Z-O-M-B-I-E-S (2018)

Stylish but barely mediocre overall

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

This movie is literally a copy of Descendants and it was plain out just an awful awful movie

That review might seem a little harsh, however that doesn't mean that it is not true. I am usually very positive when I review movies. As negative as this review may appear, I do like to give most movies the benefit of the doubt. However, it took me 3 separate views too find anything that I can even consider passible.Lets start with what I find passible with the movie. Probably the most passible thing in the movie is the couch of Zed's team. The character is almost like something out of a Kevin Hart or Tyler Perry movie. His character is self-depracting and aware of just how pathetic he is. He's also over the top and clearly not taking this seriously. However, he never truly reaches anything above passible.No lets get into the things I find bad about this movie. And rest assured, There is a lot of things. But to keep things relatively streamlined and to keep me from explode in a mixture of rage and violence, I'll start with the production design.The production design looks like it was done in an afternoon with whatever they could find laying around the soundstage. The colors of the sets include pastel pink and blue that don't sever any purpose whatsoever. The make-up makes the zombies look like they're all amateur cosplayers dressing up as The Joker for ComicCon.Next, I'm going to talk about the acting. Apart from the couch, none of the performances reaches anything above serviceable. Zed, the lead male of the film, is a zombie who wants to join the football team. He barely seems like he cares thought the movie, clearly have fun an letting too much of himself into the character. There's also Addison, the female lead of the movie, who is a human hoping to become a cheerleader. She appears to be trying really hard throughout the entire movie. However, this combination isn't very good at all. Not to mention that their on screen chemistry can best be described as two people who were told early that morning that they would fall in love.There's also Bucky, Addison's cousin who is also the captain of the cheerleaders. He is constant flipping from coked out maniac and wooden stump throughout the movie. And then there's everyone else, whom are basically the same as Bucky.Then there is the writing and story, which is probably my least favorite aspect. The messages and themes, while definitely good and important, are delivered with the all of the subtlety of a sledgehammer being swung towards a house made of glass. Not a single line is clever or service the story in a unique way. And the message of the film appears to be "We call all solve racism by cheering." If only Malcolm X or Fredrick Douglas k new that all he needed to do was cheer.There are other things that are terrible about this movie, but I don't have the time or the patience to describe them

One has to remember the target audience for this movie. I'm not even sure the target audience is even for most high school students. It's pretty much for middle schoolers. Many of the jokes and stereotypes, though this isn't a good justification, should be thought of in that light. Without the music and without the lead actors I would have rated this movie a 3. But Meg Donnelly is such a wonderful and charming actress...she makes up for a lot of the bad. Her singing & dancing lifts the rating of the movie by at least 4 points. She's one of the best expressive & most bubbily-charming and natural actresses I have seen in a long time!Perhaps the most annoying and irritating thing about the movie is how anti-zombie people change their minds virtually every 5 minutes! No way does that happen in real life nor does it show the real inner struggle that the humans have in determining whether to accept zombies or not. What kind of the struggle is it if they just flip a switch every 5 minutes and have a different opinion... human brains simply don't work that way. It is the actual, REAL struggle that this movie should expose, deal with, and resolve. But the movie isn't simply about people's hatred toward zombies. The broader struggle is society's being against homosexuals, people of color, or any number of other differences not accepted by society, and more specifically, their peers. To trivialize the struggle is to demean it...which defeats the whole purpose of the movie.

I'm reviewing my second DCOM. (Disney Channel Original Movie.) The last one was 'How To Build A Better Boy', which was also pretty good. (I'm an English language teacher and this'll be a fun diversion for my students, once I have edited it down to about 50 minutes and added captions.)The 'messages' aren't subtle so if you don't mind being bashed over the head with the idea that it's better to be who you are and that segregation is bad, then you'll probably enjoy this whimsical tale.What elevates this movie even more is the incredible and palpable chemistry between the two leads. If you look at other clips on YouTube of these two fooling around together and goofing about , it's clear that they really like each other and enjoy each other's company. She's a cheerleader from a well-to-do family and he's a zombie from the wrong side of the tracks... will they find true love? It's not Jane Austin but it is a fun ride. Lots of song and dance numbers, an unoriginal but enjoyable storyline and lashings of good humored banter between the characters.The catchy 'Jackson Five' style songs and the elaborate dance numbers are good fun, the story is straightforward and pleasant and the whole affair should have the girls laughing and crying in equal measure throughout the 90 minute run-time.Best lines of the movie - when Addison is trying out for the squad she wants to know what style the moves are..."Captain Bucky, was that funky chicken cajun or shake-n-bake?" "Well, I've never heard of cajun, so... spice it up."Brilliant!