Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End

Apocalyptic times will have you surviving the best way you can. A virus spreads fast across the world, creating rabid creatures. A man and his cat look for safe places to hide on sea and on land, as the food is dwindling. This movie is a story of survival by any means necessary. The physical and emotional aspects of this movie grasped me, as I was watching. I cared about the main character and his fight to survive. The tension and infection is rising as the cat starts to feel grumpy. Overall i enjoyed the movie & I am hoping for a part two, sequel, or prequel. Make it happen Hollywood. I love zombie movies.

Plot

Manel is sheltering from a rabies-like disease which sweeps the planet, until he is forced to leave and meet unlikely but essential traveling companions.

Cast

Not familiar with anyone of the cast but Director Carles Torrens I'm familiar with, though with mix results.

Verdict

As a life long mid 40's horror fanatic by favourite sub-genre has always been zombies. However I'm not as excited booting a new zombie movie up like I used to be as generally they're cliché ridden, trope saturated generic messes and it's rare I come across one I truly enjoy. Part of reason is that they're cheap to make so indie filmmakers with no budget and even less talent are making them and even when the budget is there the originality has waned.

With a generic title like Apocalypse Z which would befit a Scyfy original I went in assuming the absolute worst but found myself engrossed in an entertaining and likeable affair.

Following a single character has been done before but tends to be the setup for rather boring zombie movies this bucks that trend and was very engaging. His tiny travelling companion added both joy and consistent dread throughout the film which I enjoyed but very easily could have not.

The film isn't perfect, it has a mediocre ending and suffers from pacing issues a couple of times but overall this is one of the better zombie movies I've seen in the last 5 years and is well worth a watch for anyone who is a fan of the sub-genre.

Rants

I have 6 cats, they're my world. Being a crazy cat dad and generally a person who looks at the world with a animals > people stance made me wince throughout the movie. I had to Google in advance to find out if the pet dies, if the answer had been yes I wouldn't have watched this as that to me is the biggest horror trope that needs to die. What it did bring here though was heart racing dread and genuine concern, I approve! Horror movies simply don't scare me anymore and haven't for 30 odd years but this dread was a surprising and appreciate substitute.

The Good

Solid character development Some original moments The cat element really worked

The Bad

Weak finale Slumps a couple of times.

Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End is a solid addition to the zombie horror genre. While it doesn't bring anything groundbreaking, it's a well-made film with good acting, an engaging story of a man and his cat surviving in what feels like the end of the world, and endless waves of bloodthirsty undead. Notably, this movie features "fast zombies," so expect lots of frantic chases and intense action.

After watching the trailer, I had high expectations, so I was a bit disappointed by the slow start. The first 45 minutes had little action, but it turned out to be the calm before the storm. Suddenly, the pace shifted, and in just a few minutes, Apocalypse Z went from zero to one hundred. From then on, the film was packed with action.

The movie delves into relationships on several levels. The main character has flashbacks about his late wife, frequently tries to talk to his sister, and, of course, converses with his cat. He also meets new allies and enemies among the survivors. As the story progresses, these relationships reveal their importance to both the protagonist's journey and the plot itself.

While the second half has plenty of zombies, Apocalypse Z reminds us that even during an apocalypse, there's something more dangerous than the undead lurking around every corner: other survivors. Resources are scarce, and desperate times bring out the worst in some, while others take a dark pleasure in chaos.

The special effects are skillfully done and add to the film's quality. Certain zombies, like the abandoned baby, are especially haunting. Although we're seeing more child zombies in recent films, not every director takes the risk of showing humanity's youngest transformed into such horrific figures.

The ending may not surprise seasoned fans of the genre; it's predictable but leaves on a cliffhanger. It's my hope that a sequel will explore what happens next, turning Apocalypse Z into a saga like 28 Days Later and other notable zombie series.

In sum, if you enjoy classic zombie horror with compelling human relationships, Apocalypse Z is definitely worth a watch.

Despite the terrible title, this isn't half bad. It may be the most character driven zombie movie I've seen since the wonderful 28 Days Later. These zombies are created through a virus that first has a long incubation period and is under control until a new variant comes along (sound familiar?) in which that time period is reduced to mere minutes and we are off and running. The film starts out strong establishing the main character and a startling car accident. He is the focal point from there on in along with, honest, his cat. His attachment to this cat is one of the more affecting aspects here, though some of it is a bit preposterous that he could contain this cat through all they go through, but it's a movie and they do plug along. It is a bit distracting though as I found myself worrying if it was eating, wondering how did it go to the bathroom, etc. Lol. There's less action in this than most zombie movies these days as this is more character driven. That works for me as constant action & noise can be monotonous. It's a Spanish film and the lead, Francisco Ortiz, was unknown to me, but I hope to see him again as he's a very strong presence. The ending action was a bit much to me, but the final scene is dark and leaves this open to a sequel. Id so, I hope it has a better title.

What a surprise when I came across this film the other day. I had bought the Kindle book version in 2020, and it was a blast reading, so much that when I finished it I went for the Part 2. The film similarity to the book is huge, with some changes but acceptable, missing the part in which its main Character has to do a mission for the russian sailors downtown, but for the rest is a very easy going film if you accept zombie movies and that not all zombies may die if wounded in the head.

As always there is so much more in a book reading than in its movie recreation. I would recommend the film and so the book.