk that this film may be part of a trilogy.

End Plot Summary

Let’s take a look at what I loved and didn’t enjoy about World War Z.

What’s Great

A Fast Moving Plot:
There isn’t much build up with World War Z. Within the first 5 minutes you’re thrown into action and the action is relentless from there. There are just enough slow points in the film to keep you on your toes and build suspense. When there isn’t zombie action there is something vital to the plot occurring so there isn’t much time for your mind to wander if you have a short attention span like me! It’s actually pretty well written and laid out from this standpoint.

Zombie Special Effects and Makeup:
I was afraid from the previews that this film would be all CGI zombie hordes with not much in the way of makeup or other effects. Sure the CG effects aren’t all that great but they were used sparingly. The scenes with the zombie hordes you’ve seen over and over again in the trailers are pretty much the major CGI zombie effects in the film.

The thought of hordes of zombies that could sprint and jump and climb one another made my skin crawl. Which means the effects did their job as far as I’m concerned. The close up effects and makeup of isolated zombies were actually pretty good. There’s one scene toward the end of the film where Gerry has locked himself in a glass room and must test a theory he has. It’s basically his life or death last stand moment. The zombie in this scene is actually really well done. Gerry stares at the zombie’s face just inches from his own. They’re separated only by glass and we see the details of the zombie’s disgusting skin and snarling teeth. The zed eerily clacks his teeth and snaps at Lane like a starving animal. It’s a moment in the film that had most of the audience laughing and also wriggling in their seats.

Plenty of Action:
Zombies, loud explosions, car crashes, plane crashes and more! I’m a guy so these things are important to me.

Nods to the Book:
No the film is nothing like the book but is that really a surprise? There were nods to the novel this film is based on and these were appreciated. Just don’t expect this film to be 100% true to the novel’s plot.

Makes You Wonder if You’re Prepared for Disaster:
This film actually makes you ponder how prepared you are for disaster. Although we’re dealing with an unrealistic zombie apocalypse scenario some of the moments in the city reminded me of just how unprepared we can be if a sudden emergency unfolds. How many of us carry medication like rescue inhalers, emergency supplies and food and water with us? Of those that do, how many would actually stay calm and be prepared to act appropriately in a disaster scenario?

I Like That This Film Made Me Eat Crow:
This film made me eat my words and I’m man enough to admit it. I wasn’t shy about telling people this was going to be bad but that I’d also go see it with an open mind. I’m glad I did!

Meh. (What Wasn’t So Great):

Gerry Survives Far Too Many Oh $hit Moments:
It seems silly to complain about things being unrealistic in a film about zombies…but here we go. While it makes for a great story and a great action film, Gerry Lane survives a few too many close calls and otherwise unbelievable hopeless scenarios.. No one is that good or that lucky. That being said it’s a zombie movie and once you remember it’s supposed to be entertaining (not realistic) you are much more forgiving.

The Ending: 

This film concludes with a very anti-climactic and vague ending. It leaves a lot of questions unanswered and definitely leaves things open for a sequel or two. Gerry Lane even narrates at the end making some comments that lead you to believe this won’t be the last World War Z related film. It’s a little too open and a little too cheesy but it wasn’t enough to make me dislike the film.
CGI:

The CGI effects for the zombie hordes weren’t all that great. I wasn’t thrilled with them but I must admit the film didn’t overuse them like I feared. CGI hordes were an accent to the film and not the bulk of the film like the trailers might make you think.  The self deprecating trailers actually make this film look much worse than it is.

The PG-13 Rating:
The PG-13 rating didn’t hurt this film as much as people feared. The PG-13 rating does mean you won’t see the gore you’d typically expect in a zombie film. Although things are generally more tame than true horror and zombie fans would like, the film progresses fast enough and with enough depth and suspense that you don’t really notice the lack of gore as much as you’d think. These zombies basically just bite. You won’t see any zombies tearing a human apart limb from limb. You won’t see them ripping out intestines and feasting on a still beating human heart. Instead they bite you a lot and you die and turn into a zombie. It’s not as bad as it sounds, but part of me still longed for a little blood and guts.

Rating and Final Thoughts:

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

In the end I really enjoyed this film. It was far better than I anticipated. All of the fears I was convinced would ruin the film proved to be unfounded. Brad Pitt put in a solid performance. The PG-13 rating didn’t kill the film. While I would have liked more gore, the PG-13 rating made this an enjoyable zombie action film safe enough for pretty much the entire family. The cheesy CGI zombie effects were used sparingly.

Of course some easy to please fanatics are raving about this film via social media, proclaiming it “fantastic”, “amazing” and the “best zombie movie movie yet!” Not even close sunshine. There’s nothing really spectacular about the film that would lead me to say dub it “phenomenal”. That being said I didn’t walk out of the theater in disgust like I fully expected to. This was a respectable zombie movie that is worth a solid average to slightly above average rating.Brad Pitt and Marc Forster didn’t totally fail with World War Z and that’s much more than most zombie fans had ever hoped for.

There are only two reasons I’d recommend NOT seeing World War Z:  If you’re a viewer that can’t get past the fact that a movie departs drastically from the plot of a novel it’s based on or if you need gallons of blood and guts to keep your interest. If either of those scenarios apply to you you’ll be disappointed. Otherwise I say go see it because most of the preconceived notions you have about this film will be proven wrong.

Have you seen World War Z? What are your thoughts on the film? Let us know in the comments section below!

The post Zombie Film Review: World War Z appeared first on ZombieGift.com Zombie Blog.

. . . I simultaneously laughed, died a little inside and threw up in my own mouth.  Only a special film like Midget Zombie Takeover can make that happen!

If you’re a zombie movie snob lacking a sense of humor and demanding perfection, let’s save you some time. You won’t like this film.  However, if you have an open mind and a love of cheesy bad Z movies, you should read on.

I like low budget and indie films. That’s even more true when it’s  a horror film. Give me a low budget zombie film and I’m in heaven. Midget Zombie Takeover is a blend of all those things.  Let’s get one thing clear. This movie isn’t supposed to be taken seriously. It’s bad and it’s supposed to be.  After all this film does come from Glenn Berggoetz, the same man that brought us 2011’s aptly titled film, The Worst Movie EVER!  This isn’t supposed to be big budget zombie perfection.  It’s the undead antithesis of that.  It’s a fun zombie film that makes fun of itself over and over again throughout the film.  It’s low budget, it’s corny and that’s why I liked it.

I knew to fully expect this movie was going to be different. With it’s paltry budget of $2,000 and a title like Midget Zombie Takeover, I was well aware this wasn’t going to be your typical zombie film.  With all that knowledge I was still a little worried during the first 10 minutes or so. The first 10 minutes of this film drag on just long enough that you start to worry maybe this is supposed to be a serious film.

I have to admit at first I was REALLY worried.  It all started with some opening credits.   Opening credits that are waaaaay too long.  It was a full 3 minutes and 15 seconds of black screen and white text credits before the film finally starts.  That might not sound long but try it. Stare at a clock for 3 and a quarter minutes.  In today’s ADHD instant gratification world that’s an eternity. In all fairness I watched a review copy of the film so I’m not sure if this is the exact version shown in theaters.  Suffice it to say, if I wasn’t giving this my full attention for purposes of review the first 3 minutes of this movie would have quickly disappeared thanks to the skip button.

When the actual film finally starts it focuses on one of the main characters, Amanda.  It seems her grandmother fell and her parents are going out of town for the weekend to take care of her. Of course for any young adult left home alone this can mean only one thing….HOT TUB PARTY!  She quickly invites a group of friends over to get the party started. Things move a little slowly at first. There’s some idle chit chat and joking around and then the teens decide to play some badminton.

And play badminton they do.  In another painfully long stretch we watch the actors play badminton for what seems like an eternity.  The pointless Badminton starts at around 8:15 in and doesn’t end until nearly the 11:00 minute mark. Fortunately by then a young actress by the name of Cassandra Craword playing Molly has entered the story. She’s enough eye candy in her pink bikini to keep my attention.  Yes..according to the internet she’s of legal age so I need not feel guilty about admiring her ;).

Fortunately, the  corny comedy starts as the painful badminton ends.

One of the players hits the shuttlecock over the fence.  It’s picked up by the weird neighbor who quips “Looks like someone lost control of their c*ck.”  I breathed a sigh of relief at this trite line.  At that moment I knew MZT was going to be a lighthearted movie and not some horribly awful attempt at a serious zombie horror movie.  The strange man warns them of their impending doom.  It turns out there’s a full moon, Jupiter is in the house of Sagittarius and the beasts will rise and develop a taste for human flesh. Yep. You read that right. It doesn’t make a lot of sense, but in the end you just accept it because it’s easier that way.

Of course the kids dismiss the man and his crazy warnings. When Amanda tells him to just give the shuttlecock back, crazy guy fires back, “The c*ck can’t save you!” There you have it folks. Not one, but two, shuttlecock jokes in the first 12 minutes. That may be a new record!  Crazy guy exits the scene by yelling, “You’re doomed….doomed…..still doomed” as he runs, zig zags and circles around the lot next door.

It turns out Crazy guy isn’t so crazy. Within the next couple of minutes the first zombie, a midget zombie, makes it’s appearance.

“Is that a zombie?” someone asks. Randy replies, “If it is…it’s the cutest zombie ever.”  The zombie ends up biting him on his leg and everyone runs inside to safety, leaving Randy to the zombies.  Just as he’s headed inside , a character named Steve has a revelation on just how wrong it is to leave something he cares about behind.  Empowered by this moment of clarity he risks his own life and runs back outside to rescue his burger from the grill.

Eventually everyone takes refuge down in Amanda’s basement where more drama and slapstick ensues.   The phones and TV are out and the group is effectively cut off from the outside world.  Isolated in Amanda’s basement, the group makes their ill conceived plans for getting help or escaping.  They execute one half-brained idea after another. Each one typically ending with one or two characters heading off alone in their conquest. Of course, each plan usually ends with the character’s death as a result.

Does anyone escape the Midget Zombie Takeover? Is humanity doomed? You’ll have to watch Midget Zombie Takeover to find out!

What We Loved:

• It’s so bad it’s good. Really. This is one of those corny low budget films that is so bad you’ll enjoy it.

• The recurring jokes. There are quite a few little jokes that keep recurring throughout the film.  Look for the “there, there” reference. Any time someone dies or something bad happens the effected survivor is comforted with some petting and the phrase, “There. There.”

• Another favorite is the phrase “Crazed freak zombies.” All of the characters intentionally overuse this phrase, or some similar variation thereof, when referring to the zombies.  Someday I plan to re-watch this film just to count them all!

• We loved poor Billy.  He’s the misunderstood big guy that everyone picks on.  The outcast that many of us can identify with.

• The midget zombie(s). Seriously most of the zombies aren’t midgets. There seems to be one main midget zombie that has a habit of inexplicably appearing in just the right spot at just the right time to get the kill.  Midgets or not we loved the shambling zombies and their makeup.

• The makeup. Considering the almost nonexistent budget, I was pleasantly surprised with the makeup. The crew did a good job with what limited resources they had.

• The mercy killing of Molly. After she’s bitten the group decides they must do the right thing for her and the safety of the group. How do they end her life? They make poor billy sit on her face and smother her of course!

• At one point Tony and Molly decide they must do their civic duty and begin their efforts to repopulate the world. As they head upstairs to do the deed they engage in some scripted dirty talk that is so painfully bad it’s hilarious. The highlight is probably when Tony drops this gem, “May your uterus be the fresh canvas on which I paint my masterpiece.”  After hearing that line I simultaneously laughed, died a little inside and threw up in my own mouth.  Only a special film like Midget Zombie Takeover can make that happen!

• The ending. The plot of Midget Zombie Takeover ends with an unexpected twist that just goes to show the good guys don’t always win in the end.

What’s Not So Great:

• The plot is a little all over the place.  The story starts slow and then you’re just sort of thrown into the arms of crazy guy and his crazy warnings about being doomed. It’s not totally clear what started the zombie outbreak or just how widespread it is.

• The sound and lighting are bad at times. In particular the hot tub scenes in the beginning of the film are filled with the background drone of the water pump.  That being said we understand this was a film shot in a matter of days with almost no budget. You’ve got to cut it some slack based on that!

• The painfully long and boring opening credits and badminton game scenes.

• The pace of this film is sometimes as slow as the shambling zombies in it. Seriously, this film really does move slowly at times.

• The acting is often bad.  Some moments seem too scripted or too unscripted all at the same time.  Then again, why would expect anything spectacular with a film titled Midget Zombie Takeover?

Last I checked I enjoyed more things than I despised about MZT.  For a film with a $2,000 budget, that’s good enough for me!

The Final Verdict:

3 out of 5

If I was reviewing this movie as a horror or zombie film snob I’d have to give it one star. Yes it’s amateur and lacks some technical expertise. Fortunately, I’m not a zombie film snob. Instead I’m a zombie fan with a good sense of humor and a love for bad horror films. I’m also someone who can admire someone who shot a zombie film over a few days with an anemic budget.  I’m rating MZT as such and I give it a nice 3 star rating. I didn’t despise it and I didn’t hate it. I can honestly say it’s my favorite zombie film with a $2,000 budget that I’ve ever seen. ::CoughcoughandtheONLYonecoughcough::

There are probably some of you out there who will watch Midget Zombie Takeover and insist you could do a better job with the same budget.  To all of you I say go for it. Get it done in HD in four days with a full cast and crew and I’ll be happy to review it here! Until then….shhhh.

Movie Info:

For more information on Midget Zombie Takeover and possibly where to see it in a theater near you, visit the official facebook page for the film.

Snyopsis:

When some college students get together for a hot tub party, they’re shocked to find out that their party is being crashed by some tiny, uninvited guests who are hungry for flesh – human flesh.

Running Time: 1 hr 12 minutes

 Cast:

The post Zombie Film Review: Midget Zombie Takeover appeared first on ZombieGift.com Zombie Blog.

I’ve managed to summarize my thoughts on Amazon’s new potential series, Zombieland, in a single word: “meh.” Bluntly stated the newly released pilot from Amazon shows potential on many levels but fell flat for me on many more. If you care to know more about why I feel this way, read on!

Let me begin by saying I absolutely love the movie Zombieland. The onscreen chemistry and dynamics between Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin was truly amazing.  I really wanted to make sure I didn’t unfairly compare the pilot to the movie. I did my absolute best to make every effort not to compare the two too closely. For a true fan of the movie that is extremely difficult. I actually watched the pilot twice, just to make sure I gave it my full attention and wasn’t too hung up on the “this isn’t the movie” thing. It didn’t do much to help. Nor did it sway my opinion.

The minute you hear the names Columbus, Tallahassee, Wichita and Little Rock you immediately want to start picking this show apart. That coupled with the fact that they hit you over the head with the Zombieland rules throughout the episode constantly made me think “yeah but this isn’t the movie.”  I probably spent the first 5 to 10 minutes forcibly reminding myself this isn’t supposed to be as good as the movie and I shouldn’t compare the two directly.  Once past that hump I was able to start seeing some potential in this pilot but it honestly didn’t make me like like it much more.

Since I’m a fan of the Zombieland movie I wanted to see this first episode with someone who isn’t. Fortunately my pre-teen son has never sat through the Zombieland movie.  He’s a newly converted zombie fan (like he has a choice with me raising him) and was more than willing to check out the 28 minute long pilot episode with me.  I should probably add here that I don’t recommend you take this approach if you are sensitive about what language your child hears.  There’s some F-bombs and other crude language in the episode as Amazon said there would be.  Fortunately,  my son is immune to four letter words since I’ve desensitized him myself over the years.

My son and I watched the episode together and I was left feeling a little disappointed and less than impressed.  I kept my opinion to myself because I was worried my love for the movie jaded my outlook.  Once it was over, I turned to ask my son’s opinion. His take was pretty close to mine. At the end of the episode he shrugged his shoulders and summarized his thoughts with the direct and brutal honesty only an 11 year old boy can muster: “That was kinda dumb. They tried too hard to be funny.” BINGO. At that moment my own thoughts and opinion were validated.

I’ve seen some reviews on Amazon where the reviewer states the pilot was hilarious, awesome, or that they laughed their @$$ off while watching it. I’m not sure what these people were smoking when they watched this pilot, but I smell something fishy.   These people must be very easily amused because in all honesty this pilot is not that funny. There are a very few brief moments that were mildly comical but absolutely nothing made me laugh out loud. I did little but crack a half smile. Most forced attempts at comedy were cheesy slapstick moments that fell very flat and left me feeling like they were just trying too darn hard. It’s not all bad though. Let’s dig a little deeper into the cast, the plot and I’ll break down in detail what I liked and didn’t like about this first offering in the Zombieland series.

From Left to Right: Little Rock (Izabela Vidovic), Tallahassee (Kirk Ward), Wichita (Maiara Walsh) and Columbus (Tyler Ross). Don’t worry, that’s just pie on their faces. Why are they eating pie? You’ll have to watch the pilot to know!

CAST AND CHARACTERS:

The characters and actors were actually decent. Once I made a conscious decision to force myself to get past the fact that these actors are NOT Woody, Emma, Jesse or Abigail I was able to like them much more. Kirk Ward as Tallahassee was probably the most difficult pill to swallow.

I know it’s unfair to compare him to Woody Harrelson’s character but the two are so drastically far apart it’s hard not to. Woody’s character had such cocky arrogant zombie killing swagger and confidence you just had to love him. He always seemed one step away from insane it.  We’re supposed to believe Ward’s “Tallahassee” character is just as cocky and edgy but it’s a much more awkward and bumbling portrayal. He has one moment where he nearly “loses his $hit” and drops a series of f-bombs in a blaze of  “f*ckity, f*ck, f*cks” complete with flailing arms. It’s as lame and unfunny as it sounds. Getting past this new version of Tallahassee is probably the most difficult challenge if you’re a fan of the original film.

The next most hard to love character for me was Tyler Ross as Columbus. Again you can’t help but look at this guy and compare him to Jesse Eisenberg’s character.  Columbus in the series is still quirky, nerdy and gawky but lacks the hopeless dork quality that made you root for the character in the feature film.  That deep reflective inner monologue and narrative is still present with Columbus here in the pilot episode and I like it. It helps make this character more believable and enjoyable.

Next we have Little Rock played by young actress Izabela Vidovic. Little Rock doesn’t have a huge role in the pilot. She’s more or less along for the ride.  My initial impression from this first episode is Little Rock isn’t as hard and rough around the edges as the film’s character.  The film’s Little Rock is definitely a street wise and confident young lady that can only be created by the Zombie Apocalypse.  This series version definitely comes across as a sweeter, kinder, gentler and more innocent version of the character.   When not judged against the film’s version, the character is very easy to like and I can see the potential in developing her if the series goes on. I think Izabela does a great job of bringing  a character to the table that we can like and believe.

Finally we have Maiara Walsh as Wichita. I have to admit I was a little surprised by this one. I already knew I was going to have a hard time with liking the series versions of Tallahassee and Columbus. I was open minded though. I was pretty sure I’d be somewhat indifferent to Little Rock.  Prior to watching the pilot I just KNEW I wouldn’t be able to like anyone other than Emma Stone playing Wichita.  Watching gorgeous Emma play Wichita in the film has always been a guilty pleasure of mine. Something about the cocky, no nonsense attitude of the character and her off the wall humor coupled with Emma’s looks and unique voice create an adorable and sultry character for me. I just knew no one could come close in the series.  I felt this way even after seeing cast photos early on.

I have to admit Maira really surprised me. While she’s definitely no Emma Stone (there can be only one) she really does a pretty good job of creating both an acceptable small screen version of Wichita and a character we would like had the original movie never existed. She’s easy on the eyes and has a way of delivering snappy little one liners.  It’s hard not to like her mild arrogance.

In the end these characters are ok. Columbus and Wichita are probably my favorites and I’d feel that way regardless of whether I compared them to the original film’s characters.  Kirk Ward’s portrayal of Tallahassee is unfortunately my least favorite performance of the the pilot.  It just fell flat for me. He has a few zombie kills and funny moments but this character isn’t one quarter as cool as the one in the film. That comparison aside, even on it’s own merits with no unfair comparison to Woody Harrelson, Ward’s Tallahhassee isn’t that funny. It feels too forced for me. Like he’s trying to be funny and witty and it just doesn’t come off right.

PLOT: (CONTAINS MAJOR PLOT SPOILERS. SKIP THIS PART IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THE PILOT AND DON’T WANT A SUMMARY OF IT!)

The episode starts in an office with two co-workers engaged in some idle chat about stupid first world problems they have. It’s a ground floor office and the two workers have desks that inexplicably face away from large glass full length windows. While the man is telling his female co worker about his horrible morning consisting of things like a broken Keurig coffee maker, a cracked smartphone screen and getting the wrong latte at Starbucks we notice activity outside. While these two chat away oblivious to the world we can see the start of the zombie apocalypse unfolding outside through the windows behind them. It’s clear zombies are attacking everyone but this office hasn’t yet gotten the memo.

Tallahassee appears pushing a lunch cart. It seems he works the thankless job of pushing the “Which Sammy?” office lunch cart.  He kindly offers the office workers a dessert and we get a Twinkie reference within the first three minutes.  The male office worker begins to rudely complain about his tuna salad sandwich containing pickles. After throwing a mini-tantrum he tempts fate by asking, “Could this day possible get any worse?” Of course it can, and does. Right after his rhetorical question he gets a painfully literal answer to his question.  A zombie outside notices them and dives headfirst crashing through the windows.

Tallahassee jumps into action, smashing the zombie with his lunch cart and beating it into a bloody pulp with a leg off of the now dismantled cart.

He then confidently strides outside and we get a glimpse at just how bad the zombie stuff has hit the fan. We see people running and screaming, cars swerving and an airliner making it’s final descent in flames.

We then cut to the opening intro and the episode picks up  “two months later”.  We see Tallahassee sprinting from a fireworks store (Rule #1: Cardio).  He takes cover behind a pile of used tires with the rest of the crew: Columbus, Wichita, and Little Rock. They’re “enjoying the little things” with a self created Fourth of July fireworks display (even though it’s mid-June). At the end Little Rock comments that it’s still missing something. They all realize the missing factor was other people. No crowd. No “oohs and aahs”. No other companions. The group then vows to set out to find other survivors and/or a place to call home.

They climb into that familiar SUV with the Dale Earnhardt #3 spray painted on the side and begin their journey. How will they ever find other survivors? It’s simple. Tallahassee presses the SUV’s Onstar button and summons their friend Detroit.  She’s an ex Onstar service operator and their “eye in the sky” in zombieland.

The episode continues with the group of survivors proceeding from one survivor to the next, only to have each one die in some horribly awful accident. Sometimes it’s a zombie running in and attacking the new member while the rest of them isn’t looking, sometimes it’s a fall through multiple floors of a dilapidated construction site. No matter how hard the crew tries to add a new living member to their group, it ends badly. One of the better moments has to be when Detroit directs them to the 2 last remaining survivors in Los Angeles, an elderly couple.

As the group searches their house Columbus takes a break to wash his hands in the bathroom. He leans his shotgun in a corner only to turn around and discover Granny and Grandpa have turned into zombies. He’s attacked and grandma gnaws at his neck. Fortunately her dentures pop out and she harmlessly gums away at his flesh until Wichita saves him.

At the conclusion of the episode Detroit tells them there’s a large group of survivors in New York. While the group debates over whether to make the long “50,000 mile” journey (it’s actually under 3,000) they decide they should at least stop by Detroit. After all, Tallahassee can’t stop comment on how hot Detroit’s voice sounds. That pretty much ends this kooky first episode of Zombieland.

MY THOUGHTS:

What I Liked:

• The characters weren’t bad. I see particular promise with Columbus and Wichita.
• Decent Acting.  The actors do a decent job and make the characters believable.  You might even learn to like them if you can get past the whole “the movie is better” thing.

• It tries to be funny. There are moments where you can see the potential.

• Numerous attempts at staying true to the feel of the film. Columbus’s narrative and inner monologue are great. I also like the fact that Tallahassee still acquires SUV’s and spray paints #3 on the side. The fact that we have constant references to the zombieland rules is great too…although I’m not so sure how well that would be able to be carried on throughout many episodes. Unless Columbus continues to add to his rule book.  We also see references to the “Zombie Kill of the Week” which is really cool.

What I Didn’t Like:

• Kirk Ward as Tallahassee:  Maybe he’s doomed because I can’t stop comparing him to Woody Harrelson. Maybe he just isn’t that funny or edgy. Whatever the reason, I had a hard time liking Tallahassee in the pilot. He just lacks the arrogance and leadership we see in the film. Perhaps I’d like Ward’s character better if it wasn’t supposed to be Tallahasse?

• The pilot is a little disorganized:   First we see the start of the zombie outbreak in an office. We see Tallahassee’s first zombie kill. Then we jump to “two months later” and Tallahassee, Columbus, Wichita and Little Rock are all together. I know it’s supposed to be an episodic sequel to the film but this just seem to lack continuity for me. If you’ve seen the film you know how the survivors came to meet. The pilot does little to explain this. I’m assuming it will be watched by many who aren’t familiar with the film and they have to be scratching their heads on what happened between outbreak and “two months later.” Maybe it will be addressed via flashbacks or some other method if the series is approved for a full season.

• The Detroit/Onstar Character:  What the hell? How does an ex Onstar service operator become their eye in the sky? How the heck is Onstar service even still functional during the zombie apocalypse? I guess I’m supposed to assume the satellites are still up along with all the necessary supporting infrastructure. Maybe. I’m then supposed to accept that this “Detroit” character has the necessary knowledge to somehow hack into this system and use it as a spy satellite? I’m not sure if that’s what we’re supposed to think but it’s a jump too weird for me to overlook, even in a comedy about the zombie apocalypse.

• Comparing the Cast to the Movie Cast:  Avoiding this was extremely difficult for me. It’s hard not to unfairly discriminate against these actors because of how great the movie was. I can’t help but think this pilot and series would have a much better chance if they somehow made it a spinoff using different characters we hadn’t already met. Different characters from different cities? It would definitely make me less critical of the characters.

• The Blood and Special Effects: The blood splatters and CGI special effects look a little too fake at times. In particular the blood is often far too bright red. It’s nothing that would keep me from watching the show, but I do hope they improve special effects if the series continues. The zombie makeup and effects on the closeups of the Grandma and Grandpa zombies was actually pretty good and shows there is hope.

The Final Verdict:

3 Out of 5

In the end I gave the Zombieland pilot episode 3 stars out of 5. If I didn’t see brief flashes of it’s potential I probably would have given it a two star/brain rating. Since I sincerely want this series to succeed and I see what it could be, I gave it three stars. Let’s hope I’ll be back here after season one raving about how great the series is and how wrong I was to give the pilot a hard time!

In the end I managed to get past comparing the characters to their big screen counterparts. The hit movie is better and always will be. As a fan of the movie you must come to terms with this in order to have any hope of enjoying this this show. Even when viewed on it’s own merits and not compared to the movie, this pilot episode fell short for me.

It’s a little awkward, a little forced and honestly, just not that funny. The blood, some of the zombie makeup and special effects are sub-par at times. That being said there is potential there.  With the right support and some changes I can see this being a successful series. With zombies being so big in pop-culture right now there is no better time for Amazon to green-light this for a full season and invest some time and money in it. The writers and cast have a lot of work to do to keep the very two dimensional plot from becoming boring and monotonous.  A search for a place to call home and survivors dying whenever the main cast finds them will get old in less than three episodes.

In the end I left my opinion and voted in favor of this pilot on Amazon to give it a chance with a full series. I was NOT impressed with the pilot but it was good enough that I can see the potential. A full series is typically better than the pilot and that’s what zombie fans should hope for here. If you’re hoping for a hilarious series version on par with the film I’m sad to say you’ll likely be disappointed based on this pilot episode. As it sits now it would be a series I could take or leave. I would watch it when time allowed, but it’s nothing I would go out of my way to watch. Hopefully Amazon approves a full season and time will change my opinion. That’s just my worthless opinion though. What did you think? Watch the pilot and let me know your thoughts in the comments section below!

Where Can I See It?

The pilot episode is available free via Amazon Instant Video. You can view the pilot by clicking the image or links below. 

Watch the Zombieand Pilot Free on Amazon Now!

Be sure to take the survey and give your opinion there. If there’s enough interest based on the pilot episode, Amazon will approve a full season for the series and you’ll be able to watch episodes via Amazon Instant Video!  After sharing your opinion with Amazon, let us know what you think of the pilot episode in the comments section below!

The post Zombie Review: Amazon’s Zombieland Series Pilot (meh) appeared first on ZombieGift.com Zombie Blog.

The initial buzz after opening weekend seemed to indicate a lot of people were disappointed in this film. Just why I cannot understand.  I’m really not sure what people were expecting.  I’ve seen and heard people complain the film is nothing but hot women in tight clothing and a bunch of action sequences. Many are calling this film terrible because it  lacks depth in the characters and plot.  There is also a  lot of whining about how the film series is too far removed from the video game. Duh. How is any of this a surprise?

First, let’s get one thing clear. These are films “based” on the Resident Evil video game from Capcom. They’re even nice to point that out on screen in the opening credits. “Based on” is the key phrase here. This isn’t an encyclopedic film that must blindly follow the video game cut scenes verbatim. It’s a movie based on and inspired by the game.  That means it will loosely follow the story contained in the game and if we’re really lucky they’ll make an honest attempt to cast actors that are close to the video game characters.

I’m no Resident Evil expert.  Although I grew up playing the games and know more than the casual fan, I’m far from a walking Resident Evil wiki. Even if I was I wouldn’t unfairly hold the movie to the same standards as the game. The movie is a different beast all together.  A movie has to entertain and satisfy die hard Resident Evil fans, casual fans, and movie-goers who have never even heard of or touched the game.

Above all this is an action movie meant to entertain viewers.  This isn’t some literary classic. It’s not a drama or a documentary. It’s an action movie based on a video game that has zombies in it. I wish people would take a moment to remember that when buying tickets. I also wish reviewers and critics would take a deep breath and remember that when writing a review. Review this for what it is. A block buster end of summer action movie. It’s not a Resident Evil encyclopedia  and it’s not Gone With the Wind. Now that I’m done ranting, let me tell you what I thought of the film. Although you probably already have an idea of where I’m headed with all of this.

What’s Great:

This movie’s strong point is eye candy. The women, the action, the stunts and the special effects are top notch.

The stunt work and special effects in this movie are reason enough to see this film. Resident Evil: Retribution is non stop action from the beginning to the end. It wastes absolutely no time in getting the action started and it’s pretty fast paced and relentless from beginning to end. It sure impressed my son.

I saw this with my 10 year old boy and  he originally didn’t even want to go. He has a short attention span and is easily bored with a slow moving plot.  He absolutely loved the film and commended it for how much action it contained. As we drove home he said he loved the movie because it didn’t contain a bunch of “boring details and story”. I felt pretty much the same way. This probably doesn’t say much about my mentality or maturity level. . . but damn did this movie satisfy the 10 year old in me!

The stunt work in Retribution is absolutely amazing. Milla works hard on choreography and it always shows. There are plenty of gloriously unbelievable flips, twirls and Matrix-like aerial acrobatics. Alice runs, jumps, and flips her way through hordes of zombies and foes. There is also some pretty sweet stunt driving involving a Rolls Royce Phantom!

The special effects are just as satisfying. When Alice isn’t kicking ass hand to hand, there is an immense amount of weapons and gunfire to keep your blood pumping. Huge explosions, amazing slow motion bullet chase scenes and computerized “x-ray” views of ribs being cracked and hearts being stopped. At one point a Las Plagas parasite is injected into a character. When that character is shot, the parasites are shown chasing down the bullets within the body and pushing them out at the fingertips as wounds are healed. So cool! I truly regret not seeing this film in 3D and I may have to go back and see it again wearing some dorky glasses just to get the full experience.

While the action satisfied the pre-teen in me, the gorgeous women kept the hormone laden 17 year old in me interested from minute one. While I didn’t see any nudity, there is a lot of gratuitous attire in the film.  In the beginning of the film Alice is imprisoned in a very hot clinical white outfit that barely covers her. She then dons her tight black leather combat jump suit in the first 15 minutes and things only get better for heterosexual males from that point on.

Jill Valentine is adorable in her tight zero suit. Michelle Rodriguez is always easy on the eyes. Li Bingbing looks absolutely amazing in her tight red Ada Wong dress. I’m not even sure why she’s wearing it in the film other than to help visually tie her character to the video game. Whatever the reason, I’m not complaining.   She looks incredible and she’s a dead ringer for the video game character.

Casting is another strong point in this film and it’s not just because the ladies are nice to look at.  While some deliver a lack luster performance (more on that later) the actor choices really look like the game characters and generally do a great job portraying the video game characters.  Milla Jovovich is always the perfect Alice. Shawn Roberts is back and he has always been a wonderful choice to play Albert Wesker. Rain is back (sort of) and Michelle Rodriguez is another great choice for this character. I’m really impressed with Johann Urb’s portrayal of Leon Kennedy.  As I’ve already said, Li Bingbing is an amazing Ada Wong.

I found the running time of just over 90 minutes to be ideal. I don’t need a bloated script forced into a  2 and a half or 3 hour movie to feel satisfied.  I’d rather have a short and to the point plot with plenty of high dollar special effects. Resident Evil: Retribution is exactly that. The reasonable run time ends in a glorious climactic ending that left me excited for the next film.

The end of the film was one of my favorite parts. I’ll assume you haven’t watched the film or read the plot summary I’ve provided, so I wont’ give away any spoilers. Let’s just say the end of the film has a little twist that hints to the end of humanity and a potentially awesome 6th film in the Resident Evil series.

Meh. (What Wasn’t So Great):

The plot in Resident Evil is honestly pretty thin. When it boils down to it, it’s your basic “you have 2 hours to escape” plot. Until the very end of the film there really isn’t much there. While that’s fine with me, many will be turned off by the simplicity of the story line.

Another sour point is acting. I’m sad to report there is some terrible acting in this film. While both are gorgeous and do a wonderful job looking like their corresponding video game counterparts, Li BingBing and Sienna Guillory really don’t do a breathtaking job from a technical standpoint.  Li’s difficulty with the English language certainly make her shortfalls understandable.

I had the most difficult time trying to tolerate Sienna Guillory’s performance. It isn’t horrendous, but her portrayal of Jill Valentine fell flat for me.  It is difficult to explain, but she generally just looks awkward and unbelievable as a “bad ass” villain. I understand she’s supposed to be brainwashed and under control of the Red Queen, but she seemed dull and robotic even in the action sequences. When you see it you’ll know what I mean. She looks great in her tight zero suit, but the acting never seems to live up to the look. Then again, maybe she’s just overshadowed by Milla Jovovich’s performance?

Even the humor and one-liners in this film seem lame and randomly tossed in with little thought. “I”ve heard that before”, “Bad idea boys” and “Congratulations. You’re now officially a bad ass” are about the best clever little quips Alice had to offer in this film. Weak!

Our Rating:

We give Resident Evil: Retribution a score of 3.5 out of  a best possible score of 5. The script is thin and the acting is bad at times but the intense action, special effects and sexy women in tight clothing made up for it.

The Final Word:

In the end I personally enjoyed Resident Evil: Retribution.  Until the end, most of the film does feel like more of the same old same old. It’s not an an amazing story, but I didn’t expect it to be. I expected hot women, insane action and some sort of hint that there would be another film in the series. That is EXACTLY what I got! If you go into this film with those expectations you won’t be disappointed.

Is this an amazing script delivered with emotionally moving acting? Absolutely not.  If you are a film snob expecting perfection and complex plot twists over a 3 hour period, I would urge you to skip this film. You will be disappointed. However, if you love zombies, loud explosions and non-stop action from start to finish then this is a film worthy of your time.  This film is exactly what it is: an action movie with a big special effects budget. If you are generally a fan of the past Resident Evil films, or action films in general, I’d say see it.

There is a good chance the next film could be the last in the series. Milla certainly isn’t getting any younger.  However, one of the characters she takes under her wing in Retribution could easily be groomed to take over the heroine role later on. I have a hunch that Resident Evil may disappear for awhile after the next film but I suspect Paul Anderson is setting the script up to leave a new generation of Resident Evil movies a very real possibility.  See the film or check out the plot summary I’ve provided below and you’ll see what I mean!

Check out the official trailer for Resident Evil: Retribution below:

Plot Overview:

WARNING! This section of the review contains MAJOR PLOT SPOILERS! 

This movie starts off right where Resident Evil: Afterlife ended. The opening sequence actually shows the final battle on the deck of the Arcadia ship in reverse in slow motion.  Although a bit long and redundant, it truly is beautiful to watch. You get to see just how much hotter Milla Jovovich looks firing weapons in slow motion. Every expression on her face looks more determined and even hotter when slowed down. Every kill is more dramatic and every special effect detail can be appreciated for the work of art it is.

Shortly after the intro, Alice herself narrates a very quick couple minute recap of the major plot points of the previous Resident Evil films. We then start off with a bang by watching the same final battle on the Arcadia in forward at normal speed. It’s much less impressive and anti-climactic when viewed this way. Alice shoots an Umbrella Corporation flying ship and it crashes into the Arcadia and explodes into a ball of fire. Alice is blown off the ship and falls into the water unconscious. We then cut her to a scene of her waking in bed.

Suddenly she’s a normal, but gorgeous, suburban housewife with a husband and young daughter. Was it all just a dream? Is she just remembering her past? It looks that way because the biggest event of her morning is her husband dribbling coffee on his dress shirt. That is, until the zombies randomly burst through the door in a shocking attack out of nowhere. She whisks her daughter into the laundry room and punches a hole into the drywall ceiling to escape into the safety of the attic. Of course she grabs some melee weapons like a baseball bat to handle business as needed. It’s good to know even this version of Alice can kick ass when the need arises. (We learn later in the film these are all cloned version of characters used for simulation and test purposes.)

Eventually they make their way outside where all hell has broken loose. What was once a peaceful suburban sub-division is now a frantic war zone. People scream in terror. Zombies run after people and police frantically fire at the undead in an attempt to protect civilians.

As Alice runs down the street with her daughter Michelle Rodriguez appears in a vehicle to whisk them to safety. It turns out this a  “good” clone version of Rain. We’ll meet her evil counterpart later.  Shortly after being picked up, “good” Rain’s less than stellar driving skills leave me them wrecked upside down inside the hybrid they though would speed them to safety. Alice and her daughter seek refuge in a nearby house with the  undead horde right on their heels. They hide in an upstairs bedroom closet where they are of course ultimately cornered.  Alice makes the ultimate sacrifice by electing to take on the zombies hand to hand to lead them away in order to protect her hiding daughter.

As this scene comes to a close the next scene opens with Alice regaining consciousness in an Umbrella Corporation holding cell. It appears this was all a dream or  memory too. Jill Valentine appears in a window overlooking the cell and begins attempts  at an interrogation. The interrogation mainly consists of a few moments of a scantily clad Milla Jovovich being asked why she turned against Umbrella. When she doesn’t answer she’s repeatedly assaulted with extremely loud high pitched noises that make her cry out in pain.

After several minutes of this, the power goes out . The computer complains of being compromised and then begins it’s reboot process. A drawer slides out of the wall with the sexy black leather Umbrella outfit Alice wears for the duration of the film.  We’re then presented with the computer system’s audible audio countdown of when the security computer will be back online. Of course it’s just enough time for Alice to suit up and make her escape. As tight as this outfit is, there’s NO WAY she managed to put it on by herself in the short amount of time the film expects us to believe she does it in.

Alice “escapes” outside. It appears she’s walked out of an Umbrella facility straight into Downtown Tokyo. It doesn’t take long to figure out this a computer simulation with very real zombie foes. Alice must retreat back into the Umbrella facility where she battles the horde of zombies that has pursued her. This is an epic battle with plenty of amazing stunt work and gore.

After defeating the horde of undead, Alice encounters Ada Wong (Li Bingbing). Alice almost kills Ada but it turns out Ada has been sent to help Alice escape. Why would Ada help Alice?  It turns out Ada and Albert Wesker (Shawn Roberts) are no longer working for Umbrella. Wesker appears in computer form and informs Alice the T-Virus has basically caused Armageddon.  He warns they must all now work together for the greater good. Of course for Alice to help, she must survive and escape. The fate of the human race rests on their shoulders.

Wesker frantically informs Alice the Red Queen is now controlling the facility just as she regains control of the hacked connection Wesker is communicating through.  After she refuses to give up, The Red Queen warns Alice, “You’re all going to die down here”. In her calm, collected and confident style Alice quips back, “I’ve heard that before.” Jill Valentine is ordered to capture Alice and Ada if possible, or kill them if necessary.

Alice plans to simply blast her way out of the facility but Ada quickly points out it’s a bad idea. It turns out the secret Umbrella facility where she has bee imprisoned is located deep under the icy waters of a secret Russian nuclear submarine facility. Umbrella purchased the facility and converted into a high tech simulation ground to test the T-Virus. They created highly detailed, climate controlled environments of Tokyo, New York, Moscow, Suburban heaven “Racoon City” etc. It turns out these faithful simulations also allowed the Umbrella corporation to create fake T-virus outbreak videos to help sell their T-Virus as biological weapons in a viral arms race.

Wesker has sent a rescue team headed by Leon S. Kennedy (Johann Urb), Barry Burton (Kevin Durand), and Luther West (Boris Kodjoe) to aid Alice and Ada’s escape to the surface. They plant explosives at the surface entrance of the base. They are set to detonate in exactly two hours at which point they will destroy the facility and anyone, or anything, unfortunate enough to remain inside.

From  here on out the film is your standard, been there done that, escape plot.  After fighting their way past zombies and battling two executioner axemen at once, Alice and Ada make their way to the rendezvous point in the Racoon City simulation.  They are supposed to meet up with the extraction team here.  Before that can occur Alice encounters the clone that played her daughter in the simulation at the beginning of the film. Of course the child clone thinks Alice is her mother. Alice shows a rare human side and takes the child under her wing without revealing she isn’t her mother.

By now Alice and Ada’s pursuers have caught up.  The villains (Jill Valentine, Rain, Carlos and James “One” Shade) urge the group to give up. A shootout ensues and Alice and Becky escape while Ada stays behind and is captured. Alice escapes with Becky to the Moscow simulation where Alice rescues the extraction team from a team of super smart functionally able Las Plagas zombies. She slides in to save the day in a Rolls Royce Phantom complete with cool blue neon lights underneath and spinner rims. The team is hunted down in a highspeed chase with the Las Plagas zombies driving vehicles, firing weapons, and riding motorcycles hot on their heels. As if that wasn’t enough, the team is also being chased by a giant Licker creature.

Alice drives the Rolls Royce straight into a Moscow subway and the team proceeds down a train tunnel to the elevator that will take them to the surface.  Eventually everyone meets up at the large elevator that will take them to the surface and out of the facility that is about to explode.  Of course the elevator stops just after starting to lift the heroes to safety. A Licker monster grabs Becky and Kills the “good” rain clone as she tries to prevent it from escaping with the child.

Alice decides she has to save Becky even though she’s nothing more than a clone with artificially implanted memories. Just then Jill Valentine and her goons show up.  Luther West gets shot in the shoulder. Alice heads off to save Becky while the rest of the team stays behind to shoot it out with Jill Valentine and her team.

Alice rescues Becky by cutting her out of the Licker’s pod. While escaping the Licker, the pair must walk through an area of the Umbrella facility where hundreds of clones are whisked around on a rack in gruesome meat market assembly line fashion. After seeing dozens of Alice clones fly by, Becky begins to put two and two together. She demands to know the truth and asks Alice if she is really her mom. Alice replies “I am now” in a very touching, albeit cheesy, moment.

Everyone reaches the surface just as the detonation of the Umbrella facility occurs. It seems the good guys escaped and the explosion has solved their problem. As the team is driving to safety across the ice it looks like we’ll be left with a lame ending. Nope.  It turns out the ending is just getting started.

There is a huge bang, the vehicle turns on its side and a submarine emerges through the ice.  It turns out Carlos was killed but Jill and Rain survived the explosion and escaped in a submarine. They have Ada Wong as their prisoner. Alice finds it comical that the pair of women plan to stop them. However, Rain injects herself in the neck with the “Las Plagas” parasite.  It immediately gives her amazing powers and makes her nearly invincible. Rain takes some fire and we see a pretty cool closeup effect of the Las Plagas parasite pushing bullets out of her body and healing her wounds. It’s obvious killing this evil Rain clone is NOT going to be a simple affair.

Two epic battles, one between Alice and Jill and the other between Rain and the remaining survivor,s ensue. Alice gets her but whipped to near death by Jill. She’s nearly killed by Jill but manages to rip the Scarab device off of Jill’s chest and destroy it. Both women collapse to the ice.

Meanwhile the evil Rain has nearly finished destroying her foes and turns her attention to Alice. Alice see’s a zombie face (one of the Las Plagas undead) swimming under the ice.  Jill Valentine returns to her senses and slides a gun to Alice. The evil rain laughs and informs Alice, “You can’t kill ME.” Alice responds confidently, “I don’t have to.”  She shoots the ice around Rain’s feet. Rain collapses through the ice and the viewer sees an amazing view of a huge horde of Las Plagas zombies swarming Rain and pulling her under water.

A helicopter arrives and rescues the survivors.  The survivors (Alice, Ada, Becky, Leon, and Jill) are transported to Albert Wesker’s military base. It turns out Wesker has set up shop in the White House and he has made himself at home in the Oval Office. He begins to explain he needs Alice’s help.  He unexpectedly stabs Alice in the next and injects her with the T-Virus. He explains he needs her back to her former glory and has given her back her gift so that she can help save humanity.

It turns out the last remaining survivors of the human race have taken refuge at the White House and it’s up to Alice, Wesker, and the remaining survivors to save humanity. As the film comes to a close Alice and Wesker walk onto the roof of the White House. The camera zooms out and we get our first glimpse of just how bad things have become.

The White House is battered to the point where it is barely recognizable. Hordes of tens of thousands of zombies lurk outside. As the view gets wider things look less like planet earth and more like hell. There are countless crashed vehicles and thousands of monsters, flying creatures and other horrors. It looks like the 6th film in this series could be the final one and if it lives up to what is foreshadowed here  in the ending of Retribution, it may be a final battle of epic proportions!

End of Plot Summary

The post Resident Evil: Retribution Review – What Did You Expect? appeared first on ZombieGift.com Zombie Blog.

As a fan of zombie films, and a single father, I headed off to see ParaNorman with a pretty jaded outlook. Surely there was no way an animated zombie  film was going to satisfy both my son and I. In my mind, someone was going home a little disappointed.  I couldn’t have been more more wrong.

Although far from a perfect film, ParaNorman manages to blend zombies, horror, comedy, stunning visual effects and some important life lessons into one giant cocktail of zombie win.

Basic Plot Summary:

This film tells the story of town outcast Norman (voiced by Smit-McPhee). Norman has the ability to see and speak with the dead. Naturally, nobody believes him. Although his family tolerates his “gift” for the most part, the rest of the town treats bullies him mercilessly. Kids at school knock him over, chant hurtful nicknames and even scrawl insults on his locker with a marker in bold black brutality.

Norman takes it in stride as best he can. However, keeping his chin up gets much more difficult when the long dead participants of an ancient witch trial haunt Norman during his performance at a school play.  It leads to a very scary vision and an embarrassing outburst.  He has a lot to deal with and his family and the community are anything but understanding.

Bullies and insults quickly become the least of Norman’s worries. His uncle  (a bigger outcast than Norman) warns him he must use his gift to stop the ancient witch’s curse that has haunted their town, Blithe Hollow, for hundreds of years. After some soul searching Norman realizes he is the only one who can save the town.  He decides he must face his fears and do what is right.  Along the way he’s forced to deal with zombies, new found friendship,  adults and peers who just don’t understand, and his own fears and emotions.

Toward the end of the film Norman begins to understand the zombies aren’t so horrifying after all. He also comes to the enlightened realization that the gifts of compassion and forgiveness are just as useful as his gift for talking to the dead. He’s able to combine them all to save the day!

Why are the zombies chasing Norman? What common bond exists between the modern townspeople and the ancient witch trial judge and jurors? How does Norman end the witch’s curse and save the day? You’ll just have to watch for yourself and find out!

What’s Great:

This is an absolutely gorgeous movie. The combination of stop style animation and CGI effects creates a visually stunning film unlike anything I’ve ever seen. I actually went into this film expecting to be blown away. I knew work was being done by Laika, the animation studio behind 2009’s Coraline. I knew they were planning some great things. In the buzz surrounding the film’s production I watched a few behind the scenes videos on the animation process. I knew things were going to be good. I expected things to be good. The animation still stunned me.

The level of detail is awesome. This is definitely one of those films you want to watch a second time just to see all the little things you missed while following the plot. Of course I love the stop animation, but the CGI effects were just as well done and just as fresh and innovative.

The scenes toward the climax of the film involving the dark storm-filled sky spinning and churning had me in love with animated films again.  Seeing the witch manifest as a smoky skull in the sky was incredible. The final confrontation between Norman and the witch was a visual and emotional roller coaster of epic proportions.

Sadly, the visual greatness of the film almost overshadows the plot. No worries because there is still a great story here. One of the things I really loved were the subtle messages and life lessons hidden along the way. There is an abundance of positivity for those children and adults willing to hear it.

This film really touches on the fact that pain, fear and ignorance are often behind bullying and intolerance. Sometimes fighting fire with fire only compounds the problem. But what do I know? You only care about the zombies!

What About the Zombies?  I love the zombies in this film. Some have criticized this film for being a little too gory and too scary for younger viewers. Personally I think it’s just about right. As a zombie fan I’d love the walking dead to be heavier on the gore. As a parent (and I use that term loosely) I realize this is an animated family film; I think it balances comedy and horror well.

There is plenty of subtle humor along with the slapstick stuff. There is pretty much something for everyone. I particularly loved the frequent nods to 1980’s horror films.  Of course, few films are perfect in every way and ParaNorman is no exception.

What’s Not So Great:

Even though it finishes with a run time just over 90 minutes (lightning quick in today’s world of 2 and 3 hour monstrosities)  ParaNorman does drag a bit at times. There are slow points and portions of the plot that seem to be present only to keep the younger viewers invested. About 2/3 of the way through the movie, just before the final climactic encounter, the film stalled a bit for me. I could sense it in my fidgeting son seated beside me as well. Fortunately just as he started to wiggle, and  my mind began to drift off to review post movie errands, we were sucked back in.

Another minor annoyance for me was the  over the top modeling of some of the characters. Exaggeration is key in comedy, but some things in this film are over done. Odd angles and exaggerated features on Norman’s parents for example are almost distracting at times.

At a few points I was left with the feeling that perhaps there was something missing with the plot. I’m honestly not sure whether the story is a little flat and thin on its own merits, or if the problem is the amazing animation and stunning visuals simply overshadow everything else.

Our Rating:

ParaNorman gets a 4.5 out of 5 rating. Most importantly, it passed the most difficult test of all: the pee test. That’s right! My son was so engrossed in the film he never once asked to get up and use the restroom!  In all seriousness I’d highly recommend you go check this movie out. It’s not perfect, but with the amazing animation it doesn’t need to be.

The Final Word:

Overall I loved this movie. It’s a great family film with amazing special effects. Yes it happens to have zombies in it too.  If you are solely seeing this film for zombies you may be a little disappointed. They aren’t overly spectacular on their own. What is nearly spectacular is this film experience as a whole. I say nearly because the film wasn’t without its flaws. That being said, this is a beautiful film with a decent story and some great emotion invoking scenes at the end. Anyone who has ever been outcast, misunderstood, or bullied will definitely relate to this film on a deeper level than the casual viewer.

ParaNorman brought the summer of 2012 just what it needed: a great animated family film done in a fresh and creative way. Oh yeah, and ZOMBIES!

About the Film:

http://www.paranorman.com
Directors:   Chris Butler, Sam Fell
Voice Actors:   Anna Kendrick, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Kodi Smit-McPhee, John Goodman, Casey Affleck
Rating:  PG
Studio:  Focus Features
Genre:   Animation
Run Time:   Approximately 92 minutes
Release Date:   August 17th, 2012

 What did YOU think? Have you seen ParaNorman? What did you think of the film? If you haven’t seen it do you plan on doing so? We’d love for you to share your thoughts in the comments section below!

The post ParaNorman Review: Zombies, Outcasts and Bullies Oh My! appeared first on ZombieGift.com Zombie Blog.

Operation: Nazi Zombies

About the Film:

• Release Date:  Released on DVD May 1^st, 2012
• Date:  Filmed in 1999.  Produced and originally released with the title “Maplewoods” around 2003.
• Director:  David B. Stewart III
• Main Cast:   Thomas Reilly, Elissa Mullen, Christopher Connolly, John Weidemoyer, John Martineau
• Supporting Cast:  Steven Brown,Francesco Costante, Brian Dugan, Peter Hock, Sean Hutcheon, Victoria Katz, April Moyer, Jerry Puma, Mike Russo, Robert Schiller
• Executive Producer:  David B. Stewart III
• Producers:  Robert Schiller, Thomas Reilly, Joseph DeChristopher Sr., John Weidemoyer, John Martineau

Plot Summary: (Contains spoilers & plot details)

A soldier’s father was responsible for some biological zombie experiments gone wrong back in the 1970s. In a top secret lab, secret experiments were being done to expand on research conducted by the Germans during the war. As one would expect with top secret biological experiments, things got out of control. The military recruit s the soldier, General John Gibbs, to go clean up his father’s mess and destroy all evidence and “specimens”.   Sounds promising right?

Nope.

Right off the bat we learn that a CIA agent will lead the troops on this death mission. The only reason given is because he knows the land and has studied the maps. Ha! I would think an elite team of super soldiers could glance at a map and find their way, but fair enough.

Once the soldiers arrive at the top secret lab (it resembles little more than a wooden barn deep in the woods) they learn they have to proceed to the lower level where the secret lab is actually hidden. One soldier is sent to turn on generator power so the elevator to the lower level can be used. Half of the team is sent down into the lower level while the rest remains up top at ground level.

For reasons that were never explained, we discover the CIA agent was sent to betray the team and to sabotage their efforts.  He assassinates the soldier after he turns on the generators and then cuts power to the elevator trapping the team of soldiers in the lower level. Of course they are quickly devoured by the “specimens” shambling about. One wounded soldier manages to stay alive long enough to radio up and report there is a bomb set to go off in “thi….” He never manages to utter the detonation time.

Of course General Gibbs doesn’t just abort the mission right there. Instead he makes the logical decision to go down to the lower level alone to see how much time they have left before they are blown sky high. He drops down into the lower level and manages to single-handedly gun down the zombies. While doing so he loses radio contact. Some of the soldiers at ground level decide the General’s lack of response means he’s been eaten by the undead. They decide to abort the mission and run off into the woods even though it’s pitch black outside and the grounds are crawling with zombies. They also have no clear destination or plan in mind.  Seems legit!

After the cowards bail on the mission the General comes back to report the bomb will go off in the morning and it’s big enough to blow up anything within the vicinity. They have to flee on foot to escape into the safe zone.

Meanwhile pretty much all of the cowardly soldiers who bailed on the mission in the night were eaten.  Big surprise there!

On their long stroll to safety the survivors meet a lone child zombie dramatically carrying a doll.  General Gibbs has to turn his head as he shoots the zombie kid. I then have to turn my head and try to ignore some terrible acting. Gibbs drops to his knees and screams and damns his father to hell and curses him for these horrible human experiments.  The General then comes to the hard realization that these zombies aren’t the enemy…. “we are”. Ugh! Yes it is as painfully hokey and horrible as it sounds.  Meanwhile the noise has attracted other zombies and the team scurries off to make their escape.

As the soldiers walk to safety the team is eventually narrowed down to two sole survivors: General Gibbs and a female soldier. Unfortunately she’s sniped by a soldier hiding in a tree. It seems the team has randomly walked for many hours to the safety of a random safe zone that wasn’t so random after all. Somehow the military that betrayed them knew exactly where they’d end up and was patiently waiting for them.

A brief shootout ensues. After coming out on top, General Gibbs hops into a car and speeds off to safety while the bomb dramatically explodes in the background.

The entire story has been told in a flashback interview style while General Gibbs is unfairly held in a prison. At the conclusion of the film the soldier interviewing General Gibbs basically tells him it is extremely unfair that he has to spend the rest of his life in jail and there is nothing that can be done about it. He then exclaims that “this is your only escape” and walks out of the cell. The film ends with the sound of gunshots, leaving the viewer to decide for themselves just what in the hell happened.

I found the basic plot to be a little confusing. It also seemed unfinished and was full of holes and unanswered questions. Why exactly was the CIA agent and the military betraying the team? Couldn’t the military just assassinate General Gibbs at their first meeting if they thought he had some secret knowledge of his father’s Maplewoods project?  Why was the team sent into this facility if someone had already managed to infiltrate it and plant a bomb anyway?  Why in the hell did the one soldier go all crazy section 8 and start killing soldiers?  How did the military know right where to be waiting for the General when he popped out of the woods into the safe zone?

Our Breakdown:

Call me crazy..but I expect a film about Nazi zombies to actually have some Nazi zombies in it. Operation: Nazi Zombies has a few poorly done zombies and even fewer Nazis.

Don’t let the awesome cover art fool you. The front of the box contains more Nazi zombies than the actual movie does. Seriously. There is a total of one zombie in the film that resembles anything remotely close to a Nazi. One zombie briefly appears wearing a Stahlhelm, the well recognized steel German helmets worn by German soldiers during WWI and WWII.

The whole Nazi theme you would expect is pretty much non-existent. There’s some pictures of Hitler flashed in the opening credits. There’s the one zombie wearing the helmet. The words “Nazi” and “German” are mentioned once or twice. There is a very brief hint that the zombie virus was discovered in Berlin in 1945. Other than that, except for the title, you’d have no clue the film was supposed to be about Nazi zombies.

Even more surprising is the fact that this film also has very few zombies. They are few and far between. When they do appear they are pretty poorly done. Most of the zombies are nothing more than a few extras that walk slowly. I’m all for your classic shambler zombie, but they have to have some edge.  They have to at least look hungry and desperate for human flesh. They should be dirty, decomposed and disheveled.

There are a few brief moments where the special effects crew tried. There’s a zombie strapped to a table in a lab that won’t stop screaming. His face is pretty well done. The actor violently shakes and wildly attempts to free himself from the restraints. After a few minutes his screaming in the background gets pretty annoying. Just as I joked that someone should shoot him so he’d finally shut the f**k up, the main character of the film turned and did just that. The zombie execution was complete with a horribly fake splash of thick blood splashed in the shooter’s face. Sadly the poor zombie was probably the best acting in the film.

The acting in this film is horrendous. I do realize this is a low a budget film but the acting is sub-par even by those standards. Pretty much everyone in the cast gives a robotic and dull performance. The attempts at emotions such as anger and grief are so forced and unconvincing it’s almost uncomfortable to watch at times.

We’re supposed to believe the main characters are handpicked members of an elite squad of special ops soldiers. The awkward weapon handling and terribly uncoordinated actions of these soldiers makes that very difficult to believe.

They all have sidearms as their primary weapon. That’s right! This is a unique group of elite soldiers that uses pistols only. They must be VERY good. The only thing that resembles firepower is the single pump shotgun that sees a little action.

At the start of the film this squad of “the best of the best” of the military must stealthily sneak across a field. They proceed to do so in their bright freshly starched and pressed dress uniform shirts.  They stick out like a sore thumb against the vegetation in the field. Pretty sneaky guys.

Don’t expect a captivating plot to rescue this film either. I will say the potential was there. So much could have been done with the whole Nazi biological experiment theme. The core details of the beginning of a plot were there. Unfortunately things just weren’t developed. It’s almost as if someone sat down to brainstorm some random ideas for a rough first draft of a zombie film plot and things never developed beyond that point.

What’s No So Great:

1. The opening credits take for-f%ckin-ever. Seriously. They literally drag on for like 5 minutes and you wonder whether the movie will ever begin.
2. The acting is terrible.
3. Not enough zombies! There just weren’t enough scary zombies in this film. Most of the zombies look pretty unconvincing and the zombie acting is typically unremarkable as well.
4. The plot is terribly unfinished, confusing and full of holes.
5.  The lighting is bad. In most of the night scenes you can’t see anything. Lighting is also pretty terrible in most of the zombie scenes in the lower lab area.
6. The audio is awful. Most of the actors speak in dull muffled tones so difficult to understand you have to crank up the volume on your TV. Even more frustrating is the fact levels are inconsistent. In the opening scene three men are talking. Two of the men have a reasonably audible voice. The third man sounds like he wasn’t within 50 feet of any sort of microphone.  You have to have the remote nearby to constantly fiddle with volume so it isn’t ridiculously loud in some scenes and basically muted the next.
7. Too much smoking. I think 80% of the “acting” in this film involves an actor lighting a cigarette. I wish they would have pulled half of the cigarette budget and applied it to ANYTHING else. It could have only improved the film.
8. Underpowered Special Forces? I would think a team of elite soldiers would carry more than a bunch of pistols and a shotgun behind enemy lines.
9. The entire film is told in an annoying and seemingly unnecessary flashback style.
10. Even the ending of the film is anti-climactic, confusing and leaves you wondering what on earth actually happened.

What’s Not So Bad:

1. Still Entertaining.  Although the film is pretty bad in some areas, it actually has some decent entertainment value. My family and I had a good time laughing at the film and providing our own critique. It may not be the way Dave Stewart intended, but we had a fun time watching the film.
2. Special Effects. When present, the gore and special effects aren’t horrible considering the film’s budget and the fact that it was filmed over 12 years ago
3. The cover art for the DVD case is pretty awesome.
4. This film didn’t resort to gratuitous nudity or unnecessary sex scenes to keep the viewer’s attention like so many low budget independent horror films do. That may be disappointing to some but as a parent of a 10 year old I was thankful.

The Last Word:

You shouldn’t sit down to watch this film expecting a great zombie movie.  Go into the experience expecting a low budget, badly scripted, campy B movie that you will have a good time making fun of you and you won’t be too disappointed.

Although I have been pretty hard on this film I do appreciate the fact that it was done on a shoestring budget. Given his lack of a big Hollywood budget, David Stewart did manage to put together a few brief moments of zombie magic in Operation: Nazi Zombies. Unfortunately they were too few and too far between.

Sadly this film just didn’t live up to the potential that was there. So much could have been done with the whole “Nazi Zombie” theme.  As a last resort, any zombie film can always resort to what zombie film fans love most: scary zombies and lots of blood and gore. We zombie fans can forgive horrible acting, bad scripts and gaping plot holes as long as the zombies make up for it.  Unfortunately this film didn’t take that approach.  Operation: Nazi Zombies simply fell short of all that it could have been.

Our Rating: 2 out of a possible 5 stars.

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