Zombies Down Under
Ahhh, nice to indulge in, even if just a little bit and especially since my last movie was like two weeks ago(!), my interest in Australian films. I don't know what it is... different can be a nice change from something so very American which is what like 99% of everything I see is.
Undead
2003
From a couple of guys called The Spierig Brothers -- who wrote, directed, edited, and produced -- comes this wacky zombie alien comedy flick.
Just as Rene (played by Felicity Mason) is leaving her small, rural Australian town of Berkeley, the world around her is coming to an end. Everywhere there are zombies. And one man is out to beat them all as best as he can. Marion (Mungo McKay) is the "town looney" Outback, spurs-wearing hick but he knows weapons and he's prepared. Rene happens upon and seeks shelter at his place along with some others who are on the run to save their lives. They band together to blow away as many zombies as they can.
The first forty minutes or so of this movie really cruised along well enough to keep me thoroughly interested. In between all of the silly B-movie kind of action there were plenty of seriously funny moments such as stopping the van to use the windscreen wipers to clear away all the blood and punching the zombie fish... I'm laughin' now just thinkin' about that! And when it wasn't funny, zombie blood was quite plentiful, enough to please any horror movie fan. But this wasn't a true horror movie. While entertaining, it certainly was not scary, not one bit.
Then, in an attempt to introduce the viewer to a deeper storyline, aliens show up. We're supposed to be convinced that these fighting humans are the last stand against them. Much of that just doesn't work and really lessens the greatness of the movie. That aside, almost everything here is fun and much of it inventive with lovable heroes and identifiable homage after homage to great zombie and sci-fi movies from the past. Overall, it's not a bad little zombie movie and for sure it's definitely a really good first feature film from these filmmaking brothers from Down Under. I look forward to future releases from The Spierig Brothers and I look forward to watching Undead again someday.
Undead
2003
From a couple of guys called The Spierig Brothers -- who wrote, directed, edited, and produced -- comes this wacky zombie alien comedy flick.
Just as Rene (played by Felicity Mason) is leaving her small, rural Australian town of Berkeley, the world around her is coming to an end. Everywhere there are zombies. And one man is out to beat them all as best as he can. Marion (Mungo McKay) is the "town looney" Outback, spurs-wearing hick but he knows weapons and he's prepared. Rene happens upon and seeks shelter at his place along with some others who are on the run to save their lives. They band together to blow away as many zombies as they can.
The first forty minutes or so of this movie really cruised along well enough to keep me thoroughly interested. In between all of the silly B-movie kind of action there were plenty of seriously funny moments such as stopping the van to use the windscreen wipers to clear away all the blood and punching the zombie fish... I'm laughin' now just thinkin' about that! And when it wasn't funny, zombie blood was quite plentiful, enough to please any horror movie fan. But this wasn't a true horror movie. While entertaining, it certainly was not scary, not one bit.
Then, in an attempt to introduce the viewer to a deeper storyline, aliens show up. We're supposed to be convinced that these fighting humans are the last stand against them. Much of that just doesn't work and really lessens the greatness of the movie. That aside, almost everything here is fun and much of it inventive with lovable heroes and identifiable homage after homage to great zombie and sci-fi movies from the past. Overall, it's not a bad little zombie movie and for sure it's definitely a really good first feature film from these filmmaking brothers from Down Under. I look forward to future releases from The Spierig Brothers and I look forward to watching Undead again someday.
(not sure why she's wearing a gas mask in this poster...
she never was in the film.)
she never was in the film.)
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~ Movies
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