Warm Bodies (2013)

by Julianne Snow:

No Spoiler Synopsis:

With much of the world’s population reduced to a horde of the undead, we meet R, a young and introspective zombie living in an airport. During an encounter with a group of humans out gathering supplies, R meets Julie and feels the urge to protect her. What happens after that is the beginnings of a strange relationship that helps R regain some of his humanity. As this change spreads throughout the undead population, Julie and R find they are facing a larger issue as their friendship is challenged. Caught between the Anti-Zombie human forces and the ferocious Bonies (just think about what would happen if a zombie just gave up and let itself go – they’re a little scary) who are a mutual threat, R and Julie must find a way to bridge the sides to fight for a better world no one thought possible.

Review:

I love a good ZomCom – at least one that identifies itself as such from the very beginning. Throw in a little romance, and you’ve got a new genre – the RomZomCom. I would say the first of these that I have seen was probably Boy Eats Girl, but Warm Bodies takes the genre a little further. Heck there’s even references to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet…

While the movie was not particularly substantial, I still enjoyed it. But hey, I’m a Zombie fan. Ultimately, the premise was entertaining and I found the idea of the undead that retain a certain amount of their former selves interesting and terrifically creepy! And the Bonies were something else altogether – such an incredible amount of insight went into crafting these suckers. At least that’s my humble opinion.

The acting was great – I love John Malkovich and he played his part of a paranoid zombie-phobe so well. I found the young actors, Teresa Palmer and Nicholas Hoult, also gave very good performances. I have to give the standout performance to Rob Corddry – he was freaking funny!

If you’re looking for an oddly warm-hearted and funny take on the genre, give Warm Bodies a try. Heck, check out the book as well.

DarkMedia contributor Julianne Snow was first lulled into the horror genre by her parents during an ill-advised viewing of Alien when she was only 4 years old. Since that date, it’s been a given that Julianne will watch and read anything that is horror related. Her short fiction has appeared in anthologies from Sirens Call Publications and Open Casket Press, as well as The Sirens Call and various other websites showcasing short fiction. She is the author of the Days with the Undead series, which can be found on her website dayswiththeundead.com. Her first novel, Days with the Undead: Book One was published in early 2012 and is based on her popular web serial. Find her on Twitter @CdnZmbiRytr.