Zombies Of Mass Destruction

I am a massive fan of zombie films, in all their incarnations, from Romero to Edgar Wright with a bit of Raimi if you can count that as zombies. However, if I'm honest the genre is becoming a little crowded. Sure, there are innovative films such as Fido and Colin but then there are also a whole host of films who have put any word they can imagine before 'Of The Dead' and hoped that it might sell a few copies.

So I approached Zombies of Mass Destruction from director Kevin Hamedani with both caution and interest. It starts in small-town USA, Port Gamble to be precise, as the scene is set. We meet the characters, mayor, reverend, local girl done good but returning, her father the Iranian owner of a restaurant, geeky local boy and gay couple returning home to come out of the closet. This part of the film felt so worn and tired I thought I had been given a dvd from 20 years ago. The soundtrack was, I imagine, suppose to be a nod towards Romero but it felt cheap and dated. Tubular Bells on a tiny tinny instrument made of tin. The wooden acting and vague attempts at humour fell flat and made this small opening section feel like it lasted an eternity.

Let's be honest though, this isn't why we watch films of this genre though. It's the zombies that get us going. Once they hit and the outbreak commences the film goes up a gear. The gore is over-top, well over the top, and the humour obviously veers towards the darkest of dark. It's clear that Hamedani is on much more comfortable ground when dealing with severed limbs and unexpected shocks. Although these satisfy our zombie needs and tick the boxes, ZMD still has an ace up it's sleeve to kick into 3rd gear.

The stereotypes that I found so irritating at the opening of the film all contribute to a satirical look at America today. The paranoia of Islamic Terrorism and the Christian Church and it's crusade against homosexuality and abortion get the treatment. Some of the jokes really hit home and raise a chuckle and although the parody is about as subtle as being hit round the head with a cricket bat, it gets you thinking. After all, it's tagline is 'A Political Zomedy'.

It won't go down in history as a classic but it's got enough confidence (even gives itself a theme song!) and humour to raise it above most of the sub-mediocre zombie-fare that we are used to. Plus it stimulates the grey matter, as well having zombies eat it, more than you expect.