Zombies of Mass Destruction (2009)

Infected by intolerance

This is a comedy first and foremost with an element of horror off to the side like the tone of "Shaun of the Dead" but unlike the actual movie itself. Where it throws a curve ball to the subgenre, is this is also a heavy satire about the society that zombies are dismantling in a place called Port Gamble back in September of 2003. This comes with a share of awkward moments, obvious puns and jokes about subjects you're not supposed to joke about. No one is safe from ridicule as the film jumps around to various sides without necessarily picking one outright. This attempts to tackle what's hot on people's minds in the last decade and probably much further back than that with politics, prejudice, religion, sexuality and if that wasn't enough, how to live your life in your family's and society's steps compared to your own way as an individual that might be flawed or "un"picture perfect. The sudden outbreak might just give them the calling they need to expose all the mentioned social constructs for what they are.

"ZMD" begins with character backgrounds before the ominous title makes headway. It shows how the town interacted with hypocrisies and contradictions despite the pleasant front. The brain eaters are ignored at first, even with bloody clothing, nibbling tendencies and a stumbling gait, until it jumps head first into neck biting time and an all-out onslaught when they attack slowly but in numbers. There are some theories on the tube of the viral outbreak, if it's a terrorist attack or a direct result of the United States government. This concentrates on a male couple who go through an ordeal with one's mother about coming out of the closet and end up at the town church to hole up. Inside there's some shuffling around of who wants to lead with two competing polititicians who both argue about personal views or by actually taking action for the greater good of the group--sounds about right--as well as a preacher who wants the situation to handle itself from a blinding divine light but then finally moves to forceful conversion. This also cuts to a woman who was born here but has an Iranian background and is looked at as a terrorist nonetheless by being tied and interrogated by her ignorant neighbor while ignoring his own family and the greater picture while at it. Her traditional but tax paying, business owning father seeks her out despite turning her back on customs that seem foreign to her.

Soon it becomes more about humans vs humans than what's supposed to be the obvious zombies vs humans. Everyone has their own interpretation about every facet of life and at the core of the film is about tolerance and intolerance of others around us that we may agree or disagree with. This plays more on a fun element where violence and a survivalist mode is only tentatively questioned when the zombies attack, rather than the usual dramatic performances and spending awhile building up to that point. Friends and relatives are killed but people quickly move on by putting their emotions aside. This does a better job than "Homecoming" that also had a political message and zombies as the backdrop but seemed to step over the line of poetic license. "ZMD" doesn't take itself too seriously and can get a viewer a little more loosened up about the iffy subjects that can, if approached wrong, turn friends into enemies and possibly neighbors and co-workers into lepers.

There are some funny gags from time to time and other lines that are humorous for ringing true. Though the film is possibly too self-aware in areas to the point of forcing a reaction from the viewer. The gay couple works a little better since you can both laugh with them and at them without the message cutting too deep or just being included as a mere token element. It would be impossible to get every aspect of every mode they're tackling. They go for a balanced approach, though often times it covers familiar ground if you've gotten into deeper discussions or arguments on the subjects already. It doesn't always do more than a written account information wise, which leaves some of the more involving debates at the credits since you're not always given more; inspiration and amusement wise is another story to go out there and do something on your own accord. Though to give it the benefit of the doubt, its subjects are like listening to a broken record for a reason and they're using a different medium to get at a potential person to listen through harmless entertainment. This seems more aimed at a younger and more impressionable audience, not to mention since zombies are trendy as of the last bunch of years and would be something of grabbing interest than a dry book or local town meeting.


What works about this movie is there is a give and take of view points and opinions in the wrap up as well instead of going all out with an agenda without some breathing room. Some realizations and revelations come to characters for a reward for watching, while others remain in their stubborn ways, or never get a chance due to the zombies getting 'em or getting turned over to a one-track mind after being bitten. Since this is a satire, part of the resolutions are left up to the viewer to decide their placing, or to just scoff the whole ordeal off. The performances are memorable in that they make the characters come alive instead of coming across as something to just perpetuate the story into a certain direction. They mostly manage to stay in context to the satiric tone though with a few areas nearly crossing the line over to drama. There's definitely blood and gore and some various weapons of choice used to put a stop to the traditional movie zombies that are lethargic. Though very little of it feels shocking or scary as it's never made out to be completely realistic in the slightest. The level of danger, even on a minor level, feels far removed despite what's being shown. In a sense it's treated like it comes with the territory rather than trying to reinvent the wheel. They could have replaced zombies with another brainless monster and it would have been most likely the same experience, which kind of takes away from the legend aspect of zombies that the title grabs you at. They do give a few nods to films before it but I'll leave that up to you to spot.

Rating: 6.5/10

Director: Kevin Hamedani
Link: IMDB

The Final (2010)

A matter of perspective and consequences for actions

Five friends are going through a kind of Hell on Earth in high school where day to day they get bullied mentally and physically by the socially elite with no end or escape in sight. The bullies are the absolute caricatures of their type: the callous jocks and pretty things that have nothing better to do than to torment those that they feel are beneath them. The parents either don't understand or are impassive to what they're going through. They take matters into their own hands by planning and pumping themselves up for the courage to secure back their name and gain the upper hand. They all have their own little justifications for why they are going through with it but with the same end result in mind. The trap is a Saturday night invitation only costume party in an isolated area, with spiked punch inside and shackles so that their former bullies can be tortured one by one and have to endure volatile speeches about what grief they've caused. This isn't a culminating outburst that shows the years that follow like "Carrie," but a film that concentrates on returning the hurt and sending a much more blatant message.

This goes from giving a little sympathy for the originally bullied's impossible situation, then moves on over to absolute hate and revenge that doesn't just get even but goes over the mark, making the viewer question if they're any longer justified or if anyone here is actually good or bad, victim or villain on either side of the fence. This starts out with everyday high school life, moves on to a kind of exploitation where the captives get it in drawn out torture scenes, then runs on over to embrace social commentary on the subject by using an exceptional case with exaggeration to make a point about everything that comes before it as there isn't anything general or normal about the characters or their situation here. One interpretation of the events that sticks out like a sore thumb is: those who bully deserve not just an eye for an eye, but an eye for a finger...and a face...and a spine. Though since these guys, like Columbine, don't represent the normal teen all the way through I'd say the message is more: how we chose to treat others is at most times fairly simple in execution but what follows sometimes comes with irreversible consequences for our actions. That can be said about bullies in the halls of school, or returning the favor outside of school with worse tactics, until someone steps up to stop the downward spiral

The fear in this film is produced by how far it can be taken from someone who is so over the edge that they don't care about the consequences since they have nothing to lose during school and at home. There are some general relating points, though it's up to you if you should be rooting for the plan to succeed or hope they get away or maybe an option C. Then again this has two-wrongs-don't-make-a-right type of scenarios where the bad guys in the film are just badder than the last, making this carry a somewhat bleaker tone because this isn't entirely resolved in its running time but instead the major resolution is supposed to come with the audience watching.

The personalities of the captures seem to partly mirror Columbine in that the leader displays a form of psychosis or be it psychotic behavior and the others carry a form of extreme depression that would make them more susceptible to follow. It's also true that they bounced back and forth detached plans and ideas from a normal reality--Columbine with tapes made in their basement--off only each other without outside influences who might have interjected by saying what they're doing isn't right. It's obvious to an outsider looking in but not to someone neck deep in delusional thoughts. There are inconsistencies amongst their personalities, but it does show that they're being human and that they can't handle the situation that came about by a kind of luck of the draw.

The issue with "The Final" is the general tone of the picture is hard to grasp at points, as it often missteps on blending together entertainment and a message without its seams showing. It wants to be a horror movie but also a heavy satire. It indeed does both, but not equally well at the same time. In the story, the master plan doesn't go as smoothly when someone steps out of line, another lets it go to his head, as well as an outside character tries to intervene. Though there's often little real anticipation, tension or sense of the dramatic here, especially once the torture begins. Take the easy and well known example of Jason in "Friday the 13th" in that he chases pretty looking young people around a wooded area only to kill them in different and grisly ways. Yeah, it's going completely for titillation but the time in between adds to the impact when it happens. "The Final," on the other hand, feels gratuitous in that the sadism is level across the board with tied up captives who are easily taken on one by one with those with the upper hand not always giving more leeway to the game they're playing. If they were trying to desensitize for whatever reason, then they did a decent job of it. It makes the time in between feel overlong and like it could have been edited down somewhat. The picture doesn't seem to always steadily or progressively build and it starts to bog down from going anywhere substantial enough to reel in your wandering attention despite people being hurt.

The is a daring movie that doesn't just open up the obvious can of worms with bullying and school life, but also violence and pacification, the right to bear arms and easy accessibility to high powered fire arms, some religious justifications and a little politics on war with a veteran. If they threw in how much money everyone makes, this film would be up there with one of the worst conversation starters at your job. It's gotta be on HR blacklists everywhere. The movie isn't subtle about what it's trying to say by its close, to the point of feeling like the scriptwriter speaking directly through the characters with well-defined realizations that cross the line for the likelihood of actually being said by someone on the spot. It starts out by taking a somewhat reserved standing for the audience to decide where they are and then by its wrap-up it's delivering the messages home for the viewer who might not have had their thinking caps on. I'm guessing they wanted to make it known that they weren't just making "Hostel" and "Saw" part whatever, but only using the format for other means, which makes sense, but still leaves those sentiments dangling in your face.

Overall, what brings "The Final" down, despite its possible good intentions and ability to start debates and conversations from it, which can't always be said about some other films once the credits roll, is it still feels like more of a concept than a fully realized or fleshed out story. The actors are hit and miss with attempting to make this ambitious film come together, whether it's going from a black comedic tone--ala "Heathers"--to not believably performing dramatically compared to their regular selves or be it generating suspense and scares, and that can take one out of the experience that they are actually watching a film. It's something that reads much better on paper than how it pans out for a full length cinematic experience. I can't say I'd recommend this for the overall experience unless you're able to have an easier time compensating for its setbacks.

Rating: 4/10

From Black to Red recommends instead: "Battle Royale": this Japanese film has some social commentary about high school life, among other aspects such as downsizing of the population. It's capable of blending messages in its story while still maintaining a certain amount of entertainment for the duration.

Director: Joey Stewart
Link: IMDB