Written and Directed by Jonathan Levine, based on the novel by Isaac Marion
Starring Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, Rob Corddry, Analeigh Tipton, John Malkovich
Once in a while, it occurs to me that I see too many movies. If more than a week has gone by, I am scanning the newspaper looking for a tasty choice. Sometimes, brain dead, I guess, I overlook the fact that a film is not intended for mature audiences. Or I ignore such details in my insatiable need for fresh blood.
And so I found myself at WARM BODIES, WARM BODIES had moderately good numbers on review sites and it was playing nearby. Bingo, I’m there. So we lurched into the theater, oblivious to the teens that trudged in with us. Yes, we were at a YA film. And that’s exactly what we got.
The starring teen zombie (Hoult) is not the brain dead zombie we have come to know. He’s slow to speak and can’t make sense of everything in front of him, but he does register the fact that Julie (Palmer) is a pretty tasty dish—if not for eating. He makes observations that show his brain functions on some level. After swallowing (hurriedly) her boyfriend, our hero works to make it right by her by offering himself. He saves her once, he saves her twice, he saves her once again. And still she takes off.
Patti
There are some new ideas in this film that elevate the YA story a bit. Zombies become Bonies after a bit. And Bonies can move in ways zombies never dreamed of. The conclusion offers yet another decent twist on zombiedom. But in between, there is so much story that’s dull unless you are fifteen. So much repetition of a few simple ideas. There is not a single great performance in the film, and that is too bad. A casting agency really let us down with this one. Recommended if you are the target audience.
