Review: ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE shuffles past your typical TV movie
Zombie movies are my favorite genre of horror films. George Romero's zombie films are great, and if you read the site you know I love The Walking Dead. SyFy aired Zombie Apocalypse last night, just in time for Halloween. Despite the simple story/script and lackluster visual effects, this made-for-tv-movie is better than most. It is a great example of a midnight movie and will meet the needs of any zombie fan looking to get into the Halloween spirit.
The film stars Ving Rhames (Mission: Impossible, Piranha 3D), Taryn Manning (8 Mile, Hustle & Flow), Lesley-Ann Brandt (Spartacus), Gary Weeks, Eric Steeples, Johnny Pacar and Geral Webb. The story takes place moths after a zombie apocalypse and follows a small group of survivors as they try to fight the zombie hordes to make it to a rumored safe haven on the island of Catalina.
There are more plot holes than the rotting flesh of the zombies shuffling on screen. However, the entertainment level of this film overshadows the poor story. I like the use of zombie terminology that is thrown around so casually. The different categories for the “zombs” (zombies) are pretty cool. For instance the “shuffler” is a zomb that shuffles around, whereas a “runner” is fairly self-explanatory, These runners are freaking fast, so you you have to be on your toes.
I thought it was a bit funny when the survivors were in the sports store stocking and they were talking about how they should get plastic protective gear for their arms and legs, but Vings’ character is walking around sleeveless. I guess zombies can’t bite through his rippling biceps? Ving is always a badass, but come on
The weapons made me feel like I was in the middle of a video game. There was everything from a sledgehammer, baseball bat, samurai sword, pick axe and a machete. This makes complete sense because not only are bullets hard to come by, they make a lot of noise and attract more zombies. The guns do create some nice blood splatters and never seem to run out of ammo (until it is written into the script). The practical effects in the film are the best part. The visual effects, where we see blood spattering is a not as realistic as I would like. The sound effects make up for it in many occasions. When zombies are getting slashed and bludgeoned there are plenty of cool sound effects.
In Conclusion:
If you have a choice for a baseball bat or a titanium golf club, choose the bat. If you are a zombie fan, then this is something you will want to watch. You can overlook the story problems, because lets face it you really are watching for the zombie action. Zombie Apocalypse is your second cousin to Romero’s or Kirkman's, so make the most of it.