UnDead (2003)

Director: The Spierig Brothers
Venue: DVD
DVD Features: unavailable

Althought I’ve long been a horror movie fan, I had, until recently, shied away from zombie flicks. However, movies like Night of the Living Dead and 28 Days Later have forced me to recognize that there are a handful of genuinely entertaining films that feature animated corpses. While digging through the “4 for 20” bin at the local movie store, I stumbled across UnDead. It was the endorsement at the top of the box that convinced me to give it a shot. It read, “The most inventive zombie film since Peter Jackson’s Brain Dead”, a quote by Tony Timpone of Fangoria Magazine. First, Peter Jackson has made a few great horror movies (yes, he worked before Lord of the Rings). Second, I figure that anyone working at Fangoria must know a thing or two about horror.

UnDead takes place in a small town somewhere in Australia. It involves a small handful of characters, a dash of comedy, and a twist of alien encounter. I won’t bother breaking down the plot, as it’s basically the same as every other zombie film ever made. A band of unlikely cohorts find themselves surrounded by legions of the walking dead and have to fight their way out. I did enjoy the alien twist, the “down under” lingo and the ending.

Plot: 3 ½ stars

There weren’t any actors in UnDead that I recognized, but they all did a solid job (on the scale of horror movie acting). The two primary characters are a gun-toting fisherman, who seems a little nuts, and a newly crowned “catch of the day” queen down on her luck. They both kick ass at kicking zombie ass. They’re also both likeable in their strange and separate ways. In any zombie movie, there are two types of human characters. One the one hand, there are those who embrace their survival role with gusto. On the other, there are the helpless hysterics. Among the latter, UnDead features a law officer who agitated my nerves completely. I think he must have been an Australian inside joke, but does the fact that I hated the guy point to good acting or no?

Acting: 3 stars

There has to be a certain element of action in any zombie movie. After all, the best way to kill one is to remove its head. I have a sneaking suspeicion that The Spierig Brothers are fans of John Woo. The action in UnDead is practically an homage to Woo’s gunplay choreography. There are some inventive weapons in the movie as well. Zombies get killed via sawblade, canned air and “The Club”. Overall, the action is entertaining, comedic and well placed.

Action: 4 stars

Another vitally important aspect to reviewing a zombie movie is atmosphere and special effects. UnDead does have some CGI, but it isn’t overused or hokey. If UnDead had had a larger budget, I think it would have been tempting to go overboard. Most of the gore is done the old fashioned way and I almost always appreciate it when film-makers go that route in an age when it’s become easy to rely on computers. The atmosphere in this movie is appropriately dark and desolate.

Visual: 4 stars

There isn’t much to say about the dialogue in this film. “Braaaaains…” In a few scenes, a noticeable attempt is made at humor and “cool”, but that effort falls short of the mark. There weren’t any lines that really stuck with me and there weren’t any “laugh-out-loud” moments via dialoge.

Dialogue: 2 stars

Overall, I can say that UnDead is a solid, fun zombie film with a healthy helping of gore. I recommend viewing, definitely and possibly purchase.

Alternate viewing choice: Shawn of the Dead
IMDB site
Official site: not found (Lions Gate Films)
Rotten Tomatoes review

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