I am a fan of films like Hot Fuzz and Tucker and Dale vs. Evil. This places the Warm Bodies genre right in my wheelhouse. I enjoy dry humor when it is done properly. I also like a good twist. Let’s face it, zombies have been done just about every way they can possibly be done. With television series like The Walking Dead dominating the airwaves, we have seen the zombie concept taken to new levels. Zombies are in video games, movies, television…and yes, they even sell Zombie Killer bullets. Really. With Warm Bodies, we finally find out that zombies are really just misunderstood.
“R” (Nicholas Hoult) is not your typical zombie. The most he can remember of his name is the first letter. Yet, he is eerily introspective. His internal dialogue sheds light into an otherwise bleak existence of feeding on brains (which we learn are the “best part”). R drones around an airport with a host of zombies that now call the airport home. R has a secluded spot on one of the abandoned aircraft where he enjoys old records and storing his collectibles. When he is hungry, he ventures out with the pack toward the nearby city. He even has a friend, of sorts, “M” (Rob Corddry).
During one such outing, the horde encounters a group of humans scavenging from a pharmacy outside their protected zone. While feasting on the brain of the group’s leader, Perry (Dave Franco), R falls in love with one of the humans. It is not clear whether R falls in love at first sight, or whether he adopts those feelings after eating Perry’s brain. After all, Perry was Julie’s (Teresa Palmer) boyfriend. Regardless of what causes this strange attraction, Julie becomes R’s latest collectible. He saves her by masking her scent, before dragging her back to his airplane hideout. The pair slowly develops an odd bond that begins a change in R. This small change spreads through the zombie populations setting up a confrontation between humans, zombies and a spooky breed of zombie known as bonies.
Director Jonathan Levine adapted this screenplay from a novel by Isaac Marion. The story uses wry humor to balance an intriguing love story with some decent action sequences and typical CGI effects. There were some excellent lines in this film, but not as much substance as I had hoped for. The plot takes a while to develop, providing a fairly linear story that is different but predictable. I enjoyed the way the characters were drawn and found the plot attempted to be credible for such an obviously unbelievable type of tale. I think that this film could have been better. I hold this type of film to a higher standard, because many films in this genre are incredibly intelligent. This one was merely average. That is primarily due to a story that lacked depth. Dry humor is not enough to carry a film.
The performances were solid. I am not sure how you depict a zombie that slowly warms toward humanity, but I found the development inconsistent at times. What surprised me was the “American accents” that Australians Hoult and Palmer put on. If I had not seen them interviewed, I would never have guessed they are not Americans. The pair had good chemistry, which made the love story portion of the film credible. Performances by John Malkovich as Julie’s militant father and Corddry added a bit of humor and depth, although not as much as I would have liked. Overall, the acting did not take anything away from the film, although no one in particular stood out. <
Warm Bodies received a PG-13 Rating by the MPAA. While there is a bit of language, such as the well-timed use of the term “bitches,” the rating seems primarily geared to the violence. The film includes shootings, zombies feeding on humans and spooky bonies created with decent CGI. The violence is gory at times, but not on par with The Walking Dead, which is on regular television. If you have children prone to nightmares, this film is not for them. Otherwise, there was not much objectionable about the movie.
While I enjoyed Warm Bodies, it fell short of my expectations. I like this genre, so it is disappointing to see a film like this miss its potential. If you like dry humor, you will probably still find plenty to enjoy in this film. However, the plot was fairly flat and linear as well as predictable. The characters were interesting, but not fully developed, either. The zombie character added new dimension to an overplayed concept, but just wasn’t enough to put this film over the top. In the end, it is just a decent comedy. Nothing special, but worth watching for free on your streaming service.