Plants vs. Zombies - Cutest Zombies in the World?

I love tower defense games. I love zombies. I love plants (well, the ones that don't give me allergies). Hence, when Plants vs. Zombies came out middle of last year I was in looooove. My only beef was that the game was a bit too easy, but the extra puzzles and mini-games made up for that. Anyway, I've finished the game 3 times through already and had put it aside for quite a while. But then I saw this a few days ago:

Whaaaaat! Plants vs. Zombies HD on the iPad with an extra mini-game! Jealous (I don't have an iPad just yet). Until I get one, I will be renewing my love for the game. Yes, it's good enough that you can play again and again. And nothing makes me laugh more than the end credits zombie dance. I also say "bwains" alllll the time like they do in the game. So adorable. And when was the last time you heard someone call a zombie adorable?!

Why?

A question I've always had is why do almost ALL zombie films take place in a world where the mere idea of a zombie has never come into existence? All these films are set in a world EXACTLY like ours EXCEPT for the fact that nobody knows what a zombie is. When the attack first happens you always see a character trying to explain what is going on to somebody else... "they're... the people are... they're biting other people! They're dead but not! People have gone crazy!" Why the hell wouldn't you say, "Holy shit it's like ZOMBIES ARE REAL NOW!" Or maybe you don't want to use the word "zombie" so loosely, but when you shoot the thing 50 times in the chest/arms/legs and it doesn't die, maybe it's time to think, "In the hundred zombie movies I saw, they always said aim for the head so maybe I should try that!" but nope. Shooting them in the head is ALWAYS a new piece of information. 


I think it's just an interesting point and I'm not sure why most filmmakers choose to do this. It's not like me knowing about the concept of a zombie will better prepare me to learn how to use a gun or be able to stomach the blood/pain or find a cure. In fact, wouldn't it be awesome to have a film where it focuses on a group of people who have a Zombie Defense Plan set out already as a joke (but not) and then zombies actually attack? Wait, that's me! Somebody come make a film about me.

ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction

ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction (2009)

Another movie from the 8 Films to Die For 2010 lineup! With a name like ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction, you just can't pass it up because you HAVE TO see how good or bad it is. With the latest onslaught of zombie comedies, aka zomedies, it's hard to stand out from the crowd.

ZMD is set in Port Gamble, small town USA. Frida, an Iranian-American girl comes home from college and everybody thinks she is Iraqi, much to her confusion. A gay couple, Tom and Lance, come to Port Gamble to tell Tom's mother that he is gay. Unfortunately for Port Gamble, a zombie infection has come upon the town and people are turning left right and centre. The rest of the film plays out as the typical zomedy - funny characters put into funny situations that involve a good amount of gore. Yay for the characters of Tom and Lance though, because most of the laughs fall with the gay couple.

Now I know what you're thinking... Zombies of Mass Destruction... politics... THIS MOVIE HAS A HIDDEN MEANING sort of crap. Thankfully it was handled in a pretty comedic way, although due to the poor acting/over-acting, I found myself rolling my eyes in some parts. Thankfully they don't dwell on it too long, and instead they let the slow zombies (yay slow zombies!) do the eating and attacking. Another thing that I really enjoyed was the pacing of the kills at the beginning of the film - they do it in a way so that you don't/can't see what is coming and who is going to die so we get a good little jump and feel tense throughout because you never really know who is going to get chomped in the neck.

ZMD manages to deliver a few good chuckles and even a few good memorable deaths. It's held back by the over-acting, lack of character development, and the somewhat odd and abrupt ending. I think considering I had a decent/entertaining time watching the film, I'm going to be a bit harsh on it because it's a zomedy... get it spot on and deliver big laughs or don't make them at all. I think watching a mediocre slasher/creature/gore flick is okay but when you find yourself going "heh" and not "hahahaha" it's rather disappointing.

Overall: 5.5/10

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Gore meter: 6/10

Scare meter: 5/10

Laugh meter: 5/10

Dead Set

 

Dead Set (2008); created by Charlie Brooker

Apparently I'm late on this bandwagon considering this aired in 2008. How did this fall under my radar? Probably because I couldn't really find any news/reviews on the mainstream American horror sites. So I guess I'm not really late on any bandwagon since there isn't much of one to begin with (at least in North America). What a shame, because Dead Set was thoroughly entertaining. 

Dead Set is a 5 part mini-series that originally aired on E4 in the UK. It has now been combined into a DVD set with all 5 episodes (which plays exactly like a movie; I watched all 5 in a row). This is why it's genius: Dead Set is about a zombie outbreak while they are shooting an eviction episode of Big Brother. The majority of the story follows what happens inside the Big Brother house which basically becomes a safe place to stay from the craziness outside. It's genius because we can have over the top characters without it being annoying/stupid because guess what, Big Brother contestants are loopy to begin with. It's also genius because these people are cut off from the outside world to begin with and when they do hear of the news, it's a hilarious scene since they think it's a Big Brother task. And finally, it's genius because it's a great commentary on reality television and pop culture. Have you SEEN the screaming fans for real-life Big Brother? Screaming because of excitement versus screaming because of my-arm-is-being-ripped-off... the contestants in the House can't tell the difference. It's a commentary that doesn't hit you over the head and scream, "I am making a criticism about our modern society!" which too many other horror movies do. Come on, it's a zombie flick - don't take yourself too seriously. Dead Set gets that part just right - it makes you reflect but it doesn't detract from the overall insanity and goriness and fun of a zombie flick.

A few notes: Dead Set doesn't bring anything original to the genre. As I said, the premise of the Big Brother thing is genius, but in terms of the death scenes, scares, zombies, characters, etc... it's all been done. Don't watch this expecting anything revolutionary. In fact, it has a lot of homages to other zombie flicks but I thought that was a nice touch because Dead Set isn't trying to hide the fact that it's been done before. On that note, these zombies are the fast kind. Yeah sure, I like the slow zombies more, but this was the only way to explain why the outbreak occurred so quickly (before they could evacuate the studio). And lastly, how many times did I scream, "WHY ARE YOU SUCH AN IDIOT?" to the screen? Only once! And yes, that's an amazing feat for horror films since most characters do the most ridiculous things.

Do yourself a favour and pick up this UK mini series. It's a great premise for a zombie flick and if you know Andy Nyman (from Severance) it's worth just seeing him playing the most annoying and hilarious character ever. Just look at that 'stache! Don't think that there isn't enough gore just because it aired on TV - not a bad amount. Nothing insane, but a good dose. Excellent acting.

Overall: 8/10

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Gore meter: 5/10

Scare meter: 2/10 (it's not going to make you jump much)