Film: Warm Bodies

Director: Jonathan Levine
Genre: Comedy
Source: USA (2013)
Rating: PG-13
Location/Format: Island Cinema
Grade: B

I was lukewarm on this movie (ha!) until I realized it was supposed to be Romeo and Juliet, and then I began to like it more and more, though I felt stupid that it took me so long to figure out. Their names are R and Julie, for crying out loud. There's a Nurse, a best friend named M (for Mercutio?) and a balcony scene. I mean, they weren't subtle, but still. A clever riff for 9th grade teachers to play with. 

Warm Bodies is strange in a lot of ways, because it's really not a "horror" movie (despite the presence of zombies), it is only sporadically funny, it had somewhat bad CGI and it has a third act that didn't quite make sense to me (where are they running to and why?). But despite all that it had some life to it due to the pleasantness of all the people on the screen. Rob Corddry, in particular, is always a welcome sight, and I have never noticed Teresa Palmer before, though I've seen a few of her movies, but thought she carried herself well.

On the other hand, Nicholas Hoult--who I've liked since About a Boy--never quite seems dead enough to me to make his "growth" as significant as it's supposed to be. He is likable and entertaining, but never felt like enough of a zombie to really make his arc as affecting as it could have been. I think part of that is due to the necessary narrative device of having him narrate the movie, but it's hard to feel your protagonist is dead when he seems to be expressing himself so eloquently.

This was a fun diversion, but ultimately a forgettable bit of fluff. 

Alternate Film Title: "Film Distance and Time are Extremely Flexible When We Need Them to Be"