Sleight of Film

Today’s quick review: Spawn. Betrayed and murdered, black ops soldier Al Simmons (Michael Jai White) sells his soul for the chance at revenge. He returns to Earth as Spawn, a demonic entity with a wide array of powers, and begins hunting for Jason Wynn (Martin Sheen), the man who killed him. But at every step of the way, Al is tormented by Violator (John Leguizamo), a demonic clown trying to goad Al into becoming the doom of humanity.

Spawn is a superhero horror movie based on the character created by Todd McFarlane. The movie follows a soldier who has his life ripped away from him, only to become the puppet of demonic forces as he tries to get it back. Spawn has a particular vision and pursues it aggressively. Liberal use of CGI, stylized storytelling, grotesque imagery, and freewheeling use of superpowers make it a nightmarish flight of fancy.

Unfortunately, Spawn’s ambitions prove to be its weak point. The movie is so eager to dive into its grand conflict that it never properly explains the rules of Spawn’s resurrection. Al’s character development is similarly lackluster. The movie tries to play up the tragedy as Al, horribly disfigured, learns that his wife Wanda (Theresa Randle) has moved on. But the movie never makes the leap from raw pain to heroism.

Spawn also makes some controversial choices with its action and its presentation style. The movie takes advantage of all the CGI available to it, but the graphics do not hold up well. Seeing Spawn in action is somewhat impressive, but his tendency to come up with new powers on the fly is a little cheap. Finally, the crass, overtly repulsive taunting of Violator is a strong flavor that colors the entire movie.

The end result is something that will hold a glimmer of appeal for the right audience but which will put off most viewers. Shaky fundamentals and a risky style keep the movie from holding the same, safe appeal as of ther superhero movies, while flawed execution keeps it from capitalizing on its strengths. Fans of over-the-top action and demonic imagery may want to give it a shot. Otherwise most viewers will want to steer clear.

For another look at a demonic hero who uses his powers for good, try Hellboy or Ghost Rider. For a more sensible blend of demonic horror and the superhero genre, try Constantine. For a superhero horror movie that dips into similarly vile territory, try Constantine: City of Demons. For a less ambitious superhero movie about a man who comes back from the dead for revenge, try Bloodshot.

[5.2 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120177/). I give it a 5.5 for a distinctive but highly niche vision.

Today’s quick review: Warm Bodies. R (Nicholas Hoult), an unusually thoughtful zombie, shocks everyone when he protects Jules (Teresa Palmer), a human survivor, from being devoured. Taking her back to his airport home, R tries to get through to her using his limited zombie vocabulary. As the two of them bond over music and memories, R develops new feelings that begin to spread to his fellow zombies.

Warm Bodies is a zombie romantic comedy about a zombie boy who falls in love with a human girl. Warm Bodies puts a new spin on the zombie genre by positing that zombies are not truly dead, only cut off from humanity. As R gets to know Jules, he figures out hot to express his inner thoughts, making him a bridge between the two groups. Clever ideas and a sweet tone make Warm Bodies a charming and rewarding watch.

The highlight of Warm Bodies is the way it handles its zombies. R makes for a fun narrator, turning the life of a zombie into an endless cycle of repetitive actions and social faux pas. The script hits the nail on the head with its humor, tossing in just the right amount of modern culture without cheapening what it means to be a zombie. Nicholas Hoult and Teresa Palmer also have great chemistry, gluing the movie together.

Warm Bodies will not suit everyone. The tone is predictably saccharine, even if there is some combat along the way. The humor leans on the gentle side, and it is missing the casual cruelty seen in other zombie comedies. Finally the story does not hold too many surprises. But for the right viewer, these limitations will mean very little. Give Warm Bodies a shot when you are in the mood for something sweet and quirky.

For another unconventional romance with a wistful tone, try Upside Down or WALL-E. For a zombie comedy with a similar hypothesis but less romance, try Shaun of the Dead.

[6.8 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1588173/). I give it a 6.5 to 7.0 for an original premise and a predictable but heartwarming plot.

Today’s quick review: Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse. Ben (Tye Sheridan), Carter (Logan Miller), and Augie (Joey Morgan) come back from a camping trip to discover that their town has been overrun by zombies. Teaming up with Denise (Sarah Dumont), a savvy cocktail waitress, the boys set out to save the attendees of an underground party who are oblivious to the danger, including Carter’s sister Kendall (Halston Sage).

Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse is a zombie comedy about three high school students who become a town’s last hope during a zombie outbreak. The movie crosses a classic zombie outbreak with a coming-of-age story. Once mocked for being Scouts, Ben, Carter, and Augie get the chance to step up and save everyone. Affable characters, creative comedy, and a decent plot are enough to make the movie a fun time for the right viewer.

Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse succeeds on the backs of its characters. Ben, Carter, Augie, and Denise have an easy chemistry that makes them easy to root for in spite of their many flaws. There is just enough messing around to keep the tone light without utterly trivializing the conflict, and the movie has a solid progression as the boys gradually figure out how to put their Scouting skills to good use.

The one major catch is that Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse is a crass film. Ben, Carter, and Augie are all varying degrees of immature, and the movie takes advantage of the zombie outbreak to try some jokes that would be hard to do otherwise. Gory slapstick, zombie-tainted sexual content, and juvenile bickering in the face of death and violence all give the movie a distinct flavor that will not appeal to everyone.

For the right viewer, Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse is a nicely balanced story about friendship, growing up, and finding creative ways to deal with zombies. Anyone who enjoys crude, freewheeling humor and slightly childish characters will get something out of the movie. That said, anyone looking for a cleaner comedy or a zombie movie with a more tightly focused plot may want to give it a pass.

For a horror comedy with a similar blend of wholesome and gruesome, check out Tucker and Dale vs. Evil. For a zombie comedy that makes similar use of a mundane setting, try Shaun of the Dead. For a family-friendly adventure with some of the same spirit, try The Goonies. For a more serious movie about teenagers stepping up to deal with an extraordinary threat, try Attack the Block.

[6.3 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1727776/). I give it a 6.5 to 7.0 for entertaining but hit-or-miss comedy.

Today’s quick review: Dead Before Dawn. While taking care of his grandfather’s (Christopher Lloyd) occult shop, Casper Galloway (Devon Bostick) accidentally breaks an evil urn, cursing himself and his friends. Now anyone they make eye contact with will be driven to suicide and come back as a half-zombie, half-demon. As their town turns into a waking nightmare, Casper and his friends look for a way to reverse the curse before dawn.

Dead Before Dawn is a zombie comedy about a group of college students who unleash a ridiculous curse on their town. The movie offers an irreverent take on classic horror ideas, replacing the life-or-death struggle of a zombie outbreak with something petty and haphazard. Dead Before Dawn has a few good ideas that occasionally find their mark, but it lacks the foundation to make them work in a more systematic way.

Dead Before Dawn’s main failing is that it does not give its characters or its setting the chance to breathe. Instead of establishing a baseline for Casper and his town, the movie dives straight into comedy and throws its entire cast of characters at the audience as quickly as possible. Keeping up with the bombardment of jokes is a challenge, and the handful of successful ones are robbed of the build-up they need to truly be funny.

Dead Before Dawn also suffers from a heavily contrived plot. Governed by the rules jokingly invented by Casper’s friends when they broke the urn, the zombie demons are kiss-seeking monsters that behave differently from anything else seen in the zombie genre. But while the rules earn a few laughs around the edges, the arbitrary setup and comically inept characters make it hard to care about the story at all.

Dead Before Dawn is a horror comedy with a lot of energy but not a lot of focus. There is a fun parody buried somewhere in Dead Before Dawn, but the movie does a poor job of letting it shine. Those in the mood for something silly, irreverent, and utterly nonsensical may get something out of it, but anyone looking for a more carefully calibrated zombie comedy should look elsewhere.

For a similarly bizarre zombie comedy with a more abstract sense of humor, try The Dead Don’t Die. For a zombie comedy with a much better balance of character, action, and humor, try Zombieland or its sequel. For a more sinister, more insightful horror parody, try Cabin in the Woods. For a slasher comedy with a clearer vision, try Tucker and Dale vs. Evil.

[4.7 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1989485/). I give it a 5.0 for spirited comedy that lands wide of the mark.

Today’s quick review: Day of the Dead. As an unknown disease sweeps through a small Colorado town, Captain Rhodes (Ving Rhames) and Corporal Sarah Bowman (Mena Suvari) lead the effort to blockade the town. But when the infected begin turning into flesh-eating zombies, Sarah must find her younger brother Trevor (Michael Welch) and his girlfriend Nina (AnnaLynne McCord) and get them to safety.

Day of the Dead is a budget zombie action movie about a zombie outbreak in a small town. In spite of its name, Day of the Dead has nothing to do with the George A. Romero film. Instead it tells an original story where the zombie virus is airborne, the zombies act strangely, and a handful of survivors must find their way to safety. Weak storytelling and low-budget special effects make Day of the Dead a miss for most viewers.

Day of the Dead suffers from a poor sense of progression. The handful of minutes the movie spends on the unknown disease are not enough to capture the audience’s interest, and the transition to a full-blown zombie scenario is too abrupt to take seriously. Rather than build up its conflict deliberately, Day of the Dead infects a random assortment of characters and turns them loose on the survivors with no real plan in mind.

Even this blunt setup would be adequate with the right style of action, but here Day of the Dead is hampered by its budget. The action is choppy and poorly choreographed, and much of it relies on misplaced CGI. The zombies move quickly and could pose a dangerous threat if given the proper treatment, but the movie never figures out how to use them to full effect. Instead, it tosses them in haphazardly and hopes for the best.

In the end, Day of the Dead has little to recommend it. It is missing the campy charm of other budget horror movies, its character development is almost nonexistent, and the handful of new ideas it explores are lost in the clutter. Day of the Dead suffers from poor storytelling fundamentals, and its zombie action is not handled well enough to pick up the slack. Give it a shot only if you are a zombie fan with flexible standards.

For a monstrous outbreak in a small town, try Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem. For a better zombie movie starring Ving Rhames, try Dawn of the Dead. For a thriller about an outbreak of a new disease in a rural town, check out Outbreak.

[4.5 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0489018/). I give it a 4.0 for a loose plot and weak special effects.

Today’s quick review: Army of the Dead. Years after zombies overran Las Vegas, a rich benefactor (Hiroyuki Sanada) hires Scott Ward (Dave Bautista), a survivor of the incident, to recover $200 million left in the vault of one of the casinos. Ward assembles a team of specialists and sneaks into the city. But the mission hits a snag when his daughter Kate (Ella Purnell) tags along to find a friend who went missing.

Army of the Dead is a zombie action movie directed by Zack Snyder. The movie follows a team of criminals on a dangerous casino heist in the heart of a zombie-infested city. Army of the Dead shows off Snyder’s directorial flair, blending gory action with stylized camerawork and a carefully chosen soundtrack. Although the movie more than delivers on action and plot, the way its story unfolds may not be satisfying to everybody.

Army of the Dead has a large cast that it uses well. The members of Ward’s crew come from all walks of life, and each one has a small but important role to play in the trajectory of the heist. Many of the characters bring their own subplots with them. Between these and the unlucky breaks the thieves catch along the way, the movie is never short on things to do.

The drawback of this approach is that the movie is somewhat bloated. The lengthy setup and stylized action pad the run time considerably, and trying to track so many characters at once makes the story feel unfocused. The novel aspects of the setting are also a mixed bag. Zeus (Richard Cetrone), the intelligent leader of the zombies, makes for an interesting villain in theory, but in practice he is not different enough from other zombies.

Army of the Dead will appeal strongly to some viewers and leave others cold. The stylization, the quirky cast, the intense action, and the elaborate heist all give the movie plenty of substance, at least as far as the genre goes. However, the drawn-out pace of the story and the lack of a clear crescendo keep the movie from fully achieving its goals. Zombie action fans will want to check it out. Anyone else should approach with caution.

For a more focused zombie action movie from the same director, try the remake of Dawn of the Dead. For another zombie action movie set in Las Vegas, try Resident Evil: Extinction. For a zombie comedy with even more stylistic flourishes, try Zombieland.

[5.8 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0993840/). I give it a 6.5 to 7.0 for an interesting plot, lots of action, and some structural issues.

Today’s quick review: Dawn of the Dead. During the early stages of a zombie outbreak, a group of survivors converges on a shopping mall, where they hole up to wait for rescue. As the days go on with no sign of help, Kenneth (Ving Rhames), a no-nonsense cop, Ana (Sarah Polley), a widowed nurse, and Michael (Jake Weber), a TV salesman, step forward to lead the group and use their stockpile of resources to escape.

Dawn of the Dead is a zombie action movie from director Zack Snyder. Although it is a remake of the classic George A. Romero movie, Dawn of the Dead plays by different rules. The zombies are faster and more aggressive, the infection is only transferred via bite, and the tone is generally more serious, although there are moments of levity. The end result is a violent action movie with a solid setup and a balanced cast of survivors.

Dawn of the Dead’s appeal comes from its action. The zombie outbreak kicks off with a bang and doesn’t let up until Ana and the others get settled at the mall. Unlike older zombie movies, even individual zombies pose a threat, and the movie has a knack for orchestrating chaotic situations that give the characters only a thin chance of survival. Improvised weaponry and snippets of stylization round out the action.

The movie does nearly as well with its story. Although Dawn of the Dead does not break new ground with its characters, its themes, or its conflicts, it handles them with skill. The survivors have varied personalities and different roles to play, but none of them come across as caricatures. The threats to their safety are plausible in the context of the story, and they do not rely on the survivors to make unforced mistakes.

Dawn of the Dead is a solid pick for any fans of the gory, action-focused side of the zombie genre. The movie shares a lot of elements with other entries into the genre, and viewers who dislike what the genre has to offer will find nothing to change their minds. But Dawn of the Dead uses its elements with unusual skill, making it well worth a watch for anyone interested.

For a calmer and more focused zombie movie based on a similar premise, try the original Dawn of the Dead. For an action-oriented zombie movie with an even tighter plot, try Train to Busan. For a zombie comedy that goes for even more humor and stylization, try Zombieland. For a zombie action movie with similarly aggressive zombies and a farther-reaching plot, try World War Z.

[7.3 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0363547/). I give it a 7.0 to 7.5 for skilled story work and gory action.

Today’s quick review: Survival of the Dead. Weeks after the dead began to rise, Sergeant Crockett (Alan van Sprang), formerly of the National Guard, leads his men to Plum, an island off the coast of Delaware where Patrick O’Flynn (Kenneth Welsh) promises they can live in peace. But when they get there, they find the island ruled by Seamus Muldoon (Richard Fitzpatrick), a man with delusions of protectign the zombies from the living.

Survival of the Dead is the sixth and final zombie movie from director George A. Romero. A loose sequel to Diary of the Dead, Survival of the Dead follows a unit of AWOL soldiers who land in the middle of a conflict between two feuding Irish families. Unlike Romero’s earlier zombie movies, his last one does not have a clear vision in mind. Flat characters, an aimless story, and weak zombie work will make it a miss for most viewers.

Survival of the Dead has a hard time mustering any energy. Crockett and his men are opportunists with no long-term plans, and they have nothing to contribute to the blood feud between O’Flynn and Muldoon. For their part, O’Flynn and Muldoon are a disappointment. Neither man comes across as sympathetic enough to root for, and the question that divides them—whether zombies can be rehabilitated—is not compelling enough to drive the film.

Survival of the Dead also struggles with its zombies. The zombies receive a fair amount of screen time, but they rarely do anything. They exist only to be killed in casual, almost cartoonish ways and to cull the occasional character who lets his guard down. Making matters worse, the human characters tend to underreact to both the zombies themselves and the deaths they cause, robbing their presence of any real impact.

Even fans of the zombie genre will find Survival of the Dead to be a questionable pick. There is no overarching vision, little action to speak of, and no scares worth noting. The movie does manage to tell a dark story with a couple of twists and turns, but the audience is given little reason to care. As such, most viewers would do better with one of Romero’s other zombie films or something else altogether.

For a tense, gruesome zombie film that examines whether the question of whether zombies can be changed, try Day of the Dead. For a post-apocalyptic survival movie with a better grasp of human dynamics, try The Book of Eli or The Road. For a zombie comedy that leans into the slapstick side of the genre, try Zombieland or Shaun of the Dead.

[4.9 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1134854/). I give it a 5.0 for tepid thrills and an aimless plot.

Today’s quick review: Diary of the Dead. As the dead rise to attack the living, Jason Creed (Joshua Close), a film student at the University of Pittsburgh, hits the road with his camera, his girlfriend Debra (Michelle Morgan), and a few of their classmates. As the students road trip across Pennsylvania in an RV, they capture footage of the zombie outbreak as it is unfolding and upload it to the internet to get the truth out there.

Diary of the Dead is a zombie survival movie, the fifth from director George A. Romero. Diary of the Dead breaks with the progression of Romero’s previous work. Instead of venturing further into a zombie apocalypse underway, it chronicles a new outbreak through the lens of modern technology. This gives the movie an angle that other zombie flicks do not have, but it comes at the cost of weaker characters and story.

Diary of the Dead has interesting things to say about modern technology, the media, and the dissociative nature of film. The movie is framed as a documentary assembled from footage recorded by Jason and his friends. Their motives are high-minded: setting the record straight in the face of relentless media spin. But being behind the camera insulates them from the reality of the situation and makes their reactions less human.

The Achilles’ heel of Diary of the Dead is its characters. Jason and his classmates are too generic to get attached to, and the movie never invests the time to develop them further. Jason’s obsession with recording everything, the tension this causes with Deb, and a couple of other personal dynamics have potential. But otherwise there is not much to latch onto, and the inevitable casualties pass more or less without incident.

The sense of gory spectacle also pales in comparison with other zombie movies. Taking the outbreak back to the beginning means that the movie has to spend its time re-establishing the rules of zombies and overcoming the characters’ incredulity at what they are seeing. There are no major scares, set pieces, or shootouts. There is a touch of creative gore, but for the most part, the action is small-scale and personal.

How much you get out of Diary of the Dead will depend on what you are looking for. As a case study in film and media during a crisis, it has a lot to offer. Just seeing the practical side of what it would take to document a disaster of that magnitude is rewarding. But as a zombie movie, it is missing a lot of the usual reasons for the audience to care. Approach with caution.

For a simpler but more powerful take on the early stages of a zombie outbreak from the same director, check out Night of the Living Dead. For a dark, found footage science fiction movie with more impact, try Chronicle or Cloverfield.

[5.6 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0848557/). I give it a 6.0 to 6.5 for fascinating themes embedded in a mediocre story.

Today’s quick review: Land of the Dead. Years after a zombie outbreak caused the collapse of civilization, Pittsburgh has become one of the last bastions of humanity. Mr. Kaufman (Dennis Hopper) and his fellow elites live in luxury and security, while the poor eke out a living on the streets. But when Cholo (John Leguizamo), Kaufman’s top enforcer, goes rogue, Kaufman sends Riley (Simon Baker), a seasoned scavenger, to track him down.

Land of the Dead is a zombie action movie, the fourth from director George A. Romero. Land of the Dead depicts a world even more radically changed by the undead than its predecessors. Society has morphed to cope with the existence of zombies, and an uneasy truce exists between the wealthy and the poor. Imaginative world-building gives the movie a unique angle, but it is hampered by an awkward plot that never gets off the ground.

Land of the Dead goes the extra mile with its setting. Unlike Romero’s previous zombie flicks, the world is not just a crippled version of the modern one but something new. The daily facts of life in Pittsburgh, the details of the city’s security, and the power games Kaufman uses to stay on top are all promising ideas. The movie also explores zombie intelligence, with a smart zombie named Big Daddy (Eugene Clark) leading an attack on the city.

But these novel ideas are undermined by poor fundamentals. The characters do a good job of showing off the setting but do not give the story much to work with. Instead, the movie has to engineer conflict by pitting Cholo against Kaufman and then sending Riley, who only wants to away from the city, to clean up the mess. The action is serviceable, but the overuse of gore dulls some of its impact.

Land of the Dead is a movie that takes bigger risks than other zombie flicks, attempting to construct a world of its own to play in. Unfortunately, its gamble does not entirely pay off, and the crisp vision and compelling storytelling of Romero’s previous work is nowhere to be seen. Still, the combination of elaborate gore, a jumbled but still-entertaining plot, and some novel ideas make it a decent pick for the right fan.

For another brush with intelligent zombies, check out Army of the Dead. For another sci-fi movie set in a stratified society, try Snowpiercer, Daybreakers, Equilibrium, or Aeon Flux. For a violent, dystopian future with a similar attitude, try Escape from L.A..

[6.2 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0418819/). I give it a 6.5 for a promising world and a weak story.