Zombie Apocalypse: Redemption (2011)

Thanks for the memories!

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

I wouldn't put this film in the league of Troma as I'm not sure if its to be taken serious or not, but I did get some enjoyment from what I'll call a C-horror movie. There are subtle (and not so subtle) references to Snake Plisken, Star Wars, From Dusk til Dawn, and other low budget zombie movies throughout ZA:R that I found entertaining. That being said, the acting was pretty awful from the lead female character, and the villain, Rome. Though, I suspect with Rome it was intended to be bad. I can't find any excuses for the lead female, however. She just seemed out of her element here. The fight scenes were playful instead of violent, almost comical if you don't take them too seriously. If you have a few hours to kill and you really enjoy low budget films, you may find this one entertaining. However, if you're looking for high quality then look elsewhere because you won't find any appreciation for this one. I can't say that it was all bad though. I got some laughs from it, and even enjoyed it from time to time.

Two radically different groups of people struggle to survive in a harsh world in which zombies outnumber people 10,000 to 1. Rugged Knox (a solid performance by Johnny Gel) escapes from the savage and evil Raiders outfit who are led by the nefarious Rome (an outrageously hammy portrayal by Jerry Lynch). Knox gets left in the desert to survive, but is saved by a benevolent ragtag group led by the macho Moses (the always dependable Fred Williamson in fine hard-nosed form). However, the Raiders soon track Knox down with revenge on their brutish minds. Director Ryan Thompson, who also co-wrote the blah script with John Tillotson, Ryan Lieske, and Matthew O'Day, lets the meandering narrative unfold at a sluggish pace, fails to generate much in the way of either tension or excitement, and doesn't do anything fresh or inspired with the formula premise. Moreover, the zombies aren't in the movie enough and the shoddy CGI effects are a pretty sorry sight to behold. On the plus side, there's a generous sprinkling of gore, the desolate locations are well used, the action scenes are staged with a reasonable amount of aplomb, and the slick cinematography and bouncy pulsating synthesizer score are both up to speed. Moreover, the cast do their best with the insipid material, with especially commendable work by Joseph Scott Anthony as the no-nonsense Roberts, Tommy Beardmore as the amiable Lucas, Alicia Clark as the scrappy Sarah, Tokkyo Faison as jolly sharpshooter Laurence, and Angelique Sky as the fierce Cienfuegos. A passable time-waster.

In one scene, you can see a crew member standing in the background. Yes, it really is a crew member, because we backed it up and freeze framed it (there were no zombies in the scene, and it was at night when no one was supposed to be around, plus he's real close to the main actor). That pretty much tells you all you need to know. That and there are lines like "If I want your opinion, I'll rape it out of you." Maybe that was supposed to be so bad, it's good, but it's not. It's just dumb. There is a Snake Plissken character with an eye patch, but that's the sort of thing that is so obvious it belongs in a fan film, and the actor playing him is no Kurt Russell. I hate to put down an indie, but this movie just isn't good, and if you're going to get better, you've got to admit it. I'd really be afraid to watch the first Zombie Apocalypse since the filmmaker intended this to be a redemption for that bad movie. The makeup and effects aren't good either.

I bought this movie from Amazon. Why? Well because I am huge zombie aficionado and I just have to watch all things zombie, read all things zombie, and play all things zombie. With my zombie-interest, yeah I bump into a lot of dubious stuff, and "Zombie Apocalypse: Redemption" was hardly worth the effort, much less worth the money I paid for it.Right from the very beginning when there was a very 1980's computer game-like background story scrolling up on the screen, you just know that you are in for a bad time. And true enough, the movie didn't fail to deliver on that hunch. Just that background story was utter nonsense in itself, and it was hard to buy into the events that apparently had transpired there.The acting in the movie was halting and stagnant at best. It wasn't really coming off on the screen like people were having their hearts in the movie. And I can't really say that I remember any of the people in the movie from their performances. I just remember a single face, but that was because I saw him in "From Dusk till Dawn", can't recall his name though.As for the zombies in the movie, well don't expect to be blown away by cool make-up or CGI effects. And I especially loved the fight scene at the camp, where the zombie actually lifted its arm and blocked a punch. Are you kidding me? Epic fail..."Zombie Apocalypse: Redemption" was a slap in the face for me, and it is a zombie movie that will be bagged and tagged, slapped on the movie shelf and never watched again. It was actually so horrendous that I started zapping chapters to see if it was all equally boring and uninspiring; and it was. So I ended up turning off the movie, and I know I will never pop it back in the DVD player and see how it ended.If you are a zombie aficionado like me, stay well clear of this zombie movie, because it is a disappointment. Sure, now I own it, and it is part of my ever-growing (and rotting, no offense) collection of zombie stuff. But the movie will never be more than just a filler on the shelf.