Warm Bodies

Zombies! Zombies! We've all seen films about these ghoulish creatures way too many times, but back in 2004, a parody about them was introduced in the form of "Shaun of the Dead". A very funny film that was extremely tongue and cheek, was then followed by yet another satire in 2009 entitled "Zombieland", an uproariously hysterically comedy in a 'how to' rid of zombies flick. Now we have another to add to that list in the form of "Warm Bodies".

A funny new twist on a classic love story, "Warm Bodies" is a poignant tale about the power of human connection. After a bio-chemical catastrophe happens, a zombie fallout occurred. Out of this epidemic, R (Nicholas Hoult), a highly unusual zombie, encounters Julie (Teresa Palmer), a human survivor and rescues her from a zombie attack. Julie slowly sees that R is different from the other zombies, and the two form a special relationship in their struggle for survival. R becomes increasingly more human--setting off an exciting, romantic, and often comical chain of events that begins to transform the other zombies and maybe even the whole lifeless world.

Others to round out the cast are Analeigh Tipton as Nora, friend and colleague of Julia's, Rob Corddry as M, a zombie friend of R's, Dave Franco as Julia's boyfriend, John Malkovich as Grigio, Julia's Father, and Cory Hardrict as Kevin.

This was amazingly well written and directed by Jonathan Levine ("All the Boys Love Mandy Lane" '06, "The Wackness" '08, "50/50" '11). Even though this is a comedy, it really transcends above it being just a comedy. The idea of using human connection as a strong 'healing' measure was captivating, especially since we live in a society where people have an incredible difficulty with connection. Even though this is pure fantasy, it basically shows that if a zombie can connect with a human, all the more possible that we, as a society can connect if we want it badly enough. The insightfulness of Levine is amazing, and surely will get continued work for his efforts here.

This is truly a feel good movie that takes you on an emotional roller coaster ride, with two unlikely people meeting, sharing, and connecting in ways that will have you rooting for them from beginning to end.

Out of 4 Stars: 4                               Rated: PG-13                              98mins.