Warm Bodies (2013) Reviews

• More original than you might think

  Quebec_Dragon2013-02-25

  Finally the great zombie romance? Well, maybe not, but it's the closest I've seen. You get to see zombie life from the perspective of a zombie, who starts to get feelings for a girl who's alive. Through a set of circumstances, he "rescues" her and they take refuge in a grounded plane at an airport overrun by the undead. There were several original elements that I had never seen in a zombie movie. First and foremost is the narration by our young zombie giving us insights into his condition. He can barely utter words, but weirdly, in his head, he seems smart and talks normally. I liked that part and I was kinda sorry when he got somewhat better at talking, therefore evacuating most of his thoughts. Second original element was the romance. I wasn't impressed by it, but at least it was slow-building, somewhat charming, avoiding most of the disgusting stuff, and you kind of rooted for them by the end. Third original element would be the zombies not stuck as they are. They can "evolve" (our hero) or "devolve" (bonies, zombies who shed their outer skins, looking almost like black ghouls or skeletons). Speaking of bonies, I thought they looked amazing, creepy even, but their movements were stiff and made them look computer-generated. Also, who knew that eating brains for zombies could be a way for them to live vicariously the past life of the person they ate, through visions. It's not even the only way they can "change", although the other way, though nice, seemed a bit far-fetched and too quick. Fourth original element was that there was sometimes a humanistic, hopeful even, vibe to the proceedings despite the dramatic elements. There's something at the end involving the zombies and the bonies that I had never seen before. So the movie is more original than one might think, however the execution wasn't flawless. Sure, overall, I found the movie had charms, but for me the laughs were few and far between, like most romantic comedies I suppose. Because it's supposed to be one of those, but with obviously more somber elements. The drama could have used more "teeth" to make this film truly memorable and moving though. The movie even made me think of Romeo & Juliet as well as Edward Scissorhands, not bad stories to be associated with. The creators never really went into total parody or silly mode, which I think was a smart choice. What really took me out of the picture at several occasions though is that they didn't follow their own internal rules. We're told by our hero that zombies can only shamble slowly, yet not long after, we see zombies running. It's like they can have bursts of speed at will. Also, bonies, for some reason, move fast despite being in a more advanced stage of zombification. Also, I know it's a short movie, but zombies "evolve" too quickly, especially the best friend. Acting was fairly good, not exceptional, but I particularly liked the main character. Why? Because he's a nice, smart freak, quite lonely and having trouble to express his feelings in words and actions, but able to be slowly "healed" by kindness and love. It made him interesting and relatable to me and probably others. Yes, the movie could even be seen as an allegory on solitude, not fitting in, and how hard it is to truly connect to others in modern society. Zombie makeup was rather minimal, and they managed to make the protagonist kind of attractive, in a goth-like way, mostly because of his great hair and pale blue eyes. I thought there were wasted opportunities with the concept, but it could have been done much, much worse. So, I liked the movie, I would even recommend it to most people not allergic to zombies to see a different take on them. It's very minimally bloody and the most "gory" part is when they show a zombie shedding his skin to become a bonie, and even that's not too disgusting. I think it would make a good date movie. Warm Bodies didn't leave me cold and the more I dwell on it, the warmer my feelings for it get. Rating: 7 out of 10 (Good)

• Loved it

  plasticanimalz2013-02-02

  I was looking forward to this since the moment I saw the trailer and so got myself out of bed for the 10:05 am showing on opening day. It looked funny, like 'Shaun of the Dead,' and seemed to have its own interesting take, which is rare in the zombie genre. Usually the plots of zombie films are about as aimless as the zombies. The best way to describe this film is a zombie romantic comedy. It does have some action and some tense moments later on but the initial set up is the zombie, R's, emotional growth and how meeting this girl sparks something in him to evolve. This is nothing like 'Twilight,' and those that are saying that have either not seen it or are too absorbed in the fact that the two leads are good looking, which is the only commonality this film has with 'Twilight.'But, let's face it, the majority of leads in films are attractive, so, that's not much to base a similarity on. 'Shaun of the Dead' was just a comedy, where this is a comedy with heart and depth. It's a satire, but they don't force feed the point of the film, instead they make it very subtle, which is nice. It wasn't a laugh-out-loud comedy, but I don't know that I necessarily thought it would be when I saw the trailer. It definitely had more emotional depth than I thought it would which gave me a much fonder attachment to the film than if it had simply been made for laughs. The two leads had great chemistry and were believable and well cast. The directing, writing, and pretty much everything in the film was well done. I have no complaints. It delivered what it said it would and exceeded my expectations which is rare these days in entertainment.

• Entertaining from start to finish

  rebecca-ry2013-02-16

  'Warm Bodies' is a fantastic film about a zombie named 'R' who falls in love with a human and tries his best to protect her from the rest of the zombies. The plot is very strange but if you embrace its weirdness and eccentricity then it is brilliant. A lot of people have described it as being like Twilight except with zombies but it is far better – there's depth to the characters, a lot of really funny and embarrassing scenes but there is also a lot of really frightening parts which I did not expect. I am glad there were some scary moments, with zombies you expect a little scare here and there regardless of the genre but, I am surprised at the films' 12a rating. The plot is well paced and you're not bored or waiting for something interesting to happen – the film entertains you from start to finish. Nicholas Hoult is brilliant in this; it must have been difficult to do this role – especially without blinking most of the time. It's good to see that he is making it in large popular films now because he fully deserves it. Theresa Palmer is also really good; it's nice to see a female lead have some humorous scenes for a change compared to the mind- numbingly dull Bella in Twilight. Dave Franco was also really good here but he was not in the film for very long which is a shame because he can be really funny. Overall, this is a really funny film with a decent amount of horror included. If you are considering taking children between 8 and12 you should know that there are some pretty frightening scenes. There's a fairly small amount of gore but the 'boneys' can be quite scary – particularly towards the end. However, the film is really nice, funny and even heart-warming sometimes.

• Zombie Love Like You've Never Seen

  wolivernyc2013-02-01

  Going into Jonathan Levine's (50/50, The Wackness) new film Warm Bodies, I was intrigued. I didn't know quite what I was going to get as the concept was fresh and unique. Zombies have taken over, yet one zombie, named R, played wonderfully by Nicholas Hoult has a mind of his own and is not your typical zombie. He has a conscious mind at work, and soon he falls for a pretty girl named Julie (Teresa Palmer) that he encounters. This is where the movie puts a twist on the whole zombie genre. He soon becomes enamored by her and becomes more human, as she has stimulated his heart. Can a zombie find solace with another person and...love? That is the main theme of this movie, and it's a damn good one. Their chemistry will draw you in and actually make you buy it, no matter how ridiculous it is. R's friend, M, played hilariously by Rob Corddry steals the show with funny scene after funny scene. With Warm Bodies you get a mix of comedy, romance, and zombie-horror. It's a fresh spin on all three, and it was truly a fun time at the theater. It's well paced and has a great feel to it from the get-go, mostly in part to wonderful narration from Holt, and smooth direction from Levine. It's only February but I already found one of my early favorites of 2013.

• I'm surprised

  bruno_zamrey2013-02-16

  When I was going to see this movie, i was thinking that it gonna be another teen movie about a girl that's discover the natural identity of her boyfriend, but it wasn't like this, it was so much better, with alternative focus and interesting events this movie comes with a brand new type of history, a very well produced time line that will keep you with your eyes opened until the last second, it's simply awesome, great for family, adaptable for all ages, and will touch even the youngest and the oldest person that goes to see it, it's not a reflexive movie, that will be in your head for a long time, but it's a huge font of entertainment, i recommend it for all the people in the world. Of course, this movie has a lot of existing elements, that make it a little boring to see, but it's a great film for a Saturday night, to see with your friends. Thanks all of you, and sorry about my English, i'm from other country.