Odd and touching Zombie romance

WARM BODIES (2013)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Just when you think you have had enough of zombies and think every variation has been tapped, "Warm Bodies" comes along and delivers a few, well, fresh "dead" notes. It is actually one of the most charming, soulful and often unsettling horror-comedies in a long while.

"R" (Nicholas Hault) is a zombie who is no typical zombie - he has thoughts and we hear his voice-over narrate the film. "R" is a young man, dressed in jeans and a red hoodie. He keeps to himself but he does try to communicate thru grunts and semi-speech patterns, especially with another zombie named "M" (Rob Corddry). They are all zombies as they parade around an airport and the surrounding airfield, walking in a daze with no particular destination. It is not just a zombie world - there is a wall dividing them and the surviving humans who have formed a militia (none of this will seem unique if you have seen George Romero's "Dead" films or TV's "The Walking Dead"). Julie (Teresa Palmer) is a member of the militia, headed by her straight-as-an-arrow father, Colonel Grigio (John Malkovich). After Julie and a small armed group are sent to recover medical supplies from the deserted buildings off the beaten path, a zombie attack occurs where everyone dies except Julie. "R" is transfixed by Julie, takes her away from harm's away by secluding her in an airplane, which is "R"''s little home. Julie realizes that "R" is not like the other undead - he expresses feelings and slowly develops a "beating heart." Did you read that correctly? Yes, indeed, he has fallen in love with Julie though the reasons will not be revealed here.

"Warm Bodies" is built on clever surprises, some of which were unfortunately revealed in the film's trailer. It doesn't matter because you will be swept away by the romance between "R" and Julie. The tension builds when the two get separated and "R" tries his best to locate her, which means breaching the fortified wall to locate her. "Warm Bodies" often treads on "Twilight's" own waters but this movie can stand on its own lively "dead" feet. It has an apocalyptic feel with its grayish skies and unnerving sense of abandonment, a horrific element with the "Boneys" (skeletal zombies who feast on humans), a love story that resonates with two charismatic stars (keep an eye on Teresa Palmer's career), and compassionate zombies who begin to remember their own past lives when they glance upon objects or store windows that serve as triggers.

Ably directed with a strong emotional chord by Jonathan Levine ("50/50"), "Warm Bodies" manages to say so much in 97 minutes than movies at twice that length. It also breathes new life into the zombie genre with offbeat gestures that not even George Romero would've cooked up. A zombie with feelings who can recover memories from a human it has eaten?