Undead

(2003) ***

Undead was the eighth and final zombie movie of the month for me.

Zombie movies are inherently awesome for three reasons: 1) The concept of the zombie allows and encourages guilt free carnage. 2) It's great escapism. All of life's trivial problems and bullshit would disappear instantly when your immediate concerns become surviving a slew of rabid zombies . 3) Making a zombie movie has got to be so much fun.

Yes, Undead recreates Night of the Living Dead yet again but it does so with a great appreciation for the genre. And the Australian interpretation is worth looking into for many reasons. The Undead zombies are quick and nasty. They'll rip your brain out of your skull in the blink of an eye. The action is fast paced, super-violent, and workably cartoonish. The Aussies are capable of making a line such as "When I was a kid we respected our parents - We didn't fucking eat them!" extremely funny. The overly dramatic musical recalls 80's science fiction blockbuster films. Amazingly, the pieces all just fit together to make a great, watchable film.

Then things start to get X-Filey... I suppose it's commendable that they chose to go in an entirely different direction but it's also very stupid. I managed to block out most of the last 45 minutes but there was something about the aliens being responsible for reviving the dead. Wait a second, wasn't that Plan 9 From Outer Space?

Unlike Shaun of the Dead, the Undead ultimately only appeals to the real fanatics. But that's quite alright with me.