Wednesday, November 07, 2012

Humans vs Zombies

 (2011) ***

Humans vs. Zombies is an actual moderated tag game that is commonly played on college campuses. This film takes place on a campus where students who are actively playing the game are suddenly confronted with a real zombie attack. They find the transition from fake to real not quite as awesome as they anticipated and that their skills aren’t as refined against the real thing.



The film begins with the origin of the outbreak in a government lab but doesn’t get into the whole story. We just see the contamination incident go down as the beginning credits are rolling. One infected subject gets out of the lab and makes his way to a local beach where he bites a girl and the rest is history. Before long the whole campus is swarming with the infected and our small troop of zombie hunters are fighting for their lives. There are some interesting theories getting tossed around about how the outbreak started, who started it and how long it will last but none of this really matters, it’s all about survival.

With so many zombie flicks floating around out there and the awesome Walking Dead series as well I wasn’t expecting to see anything new and exciting. This flick opted for the fast zombies, which automatically eliminates the chances of survival for anyone who is not in top physical condition. The students save for one are all likeable, even the big dumb football guy is pretty okay. The one girl that really annoyed me was the hot chick computer gaming genius, she’s an unappreciative, mouthy, know it all with a grating voice. Of course you know she’s gonna make it right to the end, ugh. Annoying bitch and all, the film is a nice twist on the old familiar story and the red eyed zombies are pretty cool too. I really think we all need to put forth an effort in sorting out the good from the crap in the vast sea of zombiemania films flooding the genre, it’s way too much for one person to take on alone. Wouldn’t it be great to have a list of zombie films divided into four categories, Great, not bad, crap and so bad it’s good?

10 comments:

DKC said...

I think that sounds like a perfect task for you and/or JSP, Cat. You both have watched your fair share!

Landshark said...

Huh, I'll have to check with some of my students if they've seen this one. We have a huge week long version of that game every semester--kind of funny to be walking to class when a kid comes screaming past you with an emptied out nerf gun being chased by 15 "zombies." Certain areas are safe zones, too, so you often see packs of students hanging out on the steps in front of the Education Building, getting ready to make a break for it.

Catfreeek said...

That is awesome Landshark!

Landshark said...

Yeah, it gets pretty large participation too, and there's a website where every player is listed, with their zombie or human status updated as they get killed off and join the ranks of the undead. I think they stage "missions" at night too, just because.

Nerf rifles are always an obvious sign of humans, (zombies have to take a time out when struck) but they're all also supposed to wear Survivor type buffs to identify them as players and their current status.

Landshark said...

Here's the rules of the game...I like this part:

Absolutely no play in the graveyard. You can be arrested.
Do not climb in trees on campus. You can get a fine.
If you hear a whistle blown during play or missions, this is a time out. Stop immediately, and do as officers and moderators instruct.
If you are confronted by police, comply immediately. Keep your hands visible, tell them you are playing the 'Zombie Game,' and under no circumstances reach for your blaster.
No biting
http://www.bgundead.com/rules/

Johnny Sweatpants said...

The zombiesphere is totally overwhelming and that's both a bad and good thing. I tried to tackle zombies a couple of years ago but barely scratched the surface.

The game sounds AWESOME.

Catfreeek said...

You really need to watch this one Landshark.

JPX said...

I continue to be stunned by the shear number of zombie movies out there these days. I kind of burnt out on the genre, which is why I haven’t embraced The Walking Dead (yet). That second photo is great! The plot sounds like fun and I like that it takes place on a college campus. Fun find!

Crystal Math said...

I was probably the most unsympathetic teacher when my high school students decided to play Humans vs. Zombies. You forgot to study for the chapter test because you were up all night making weapons? Boo-fuckin'-hoo. You want to use my classroom as a safe zone? Sorry, buster. You want to cut through my classroom to evade the zombies? Go run around the long way, you could use the exercise.

The other side to the story is when the staff proposed the idea of an all-teacher Humans vs. Zombies game, I began to devise weapons and plans of my own and put off entering grades.

Octopunk said...

I'm chiming in late but I found this thread fascinating. The game sounds great, I'm psyched we have some hands-on experience (Crystal -- hilarious), and yeah, what is it with the zombiesphere? It's huge!

Is it that it's had less cooking time than vamps, werewolves etc? A more voracious expansion?

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