Warm Bodies (2013)

Taglines: 

"Cold body. Warm heart."
"Dead sexy."

Directed and Written by:  Jonathan Levine

Starring: Nicholas Hoult (R), Teresa Palmer (Julie), Rob Corddry (M), Dave Franco (Perry), Analeigh Tipton (Nora), John Malkovich (Grigio)

Plot Synopsis:

After R (a highly unusual zombie) saves Julie from an attack, the two form a relationship that sets in motion a sequence of events that might transform the entire lifeless world. - IMDb

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Warm Bodies is a nice twist on a typical zombie flick. Seeing SUMMIT ENTERTAINMENT stamped on this movie made me half-expect (and dread) a cheesy supernatural love story, then the camera zooms in on R's face and unnatural pale make up and I was like "Uh-oh, Edward Cullen flashback". 

Then I see the leading lady and omg, the similarity to a blonde Kristen Stewart is unnerving. 

in Warm Bodies, we see a Kristen Stewart look-alike, but Teresa Palmer's character is so much better. Livelier, healthier-looking, more personable heroine.

But I'm glad that the Twilight comparison stops there. This is a totally different movie. A totally different zombie movie in fact.

The first scene was really stylish. Very interesting.

This movie has a good cast. "M" steals every scene he's in. John Malkovich is awesome as always. Nora is interesting as well. The two leads managed to portray their characters and have this instant rapport that's evident to the audience. 

"R" sometimes irritates me with his slow speech, slumped posture, and forever "surprised" look... really, the zombie act gets tired quickly. Also, he says they're so slow, and yet they can run terrifyingly fast when they smell humans -_- Can't they run in normal days? And R putting gooey zombie stuff on Julie's face to mask the human smell, makes me recall the Walking Dead episode where two of the guys put mashed zombie goodies ALL OVER them (they'd put some on their eyeballs if they could) -- so this makes me laugh.. he puts a tiny bit on her face and everything is alright. hahahaha. But I like the fact that he collects things, and listen to old school music in vinyl. That made me less irritable.

The music has a fun, nostalgic feel and it was a big plus point to the overall quality of the film.

Another scene-stealers are the Boneys. My favorite skeletal creatures only after the skeletons on Raimi's Army of Darkness. haha.

This movie gave me all sorts of nostalgia, from the music to the witty dialogues, at one point seeing Johnny Depp in R's face, and a young Tom Cruise on another. 

And R's airplane bachelor's pad is so cool. A freaking zombie has better stuff than me -_- Great.

It's a nice touch that "R" doesn't remember his name so while watching, I was trying to figure out which name suits him. Then I see the balcony scene and it totally hits me. ROMEO. In a hoodie.. and dead. He's Romeo, she's Julie(t). Her friend and confidante wants to be a NURSE (Nora-Nurse). Romeo's friend is M (as in Mercutio.. of course in the end, we learn of M's name. But it's still close.. a modern name for Mercutio)... Perry also can be Count Paris.

The Verdict: 

Warm Bodies opens with an interesting first act, an okay/dragging/average second act, then the pace picks up on the third act and becomes more humorous and interesting again.  While it has its flaws and moments which garnered several eye-rolls from me, still, it has its sweet charm and sense of humor which made me hang on, and I was glad that I did.

It proves to be one of the better movies in the zom-com genre and with its unique flavor and dry humor, it has the potential to be a cult classic years later, much like movies from the 80's that remains relevant to the modern film buffs.

Although that kissing scene made me cringe a bit. Really? I wouldn't even want to kiss someone with bad breath, let alone a corpse. 

My Rating: 

3/5  - I enjoyed most parts, bored on some... But still highly recommended.

If you're in this kind of post-apocalyptic world, can you imagine yourself kissing a dead guy you've connected with?

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