Warm Bodies, released Friday, took a unique, modern twist on the idea of the zombie apocalypse and delivered it as a romantic comedy that made the film a success.
The zombie trend has been used time and time again as a popular expression of humanitys vision of the end of the world. Despite the multitude of zombie movies such as Zombieland, Resident Evil, and Walking Dead, there has not been a single example that used the environment as the setting for a love story, particularly one between a human survivor and a zombie.
The movie stars an incredibly talented up and coming actor, Nicholas Hoult, as R, an unusual zombie in a category of his own. He looks and acts the part, but deep down he yearns for companionship that is always restricted from him due to his inability to communicate with humans.
It is not until his pack of zombies attack a group of survivors and his eyes fall upon Julie, played by Teresa Palmer, that his need to feed transforms into the need for love. This is when the true charm to the movie really comes through. The two lead actors share an on screen chemistry that makes their budding relationship appear natural and not at all as creepy as a girl falling for a zombie boy initially sounds.
While the dialogue among the characters and romantic plot are a bit corny at times, the corniness played an important role in the movie because it was never overdone to the point of being annoying. As a romantic comedy set within the zombie apocalypse, such light-hearted humor is needed to maintain the audiences focus on the fact that this is a love story first and foremost, and not just another gory, creepy addition to the zombie movie genre.
Popular for his work on the movie 50/50, director Jonathan Levine did an excellent job brought a new twist to the romantic comedy genre that immediately grabbed audiences attention and maintained it throughout the duration of the movie. With a different take to a love story that is fresh and original, a talented cast that performed their roles well, and the inclusion of zombies to satisfy everyones inner nerd, this film is a must-see for any fans of romantic comedies.
We give this movie five out of five paws.