
Fido is the zombie that the Robinson family brings into their home and unlike any zombie I've ever seen, he has a heart of gold. That is not to say that he does not have a few human snacks, but he develops a special relationship with little Timmy Robinson, a boy whose father is largely absent and whose mother is a bit of an enigma. They live in a typically idyllic 50s neighborhood save the fact that the walking (domesticated) dead are all around them.
What I liked most about this movie was that, for a zombie movie, it was actually kind of cute. That's not a adjective that is frequently ascribed to zombie flicks, the only one that even comes close is Shaun of the Dead, and I still wouldn't call that movie "cute." The relationship between Timmy and Fido is so endearing, and even though the movie breaks a few of the zombie rules, I can forgive it for it helped bring out the heart in the monster.
It was also fun watching zombie carnage set against a backdrop of 50s America. Every time I watch a movie that is set in the 50s, with its clean streets, white picket fences and all those other things that make up the popular conception of the 1950s, I always wish that I could live then rather than in our troubled times. Of course, the popular portrayal of the 50s as a time of carefree existence is completely and utterly false, plus there'd be no antibiotics save penicillin and sulfonamides, so no thanks, I'll stay here in the early 21st century. But watching the bloody-mouthed, shuffling zombies attacking their human counterparts during this time period was very Stubbs the Zombie and a interesting take on the genre.
The movie had a lot to say about the humanity of the monsters (specifically Fido) when compared to those that were actually living and while that was an overriding theme of the movie, you didn't feel like you were being hit over the head with it, which was a relief. I mean, after all, it is a zombie movie.
Next up from Netflix is likely Grindhouse: Planet Terror which is another zombie movie (I know, I need professional help.) That movie had me in the trailer when Rose McGowan took off her leg and replaced it with a machine gun. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is at the top of the queue, but it says "very long wait" so it might be awhile before we see that one.
1 comment:
I've only just found out about this movie and I'm gutted it's not available in the UK...
Post a Comment