Warm Bodies
3/4
Starring: Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, Analeigh Tipton, John Malkovich, Rob Corddry, Dave Franco
Rated PG-13 for Zombie Violence and Some Language
Without a doubt, Summit Entertainment is hoping for lightning to strike twice. After all, the "Twilight" franchise and "Warm Bodies" share the same central premise: a human girl falling for a studly member of the undead (zombies this time, not vampires, but who cares?). Despite being unquestionably better, I don't see that happening. Summit hasn't been marketing it as aggressively, and although it takes place in a post-apocalyptic setting, it's hardly epic. That, and few people have heard of the book upon which it the film is based.
R (Hoult) is a zombie. He doesn't remember much about his past life. Or even his name. It begins with an R (at least he thinks so). But he's a different sort of zombie. He's self-conscious and tries to do the right thing. He doesn't like having to eat other people's brains, but he's at least conflicted about it, unlike the mindless Boneys, who are a mindless horde. One day while on the hunt with his pack, he spots a beautiful girl trying to get medicine for the compound that she lives in. Her name is Julie (Palmer), and to his unintentional advantage, R eats the brains of Perry (Franco), Julie's boyfriend, and gets his memories. When she runs out of ammo, R saves her from the horde, and takes her to his "home." Because he is attracted to her, he lies to keep her with him. They of course fall in love, but most humans, like Julie's father General Grigio (Malkovich), want to destroy the zombie horde. The funny thing is, the closer R and Julie get, the more alive the zombies become.
Yes, it's sort of a zombie "Romeo and Juliet," although it's hardly a tragedy. In fact, it's often quite funny. Being dead hasn't cost R his sense of humor, and some of his one-liners during his voice-overs are very witty. There are other sources of humor, although the most clever bits are about R trying to live as a zombie. It's the kind of thing that comes from human experience, except for the fact that zombies aren't real ( at least they weren't the last time I checked...).
The film rests almost entirely on the shoulders of British actor Nicholas Hoult, who became famous for his performance in "About a Boy." He succeeds because he has more talent than Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner combined. And unlike either Edward or Jacob, he's a much more likable character because he's funny and real, and not a bipolar drama queen. Teresa Palmer is good as well. What I like about her is that not only is her performance solid (although she lacks Hoult's presence and charisma), it's that she's not a dolled up princess. She doesn't have gallons of makeup caked onto her face, which makes her more real, and in my opinion, much prettier. John Malkovich and Analeigh Tipton are on hand in supporting roles and Rob Corddry shows that he is capable of light drama (although he's mostly here for comic relief).
The film was directed by Jonathan Levine, who made "50/50," which apparently everyone liked more than me. Still, the man's work is solid; he's able to move from drama to action with little trouble, and able to convey zombie behavior while keeping the gore at a PG-13 level without making it obvious. It's a little long, but it grew on me.
Starring: Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, Analeigh Tipton, John Malkovich, Rob Corddry, Dave Franco
Rated PG-13 for Zombie Violence and Some Language
Without a doubt, Summit Entertainment is hoping for lightning to strike twice. After all, the "Twilight" franchise and "Warm Bodies" share the same central premise: a human girl falling for a studly member of the undead (zombies this time, not vampires, but who cares?). Despite being unquestionably better, I don't see that happening. Summit hasn't been marketing it as aggressively, and although it takes place in a post-apocalyptic setting, it's hardly epic. That, and few people have heard of the book upon which it the film is based.
R (Hoult) is a zombie. He doesn't remember much about his past life. Or even his name. It begins with an R (at least he thinks so). But he's a different sort of zombie. He's self-conscious and tries to do the right thing. He doesn't like having to eat other people's brains, but he's at least conflicted about it, unlike the mindless Boneys, who are a mindless horde. One day while on the hunt with his pack, he spots a beautiful girl trying to get medicine for the compound that she lives in. Her name is Julie (Palmer), and to his unintentional advantage, R eats the brains of Perry (Franco), Julie's boyfriend, and gets his memories. When she runs out of ammo, R saves her from the horde, and takes her to his "home." Because he is attracted to her, he lies to keep her with him. They of course fall in love, but most humans, like Julie's father General Grigio (Malkovich), want to destroy the zombie horde. The funny thing is, the closer R and Julie get, the more alive the zombies become.
Yes, it's sort of a zombie "Romeo and Juliet," although it's hardly a tragedy. In fact, it's often quite funny. Being dead hasn't cost R his sense of humor, and some of his one-liners during his voice-overs are very witty. There are other sources of humor, although the most clever bits are about R trying to live as a zombie. It's the kind of thing that comes from human experience, except for the fact that zombies aren't real ( at least they weren't the last time I checked...).
The film rests almost entirely on the shoulders of British actor Nicholas Hoult, who became famous for his performance in "About a Boy." He succeeds because he has more talent than Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner combined. And unlike either Edward or Jacob, he's a much more likable character because he's funny and real, and not a bipolar drama queen. Teresa Palmer is good as well. What I like about her is that not only is her performance solid (although she lacks Hoult's presence and charisma), it's that she's not a dolled up princess. She doesn't have gallons of makeup caked onto her face, which makes her more real, and in my opinion, much prettier. John Malkovich and Analeigh Tipton are on hand in supporting roles and Rob Corddry shows that he is capable of light drama (although he's mostly here for comic relief).
The film was directed by Jonathan Levine, who made "50/50," which apparently everyone liked more than me. Still, the man's work is solid; he's able to move from drama to action with little trouble, and able to convey zombie behavior while keeping the gore at a PG-13 level without making it obvious. It's a little long, but it grew on me.
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