Released just in time for Valentine’s Day, director Jonathan Levine’s “Warm Bodies” introduces us to a fairly cookie-cutter post-apocalyptic world in which the undead have overrun society and the remaining humans are holed up in whatever fortified areas they can find, just trying to sustain themselves.
Anyone hoping for an inventive backstory on the zombie epidemic will be disappointed, because, for better or worse, the film doesn’t offer one. Nope, no viruses running amok or unintended consequences of biological warfare for this film. “Warm Bodies” asks you to suspend disbelief with regards to its supernatural creatures so that it can zero in on the story it really seeks to tell straight away. You see, although “Warm Bodies” does contain kinetic action sequences, many moments of clever humor and even attempts at social commentary, it still remains, first and foremost, a romance.
The key players of this histoire d’amour are R, our slowly decomposing protagonist, and Julie, the girl who wins his atrophied heart after he consumes the brain of her boyfriend, Perry, thereby gaining Perry’s memories. This basic concept of zombie falls for human has led some of the “Twilight” loathing populace to fall into despair at what entertainment has come to. “Having run out of stories about vampires, werewolves, angels and mermaids, now we’re turning to ZOMBIES!?!” they exclaim.
But fear not, my friends, even a quick viewing of the trailer will reveal that this film (thankfully) isn’t out to make corpses sexy. Its tongue is firmly in its cheek as it slyly mocks the notion of the dead being romantically appealing while simultaneously putting forth a cliched but nevertheless charming “love is all you need” message.
Even though the world of “Warm Bodies” is somewhat thinly drawn, the film does seek to break new ground in other ways. After all, director Jonathan Levine has built a reputation for combining unlikely genres, his most well known project being “50/50,” a dramatic comedy centered on cancer.
For example, R and some of the other zombies are able to speak (monosyllabically, but still), and R is even capable of thinking eloquently. Like many young people in love, it’s difficult for R to articulate his complex feelings to Julie, but this situation is comically intensified thanks to his zombified state.
Much of the humor of the film comes from R’s humorous inner dialogue and imaginings, such as early in the film when he ruminates on how wonderful it must have been before the plague when people could “really connect.” We then flash to an amusing scene of the pre-zombie airport (which has since become a zombie base) in which everyone is bustling by, ironically transfixed with their smart phones.
The film also diverges from “Twilight” and its ilk in its portrayal of Julie, who, despite her sometimes illogical horror-movie decision-making, is shown to have a life outside of her romance and an ability to fight, unlike the simpering Bella Swan. Beyond her personal fondness for R she is also interested in the possibility he presents as a model for saving humanity.
The film additionally mixes zombie mythology up a bit by including Boneys, zombies who have lost all humanity and become walking skeletons. They serve as the primary villains of the film, devoted to stopping Julie and R’s romance from reminding the fleshy, still-redeemable breed of zombies of the benefits of being alive. While the film only flirts with the horror genre, the fast-paced chase scenes involving the Boneys are always eerie and effective.
”Warm Bodies” is boosted by its appealing leads (Nicholas Hoult and Teresa Palmer), its memorable side performances (particularly Analeigh Tipton as Julie’s straightforward best friend Nora) and its smooth genre blending. Though it does suffer from some problems with logic and general confusion about what exactly it seeks to criticize about modern society (Addiction to technology? Inability to connect? Giving up on dreams? Close-mindedness?), the film is still definitely original and compelling enough to recommend for an uplifting college movie night, particularly with the sparse pickings this February.
On the whole, “Warm Bodies” is an entertaining film capable of pleasing fans of romance, horror and comedy alike, even if it is not quite as clever or original as it aspires to be. Despite its wittiness, it’s a movie best appreciated when watched with the heart, not the head.
