Review of LIFE AFTER BETH Zombie Rom Com - Sundance '14
The one movie I can compare Life After Beth to would have to be Warm Bodies, only it's much, much darker. It's a horror zombie comedy with a romance plot thrown in to make things interesting. I should clarify that Life After Beth doesn't have the same plot as Warm Bodies, in fact, it's a very different kind of film. It's definitely a lot more gory and R-rated. If you were to ask me which one I liked more, I'd have to say I liked them equally as they both have a certain charm to them that I enjoyed.
The story follows a character named Zack, played by Dane DeHaan, whose girlfriend Beth dies from a snake bite while hiking. Beth is played by Aubrey Plaza. He goes to the funeral and during his mourning process he discovers that she has been miraculously brought back to life. Zack uses the opportunity to show her how much he loves and wants her. She seems fine at first, but slowly she starts get worse and everyday she gets closer to becoming a zombie. While this is all happening, Zack is trying to get things working and together.
The film boasts a great cast that also includes John C. Reilly, Molly Shannon, Cheryl Hines, and Paul Reiser. Everyone in the film is awesome, but DeHaan and Plaza really shine with their performances. This must have been an incredibly fun movie for them to make.
The film is loaded with entertaining comedic situations involving the slow transformation of Plaza turning into a zombie. There's also a lot of fun blood and gore that horror fans are sure to appreciate. There are some pretty crazy moments that will make audiences cringe with delight.
The movie has been getting mixed reviews up at Sundance, but I loved it! It was just a really fun movie that I think could do extremely well with audiences.
Official Synopsis:
Zach is devastated by the unexpected death of his girlfriend, Beth. When she miraculously comes back to life, Zach takes full advantage of the opportunity to experience all the things he regretted not doing when she was alive. However, the newly returned Beth isn’t quite the way he remembered her, and before long, Zach’s world takes a turn for the worse.
Imitating what Dr. Frankenstein did with his monster, writer/director Jeff Baena assembles disparate parts of his film into a new whole and jolts fresh life into it. By fusing elements of a young love story and a zombie movie, he concocts a wickedly funny and shockingly poignant film. With its killer soundtrack and all-star cast, including Aubrey Plaza, whose distinctive delivery has never been used to greater effect, and Dane DeHaan, who perfectly embodies the suffering of a young man with a broken heart and a rotting girlfriend, Life After Beth will leave you dying to see it again.