"Cooties" marks yet another rare exception of the "most horror-comedies suck" rule, joining the ranks of other such classics like "Shaun of the Dead" and "Zombieland." Why all three are zombie-themed is beyond me, but I suppose the natural tension of sneaking through and surviving a zombie infestation makes for some exasperated laughs.
Elijah Wood plays a 30-something elementary school teacher who we like because his character, apart from being a typical improbable hero, genuinely enjoys teaching and working with his students. He shares the screen with Rainn Wilson, who is surprisingly endearing, given how his character on the American version of The Office contributed to the awfulness of the show. Alison Pill, Jack McBrayer, and Nasim Pedrad round out the cast of quirky, 30-something faculty members who
don't seem all that great at their jobs. But it's a comedy, so incompetence in the public school system is funny (I guess.) Here's a question: why are none of the teachers 40 plus, and why are they all so trim? That seemed odd to me, but this is showbiz after all, and an elementary school isn't the sexiest of settings.
I enjoyed this movie because of its novel twist on the zombie tale-- children are the zombies. It's refreshing seeing kids twisted into savage monsters, kill violently, and be dealt with accordingly. Hollywood and western pop culture depict children as angelic simpletons: in most media, children are nothing more than vacantly smiling plot devices. But it's untrue: children can be every bit as crafty, cunning, and ruthless as adults. Apart from Lord of the Flies, I can't think of any other media depicting children so savage and cruel.
It's nice to see.
