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Have you ever heard of the
phrase, “There’s life after death.”? Apparently it’s true or that’s how the
film Warm Bodies put it. Everyone’s past the vampire-human-werewolf love affair
because that’s so mainstream. As we’re nearing the apocalyptic era, the
spotlight’s on zombies now. Thus, it’s the perfect time for a new take on the
whole zombie thing.
Others would still say that the zombie theme has been
used and every possible twists has been done over and over and over again. But
fear not for the death of the zombie genre because Jonathan Levine (The
Wackness, 50/50) prepared a romance-comedy film based on the debut novel of
Isaac Marion.
Some say it’s another Twilight film. Some say it’s
Twilight done better. Although they have a different set of characters they
basically have the same star-crossed lovers, Rome and Juliet feel. As to the
film being better than Twilight I would say it is. But setting the comparisons
aside here’s what I have to say about the film.
Well-plotted is the very term I would use to describe the
film. I like how it did not focus much on how R, the main character, became a
zombie and how the world reached its destruction. It rather focused on the
development of the love story between the zombie and human and tried its best
to make it believable. It’s a bit cheesy as well since a zombie who was looking
for brains found the heart of a girl and made his dead heart beat once more.
Unlike other zombie films, Warm Bodies present zombies still having a part of
their humanity inside them and that it only waits to be triggered. That is the
essence of the film- the dead can be brought to life through affection and yes,
love. It may sound cliché but the story makes you want to sit in front of the
big screen and see how the story would end. Another big factor that made the film
stick to one’s brain is its sense of humor. All the punch lines are executed
perfectly and even the simple acts of the characters (like the groaning/murmuring
of conversing zombies) will crack you up. Plus the narration of R, in his
perspective, is definitely humorous as well.
The film, although comprising of only a few characters,
was made big by the actors. Nicholas Hoult (X Men: First Class) is laudable for
his portrayal of the zombie R. The funny thing is that he only has few lines
(because he doesn’t talk that much) but I found his acting superb. It’s as if
he really is a zombie who’s got more brains than the usual zombie. He may still
be that hunchbacked scuffling groaning zombie but he’s the zombie who, at back
of his head, knows that there’s something more beyond their abode in the
airport. Teresa Palmer as Julie, on the other hand, somehow balances the
affair. She may seem to be the typical damsel in distress but the she proves to
be more than that. She played her role well but cannot be equated to Hoult’s.
The subcharacters include Rob Corddry who plays another zombie character named
M who had most of the comic lines in the film. Analeigh Tipton as Nora, the
best friend of Julie, also stars in the film. And of course John Malkovich as
the overbearing father of Julie and the leader of the survivors who would put a
bullet straight to the head of any zombie that would come his way. The Bonies
also appear in the picture. These are the zombies in the final stage of
“zombification” who would haunt both living and the dead.
Adding to the beauty of the film is its cinematography.
The transition of the scenes is reflected in the film through its color palette
that gives emphasis to the dull and dead scenes while the sceneries vibrantly
contrast them. As the movie develops and R begins to be “undead”, the
atmosphere of the film also brightens. The songs used are also well-chosen. R
has this amazing collection of hit soundtracks ranging from Guns N’ Roses to
Feist to The National which are fitting for every scene. The graphics used for
the Bonies remind me of I Am Legend but less terrifying and startling with wee bit of gore.
In totality, I’d say that the film is a simple one but it
pulled off what it wanted to present. They did not go overboard with the plot
and the effects, just enough to make one believe of the possibility that the
dead can be brought to life with the power of love and a little bit of funny.
Now say hi to R... Just R... :)
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