I'm not entirely sure why I felt the need to watch this. I had low expectations generally, and most specifically, I could only assume the picture would suffer from tawdry, boorish jingoism if not also racism. Even seen from afar, the concept sounds like one that will struggle to provide entertainment. Sit to watch, and to at least some extent I admit I'm a little surprised - I assumed 'Osombie' would be outright awful, but it comes off instead as a very mixed bag. That's hardly a trio of words that should inspire confidence, but when we're talking about movies in this level, "very mixed bag" can be taken as a compliment.
Filmmaker John Lyde has a long list of credits in TV and indie productions, and his direction is broadly solid if unremarkable - balanced out with some especially nice shots and scenes. Also wearing hats here as co-producer, cinematographer, and co-editor, I think he demonstrates fine capability all around. The filming locations are gorgeous (Utah, standing in for Afghanistan); costume design, props and weapons, and set design are swell. Action scenes, and the makeup, blood and gore, and practical effects realizing the zombies, all look good; while computer-aided visuals are sometimes too over the top (think headshots in action-horror videogames), given the slant of the film - sure, why not. Though unremarkable in the grand scheme of things, in and of itself I quite like James Schafer's original music, tinged with rock vibes.
On the other hand, Kurt Hale's screenplay is the chief source of those three key words, "very mixed bag." Dialogue is all over the place: in quieter moments it's hackneyed and unnecessary, while when geared towards plot development it's Just So. In attempts at any humor, at least half such lines are juvenile, tired tripe, leaving only a handful of quips, one-liners, and otherwise jokes to inspire some happy little neurons to fire off. Characters are written with a modicum of personality, but are mostly uninteresting; with only two women given any prominence, "Dusty" and "Tomboy" end up being the best characters just because they stand out. (Eve Mauro and Danielle C. Ryan lucked out.) Meanwhile, the expository attempt at an explanation for the zombie problem comes off as forced, strained, grasping at straws, an exercise in videogame logic. The overall narrative is almost extraneous and uninteresting, and seems to have gotten the least attention of anything. And the scene writing struggles or succeeds roughly following the pattern of the content I've described - though with unpredictable results from one moment to the next, and some inclusions are 100% superfluous.
Whatever particular weaknesses or strengths one may cite, though, the biggest flaw of all is deep inconsistency in tone. It could have been a schlocky but fun action-horror feature, and there are some ideas in the screenplay that are ripe for a more earnest genre romp. At other points 'Osombie' is so wildly preposterous or over the top that it feels like a horror-comedy, a parody of zombie flicks and military stories. At still other times scenes are so bland and uninspiring that they become all but soporific. Weirdly enough, all this rather seems to be embodied in the character Tomboy. She's a hard-boiled soldier like the dime-a-dozen bros - but also carries a sword for melee combat (and scenes in which she uses it are some of the most satisfying in the whole film!). She refuses to proceed lockstep with the more tasteless humor of her fellows, but also fleetingly illustrates romantic interest in one of the others and is commonly seen with... a lollipop. I like Ryan as an actor, and I think she's fine in this role - but the role is written very unevenly, in an unmistakable echo of the picture at large.
What it all comes down to is that it really seems like 'Osombie' didn't know what it truly wanted to be. It's well made generally, and I maintain that Lyde is a competent director. Yet the screenplay oscillates with scant rhyme or reason between silly, fun, bland, overcooked, and unnecessary - and with that, the acting, direction, and the rest of the production at large seem like they're scrambling to pick up the pieces and make something out of the hodgepodge of notions herein. Good ideas, adequate craft, some reliable people involved, all running around to make sense of what is sometimes almost senseless, directionless writing. When all is said and done I can very honestly say that this is better than I anticipated, but how much that really means is up for debate. I suppose if you're a major fan of someone involved, or extra curious, then there's a special reason to watch this, but for anyone else - well, so long as you keep your expectations low, it's passably enjoyable for a lazy, slow day. Even for as many problems as it has 'Osombie' is marginally enjoyable; would that it were more focused in one way or another.
