Recent memory dictates that it’s not enough to just have the undead bursting through doors, trying to gnaw away at your flesh, while maggots hang off their rotten flesh.
The new age Zombie flicks demand more laughs than scares.
Because a zombie apocalypse is so absurd that it is laughable? You bet.
But what is proven is that the genre subverting horror-comedy is the go-to format for many studios as moviegoers appetite for new genres grow.
The latest? The Dead Don't Die -- starring Bill Murray, Adam Driver and Tilda Swinton. It tells the tale of a small town’s police force battling a sudden zombie invasion.
Granted, this newfangled genre is an acquired taste and it's something you have to sink your teeth into (hurhur) if you are a fan of zombie flicks.
To add brains (hurhur) to the genre, director Jim Jarmusch of Broken Flowers fame introduces politics into the mix.
Okay, perhaps this is a little too genre-bending for the normcore movie goer.
Like we warned you: it's an acquired taste.
Anyway.
The story begins in a fictitious town Centerville (population: 738) when "polar fracking" -- extraction of oil and gas at the North and South poles -- caused the world to spin off its axis (hey, add climate change into the recipe!). This results in dead animals, neverending days and, you can bet your last dollar, the rise of the undead.
Insofar, on paper, this movie has everything: an ensemble cast, zombies, laughs, brains (both sense of the word), a totes outrageous sequence featuring Tilda Swinton, and current and relatable themes (Trump's America).
Here’s Tilda!
While I admire its ambitions, it has too many things going on at any one time.
But if you can look past that, the movie is still well worth the watch.
First things first, the ensemble cast is well worth the time. Where can you find the deadpan Bill Murray, man of the hour Adam Driver and the enigmatic Tilda Swinton in the same show?
There’s also Chloe Sevigny, nominated for the Oscars Best Supporting Actress for Boys Don’t Cry, Selena Gomez, Steve Buscemi, Iggy Pop, and RZA.
Little wonder why its tagline is “The Greatest Zombie Cast Ever Disassembled”.
It also has an interesting spin on zombies: the dead turns up undead still very much keen on the obsessions they had while they were still alive. For instance there’s chardonnay zombie, tennis zombie, guitar zombie and fashion zombie. Pretty standard self-explanatory stuff.
And finally like any self-respecting irreverent movie, a big twist is waiting to be had at the end.
Not gonna spoil you but prepare yourself to question reality.
★Chinese New Year Treat★
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