Every zombie movie released since Night of the Living Dead is knowingly indebted (at least to some degree) to the George Romero classic. Everything from the desolate small town settings and besieged everymen to the established temperament of the flesh-eaters themselves has been imitated, emulated, duplicated…perhaps to the point of no return. However, completists will always honour the originator’s conception and in this case, no one does it like the native Pittsburghian.
Of course, it goes without saying that a good percentage of this respect comes from the social relevance embedded within Romero’s work and the way in which the zombie metaphor is used to highlight greater concerns occurring within the then-current global zeitgeist. Interestingly, the walking dead films of late have practically abandoned this rationale in favor of a more streamlined action-orientated approach; a valid formula to be sure, albeit perhaps not as enduring. Clearly not wanting to follow the crowd, first-time director Kevin Hamedani decided to resurrect the subversive spirit of the original living dead films and transpose it to war-torn 21st Century America…with a healthy dose of black comedy thrown in for good measure.
Taking place some short time after the 9-11 attacks on New York City, a small seaside town is inundated with a living dead plague, dropping residents like flies and sending chaos amongst the entire community. Amid the confusion and bloodshed a young Iranian woman named Frida (Janette Armand) who everyone thinks is an Iraqi, is forced to deal with the fact that the majority of the town is lead to believe (thanks to a very Fox News-esque broadcast) that the Middle East is responsible for zombie outbreak. Hilarity ensues.
Whether by intent or otherwise, the most obvious comparison one will likely draw with Zombies of Mass Destruction is its comedic relationship with fan favorite Shaun of the Dead and the similar dramatic approach both films share with regard to the absurdity of their scenarios. Like Shaun, the humor is handled both aptly and with great comedic timing and never at any point does it feel out of place or misdirected for cheap laughs. Moments like a dinner table scene between a zombified mother and her closeted homosexual son who, after attempting to come out for the first time, instead ends up driving a metal pole through her torso are but one great example of the sheer surreal lunacy that envelopes the film from beginning to end.
However, the major difference between the two films is undoubtedly the political irreverence and unmistakable satire of Hamedani and Ramon Isao’s screenplay that, while serving as the main driving force behind ‘the point’, also doesn’t completely dictate the disposition of its characters and their overall likability in the face of such hellish circumstances. The movie both slyly and stridently lampoons the hypocrisy of the former Bush administration, purposefully depicting a town in possession of a right-wing fanaticism so extreme and illogical it practically trumps the horror of the undead cannibals roaming just outside on the front lawn. For this reason alone, the employed social and historical context of ZMD provides the film with an interesting durability of sorts, helping make it one of the more curious recent entries in the subgenre.
And for those of you die-hard fans wondering if the movie is simply all cheeky left-wing protesting, be rest assured there’s plenty of grisly ghoul action and copious splatter amid the film’s brisk 89 minute running time, including an awesome face-ripping that had this reviewer cheering like a drunken sports fan on Super Bowl Sunday. Recommended.
Dir: Kevin Hamedani
Writers: Kevin Hamedani & Ramon Isao
Cast: Janette Armand, Doug Fahl, Cooper Hopkins, Russell Hodgkinson
Country: USA
Run time: 89mins
Rating: R18+
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