A zombie movie fest? It was bound to happen. I've had several zombie movies in my queue, waiting to be seen. However, I just wasn't in the right state of mind to watch them and I didn't have the time. But, with the 3 day weekend upon me.... I figured there was no time like the present! So I fired up Netflix and away we go!
Well, well, well.... another zombie comedy, eh? What more can another one of these things offer that hasn't already been done before? The answer is.... a lot. Man, this movie was great! Right along the lines of 'Deadheads', this one delivered exactly what I wanted in a zombie comedy. It was a little light on the zombies, but that was barely noticed because of all of the other stuff going on. I really wanted to not like it in the beginning. For some reason, it started off feeling a little too low budget and simple. However, as the story went on and you grew to love the main characters, the whole thing just took off! It's a really simple story line, but it doesn't need a lot of glitz and glamour. What it offers is very funny dialogue, slap stick situations and people that just ooze charisma. It also pays a lot of homage to other films in the genre and does it cleverly and in good taste. This movie never takes itself too seriously and is always firmly rooted in the mythos that makes zombies a reality. It does take the 'Return of the Living Dead' stance on zombie lifestyle and that works to its benefit in this case. Being a fan of that movie, this one sits right along side of it as a nice companion piece. A lot of similarities between the two.
The plot is one that we've all seen before in several romantic comedies. The main difference is, zombies! This is the basic outline: Infected by a virus, a mild mannered HR manager attempts to fulfill his overwhelming desire for brains, all while trying to keep it together so as not to incur the wrath of his bridezilla-to-be. He also has brought along his sister and her over the top husband, as they head up to a cabin in the woods for some time together. Meanwhile, a zombie hunter and his partner are on the prowl for the undead and soon are hot on the trail of the newly transforming HR manager. Did I mention he was infected by a mosquito who bit a zombie, carried the virus, was killed, came back and then infected our hero? Yeah, that happened. It's genius.
The cast in this movie are all people you might recognize from their other works. No real big celebrities here, but they all have great credits behind them. The special effects are on par with the movie and the script crackles with a life all its own. Everything in this movie feels brand new to me, despite it's tie in's with other like minded movies. There's nothing too graphic in the violence.... but the f-bomb is dropped to almost the point of absurdity. The characters are all well drawn out and they all feel like someone you know. I honestly found very little to criticize about 'A Little Bit Zombie'. It fires on all cylinders and flies by like any great movie should.
At the end of the day, this movie will eventually find its way into my DVD/Blu-ray collection. This is one that would be good to pop in anytime. Especially after a viewing of 'Return of the Living Dead' and 'Deadheads'. It makes a perfect little bookend to these movies, even though they're made by different folks at different times. If you like your comedy to be smart, a little foul mouthed, mildly gross and with a bit of sappiness thrown in.... then this is a movie for you. A great little diamond in the rough, that I'm glad I found earlier rather then later. Now, it's your turn!
4 out of 5 stars.
If you like this, check out: 'Deadheads', 'Shaun of the Dead' and 'Return of the Living Dead'
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