WE BURY THE DEAD

WE BURY THE DEAD is one of the more unsettling zombie movies I have seen in some time. Although much of the normal elements are here, there is also a realism as the living interacts with the dead. Incredible makeup and visual effects – and the unsettling teeth grinding – make this a must see for fans of The Walking Dead, 28 Days Later, and other zombie flicks. But don’t expect much more than that.

Synopsis: After a catastrophic military disaster, the dead don’t just rise – they hunt. Ava searches for her missing husband, but what she finds is far more terrifying. | 1h 34m | Unrated with adult language, gruesome imagery, and horror violence

Ava (Daisy Ridley) searches for her husband after a tragic military incident unalives half a million people on an island off Australia. She soon discovers that some come back. Ava meets some people on her journey with their own agenda and ways of grieving. It is hard to understand exactly what the film is focusing on and other than the zombie visuals the plot and story line are thin.

Ridley is a strong actress but has made some odd role choices. As in this one we find her doing intricate characters limited by a mediocre script. This one is all about survival once she hits the open road. The Walking Dead set the bar for zombie drama and this one smartly borrows a lot from that in style and cinematography. This one doesn’t have several seasons to flesh things out though, which is a hinderance.

The film is engaging enough and the horror moments gratifying enough so that you will want to see it through. Why do some wake up and others not? That is the question that plagues Ava as well. Also, I can’t recall any other zombie film in which the term “come online” was used in reference to the dead waking up. It actually alludes to the fact that the brain is sort of a computer for the body. The first few times they say it, put the tome of the film in perspective. These are no longer our loved ones, just a reboot of the former self.

There is a sobering tone too as Ava walks through towns and homes. We see people just laid out as if gone to sleep. The blast that killed them was instant. We see them eating breakfast, doing yoga. Kids playing in the yard. They all just fall where they are. It has a peace about it in the midst of the horror. We all live life as if there is a tomorrow or a “later”. Never knowing when.

As the story moves on we find that Ava and her husband did not part on the best of terms and a lot of her journey is reconciliation and closure. Sadly there is not enough meat on the bone for us to care. Ridley does her part of giving us all the emotions, but it isn’t enough. Maybe if you look at the film as a drama about broken relationships and there just happens to be zombies walking around it would play better.

The drama we get here is fine in a long running series where we get to know the characters. Expecting us to just bond with them immediately is a tough ask.They say January is where films go to die. Maybe that is fitting for a film about the undead. It certainly works as a streamer but I am not sure it is worth the box office bucks.

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Matt Mungle

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