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We Are Zombies attempts to freshen up the undead (spoiler-free review)

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We Are Zombies attempts to freshen up the undead (spoiler-free review)

As a die-hard fan of all things horror and comedy, I must say that my heart skipped a beat when I stumbled upon “We Are Zombies“. After years of being zombified by the endless stream of undead narratives, this film felt like a breath of fresh air – or should I say, a whiff of decomposing flesh?

Even when it seems like there’s hardly any originality left in the zombie genre movies, a film such as “We Are Zombies” emerges. This movie attempts to breathe fresh air into the worn-out subgenre and, for the most part, achieves its goal. With humor, emotion, and a good deal of intensity, this production stands out.

Under the guidance of filmmakers RKSS (responsible for ‘Turbo Kid’ and ‘Summer of ’84’), ‘We Are Zombies’ is a future-set tale where zombies are less of an apocalyptic threat and more of a nuisance. Some of these undead individuals even hold down low-paying jobs, and a few possess enough cognitive ability to carry on conversations.

1. In this unique film, the characters are often called “the disabled living.” This distinguishes it from countless other zombie stories, as the undead in this tale do not consume human flesh and instead roam the city or take on jobs like working at a local supermarket.

In this movie, we have a three-member star cast: Derek Johns portrays Freddy, the character obsessed with wrestling; Alexandre Nachi takes on Karl, a zombie porn enthusiast; and Megan Peta Hill plays Karl’s sister, Maggie. The plot revolves around Maggie’s thirst for vengeance against a wicked corporation that conducts sinister experiments on the undead, transforming them into ravenous monsters through the use of a chemical gas, as suggested by one of their associates, Hannity (Benz Antoine).

Maggie manages to persuade Freddy and Karl to join her scheme, disguise themselves as laborers, and trap zombies with the intention of selling them to the eccentric artist Otto (Stéphane Demmers). Unfortunately, their plan unravels when the corporation recognizes they’re not genuine workers. In retaliation, they kidnap Karl’s grandmother, using her as a hostage to demand ransom for the wages they allegedly lost. Remarkably, for a compact film less than 90 minutes long, all the side-stories seamlessly come together.

We Are Zombies attempts to freshen up the undead (spoiler-free review)

The movie titled “We Are Zombies” is a blend of horror and comedy, with a significant emphasis on humor over gruesome scenes. Despite the horror aspect eventually making an appearance, it shares a lighter, more humorous tone and similarities in style with films like Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland, rather than the darker, grittier atmosphere of The Walking Dead.

In this storyline, it’s classic George A. Romero style to portray mega-corporations as villainous and some humans as even more monstrous than the zombies. And that fits perfectly here because, once again, it seems like humans are the real culprits. Antoine’s Hannity character, in particular, is exceptionally wicked in his schemes to transform the undead into ravenous corpses, relentlessly hungry for the living.

In unison, Johns, Hill, and Nachi form a fantastic team, bringing plenty of humor and excellent camaraderie to the screen. They are undeniably the soul of this movie, skillfully portraying their characters as endearing underdogs with unique personalities. I can’t wait for another opportunity to see them collaborate in a future film!

Despite being zombied-out, don’t hesitate to check out “We Are Zombies“. This movie is a hilarious blast of blood with sincere acting and an indie vibe. RKSS successfully breathes new life into a flagging subgenre, infusing it with energy and humor that it was sorely lacking.

We Are Zombies will stream exclusively on Screambox on August 13.

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2024-08-08 19:25

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