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Warm Bodies, 2013
R (Nicholas Hoult) is a zombie living out his days at an abandoned airport, with occasional trips into the city to hunt for brains. On one such foray, he and his fellow undead come across a band of humans scavenging medicine. R kills and eats Perry (Dave Franco), but finds himself struck by a young woman named Julie (Teresa Palmer). Not entirely understanding why, he not only saves Julie from being eaten, he smuggles her back to the airport. Once there, Julie is shocked to learn that the undead still retain some of their humanity. And the more time they spend together, the more R emerges from his zombie state. But Julie's father (John Malkovich) is about to launch a military offensive to wipe out the zombies once and for all.
I was watching Dawn of the Dead (remake, not original) and it was bumming me out. So I took a lateral step from zombies-depressing to zombies-adorable. I think that this was my third viewing of this film, and it never fails to make me smile.
While the movie is not without its flaws, something that I love about it is the way that it maintains a lighthearted tone while introducing just enough emotional heft that it gives stakes to the story.
Hoult is very enjoyable as R, a character who starts as a slouching pile of grunts and single word exclamations, but slowly regains his human physicality and speech as the film goes on. Palmer is also good as Julie, even if her character is given some really dumb choices. Hoult and Palmer have a nice, easy chemistry to them, and it gives the movie a sweet heart of romance.
The supporting characters are also good. Lio Tipton plays Julie's best friend, Nora, and she has fun comic timing. Rob Corddry has some good moments as M, R's best friend at the airport. M's rehumanizing is a little more choppy than R's, but the character is funny.
Something that I always appreciate in movies that have romances is when they don't feel the need to vilify the characters' former relationships. It's really easy to saddle a woman with an abusive boyfriend, or to pair a man with a girlfriend who is shallow or berating. It makes it super easy to root for the main couple to get together. We largely get to know Perry through flashbacks, and I really like how humanized he is. In many ways, I think that his character is the most tragic of all the film. He endures a lot of loss, including watching his own father die. He is in love with Julie, but that is something that clearly covers up a lot of sadness and dissatisfaction. It is through Perry's memories that R first comes to love Julie, and I really like this element of the film.
For better or worse (for me it's mostly better), this is a very silly movie. Characters make choices that don't make a ton of sense. People randomly change their minds about things. The "rules" of the zombies are played with kind of fast and loose. But in the end: who cares? Certainly not me.
I could see this being a piece of forgettable fluff for many viewers. I find it really sweet and funny, and it's a great movie to be able to return to.
Warm Bodies, 2013
R (Nicholas Hoult) is a zombie living out his days at an abandoned airport, with occasional trips into the city to hunt for brains. On one such foray, he and his fellow undead come across a band of humans scavenging medicine. R kills and eats Perry (Dave Franco), but finds himself struck by a young woman named Julie (Teresa Palmer). Not entirely understanding why, he not only saves Julie from being eaten, he smuggles her back to the airport. Once there, Julie is shocked to learn that the undead still retain some of their humanity. And the more time they spend together, the more R emerges from his zombie state. But Julie's father (John Malkovich) is about to launch a military offensive to wipe out the zombies once and for all.
I was watching Dawn of the Dead (remake, not original) and it was bumming me out. So I took a lateral step from zombies-depressing to zombies-adorable. I think that this was my third viewing of this film, and it never fails to make me smile.
While the movie is not without its flaws, something that I love about it is the way that it maintains a lighthearted tone while introducing just enough emotional heft that it gives stakes to the story.
Hoult is very enjoyable as R, a character who starts as a slouching pile of grunts and single word exclamations, but slowly regains his human physicality and speech as the film goes on. Palmer is also good as Julie, even if her character is given some really dumb choices. Hoult and Palmer have a nice, easy chemistry to them, and it gives the movie a sweet heart of romance.
The supporting characters are also good. Lio Tipton plays Julie's best friend, Nora, and she has fun comic timing. Rob Corddry has some good moments as M, R's best friend at the airport. M's rehumanizing is a little more choppy than R's, but the character is funny.
Something that I always appreciate in movies that have romances is when they don't feel the need to vilify the characters' former relationships. It's really easy to saddle a woman with an abusive boyfriend, or to pair a man with a girlfriend who is shallow or berating. It makes it super easy to root for the main couple to get together. We largely get to know Perry through flashbacks, and I really like how humanized he is. In many ways, I think that his character is the most tragic of all the film. He endures a lot of loss, including watching his own father die. He is in love with Julie, but that is something that clearly covers up a lot of sadness and dissatisfaction. It is through Perry's memories that R first comes to love Julie, and I really like this element of the film.
For better or worse (for me it's mostly better), this is a very silly movie. Characters make choices that don't make a ton of sense. People randomly change their minds about things. The "rules" of the zombies are played with kind of fast and loose. But in the end: who cares? Certainly not me.
I could see this being a piece of forgettable fluff for many viewers. I find it really sweet and funny, and it's a great movie to be able to return to.