Undead or Alive: A Zombedy (2007)

Good concept, poorly executed.

Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

Blistering performances.

I found my copy yesterday, and decided to watch it again, because I didn't remember how it ended. I have to take exception to the many negative reviews. Despite the beautiful cinematography, spot-on direction from a first-time director, and generally excellent production values, it's decidedly episodic. There are too many characters, and there isn't enough time to get familiar with the principals. But the humor is underplayed, which keeps it from sliding into camp. (This is not the TV "Batman".)But it is a damned (joke intended) funny film, especially the second time around. It's the kind of film you'll want to share with your friends. It's cheap, so it's easy to recommend.

This zombie comedy was actually quite nice. It had potential to go somewhere near "Shaun of the Dead", but there was just something missing to make it go that extra mile.Now, the story is pretty straight forward and easy to follow. The curse of Geronimo had been inflicted upon the white people, and they are now turning up as flesh-hungry zombies. And you have people running away from an ever-growing posse of zombies. There, enough said about the story.The setting of "Undead or Alive" is actually a good take on the zombie genre. Nice to see a zombie movie set in the old west. And the scenery, staging, costumes and such was very nice to look at and had a good deal of detail to it. And the zombies were actually nice to look at as well, though I am not too fond of the movies where they put zombie make-up on the face, and then leave the neck bared so you can see pink, non-decaying skin there. That is just too cheesy.The acting in the movie was alright as well, though at times cheesy and you were kind of sitting wondering to yourself about the dialogue. But all in all, it was an average experience. James Denton, as Elmer Winslow, was actually doing a really nice job in the movie. And Chris Kattan, as the funny sidekick Luke Rudd, brought along a good portion of humor to the movie. However, Navi Rawat (playing Sue) actually carried the movie - and not just because she is an attractive woman. But she was the one who carried the heaviest load of acting in the movie, and she made the movie work.The movie is a welcomed addition to the zombie genre, though it is not the type of movie that really has enough weight in it for additional viewings. Once you've seen it, I doubt you will be going back to it again. The movie had the potential to be an instant 'classic' like "Shaun of the Dead", but there was a crucial ingredient missing from the movie. I can't say what it was, but something was missing.One thing that didn't work for me at all in this movie was the use of the "F"-word. It was used a couple of times throughout the movie, and that really didn't go well with me. Now, I am not narrow-minded or sensitive about such, I just don't think that word was being used back in the 1860s or thereabouts?! And that took away some of the enjoyment for my part.In overall, "Undead or Alive" is good for an evening worth of zombies and comedy.

Undead or Alive is set in the Old Wild West & starts as US army deserter Elmer Winslow (James Denton) rides into a small town, after getting into a fight with a Cowboy named Luke Rudd (Chris Kattan) the two are thrown in jail by a corrupt Sheriff who also steal all their money. Elmer manages to pick the jail door lock & escapes with Luke who then both rob the Sheriff in order to get their money back & a bit of compensation. Meanwhile a local man named Ben (Brian Posehn) has been turned into a brain eating zombie & starts spreading the virus turning the rest of the town into brain eating zombies, now infected the zombie Sheriff, his Deputy & a posse of men head after Elmer & Luke spreading the zombie plague wherever they go...Also known as Undead or Alive: A Zomedy this awful comedy horror Western was written & directed by Glasgow Phillips & is a stark reminder to me that I really should stop watching low budget straight to video horror, or at least choose my films a little better. Right, the problems with Undead or Alive are numerous but as a horror comedy it falls way short on both counts & as a Western it does nothing other than to set it's story in the Old Wild West. I found Undead or Alive spectacularly funny, the opening scene where various pieces of text explain some background & one reads 'for those who don't like reading it's nearly over' or something like that is just plain insulting & is a film that feels absolutely desperate for laughs before it's even started. Then a sequence in which a zombie wanders around & steps into a bucket & on a rake which bizarrely only comes up to his knee is some incredibly unfunny zombie slapstick routine. As I see comments here on the IMDb describing Undead or Alive as funny I would honestly like someone to name one funny sequence in this laugh free film, just one. The one-liners are awful, the slapstick three Stooges routines are awful, the visual gags are awful & I just can't think of one even slightly amusing moment in this misfire of a horror comedy. The character's are awful, a sheepish idiotic Cowboy who keeps a picture of his Horse in a locket & a army deserter, an evil Sheriff & his dumb comedy relief Deputy & a town of faceless idiots who get about two minutes of screen time. The only bright spark is Sue the native Indian girl who has at least some personality & is quite attractive to look at but the pluses stop there. The pacing & plotting are terrible & it's as predictable as they come.Considering that Robert Kurtzman was the special make-up effect producer, just look at some of his other credits, the make-up here is surprisingly tatty. The zombies look awful & despite what you may read the gore is limited to a few blood splatters & some irritating machine gun edited flesh biting where you can barely see anything anyway because it's edited so quickly. Undead or Alive is just a spectacular misfire on all fronts from the lame humour & jokes to the shoddy make-up & badly edited gory bits. I really am trying to understand why Undead or Alive has any positive comments for it on the IMDb but I just can't, I really can't. Like a lot of modern films there's a bit of CGI here at the end when a fort blows up & it looks terrible, this is the sort of computer effect you expect in a computer game.Apparently filmed in Santa Fe in New Mexico the films looks quite nice shot on location the production values are alright as far as the sets & costumes go but if I wanted that sort of thing I'd watch a proper Western, wouldn't I? Like much of everything else the acting sucks, the two leads in particular are annoying.Undead or Alive is a horror comedy that fails to deliver on either front in a big way, totally unfunny & with surprisingly poor make-up effects I just don't see what this has going for it. Every joke & gag is bottom of the barrel stuff & the horror is reduced to silly slapstick that just looks terrible.

What a surprisingly great gem of a movie this is.I expected nothing and what I got was a fabulous little comedy/zombie/film that had me and my husband chuckling no end and me - a giggling girl in our relationship - found, myself, jumping out of my skin.A perfect combination of wit, horror and giggles. Recommended to anyone who loved "My Name Is Bruce".Terrific entertainment.And it is gory as hell, which makes for the most romantic viewing!SEE IT. JUMP AND LAUGH.It is a terrific piece of film-making! Brian