Zone of the Dead

This one is another zombie flick from a non-Hollywood production. In the passed years we have seen so many movies based on the contamination-turns- men-to-zombies from around the world (even Thailand). To be honest, this particular movie could have been much better 'cause the atmosphere is good and creepy, the zombies are greatly done and the action is OK. But all this package is ruined by the poor (to non-existent) performance of the actors/actresses and the bad -not to say crap- lines. BUT -yes there is a BUT here- if you're a fan of those bloodthirsty creatures called zombies, walkers etc and you love to see shooting, chopping and all the relevant stuff these movies produce and provide, you can gather some friends, make some popcorn, watch it and then, turn off your DVD and just forget about it.

The good thing about zombie films is that they're inherently entertaining. Even the really poor ones are often unintentionally amusing, like Bruno Mattei's hopeless Italian efforts. So when it came to watching APOCALYPSE OF THE DEAD, a retitled version of the 2009 film ZONE OF THE DEAD, I was in high spirits. I knew that it was a cheap and cheerful B-movie, I wasn't expecting too much from it, and I was fully prepared to disengage my brain and have a good time.

It's worth noting that this is Serbia's first zombie film, although don't let that excite you too much; as with much foreign fare these days, it's content to rip-off American content, inevitably in this case Romero's dead trilogy (which is referenced at numerous points in the narrative). In case the similarities weren't strong enough already, the producers also cast DAWN OF THE DEAD's Ken Foree in a leading role here. I have a lot of goodwill towards Foree for his role in that movie, so I was even more interested in watching this as the credits rolled.

It's not really surprising that this film doesn't turn out to be very good at all. It's a classic B-movie in the sense that everything that takes place is familiar from other, better productions; one film that's content to rip-off rather than try its hand at something more original. The story of a zombie outbreak is told on the cheap, as a group of rather uninteresting characters barricade themselves inside a police station and try to figure out what to do about the ravenous creatures outside.

Sadly, the predictable storyline is made worse by the two directors, who seem unable to give their film any suspense or real drive. Time and again they have long, drawn-out conversations take place between people while zombies approach in the background. Now, in an effective zombie film, everything would be about the potential menace and the need to get away as quickly as possible from the threat, but here the characters chat away as if they haven't got a care in the world. It makes for boring viewing.

The performances are pretty much what you'd expect from an ultra-cheap film of this sort, the characterisation is half-hearted and unrealistic, and the joke-shop effects aren't really worth writing home about either. The film also feels rather restrained, despite one or two unpleasant moments, and even Foree himself isn't very good; he seems tired and subdued, and he isn't a patch on the menacing character he played in Romero's movie. You feel sorry for him, in a way, for wasting his time appearing in such instantly forgettable dreck.

OK, I get it: zombie movies don't need great acting, or a good story or decent camera work to be watchable or entertaining. But what we have here is some of the worst examples of all of the above. Really terrible doesn't even describe it, because it still leaves open the possibility of this movie being truly bad, yet somehow fun. However, "Zone of the Dead" is as much fun as a visit to the dentist. A drunken dentist, that is.

I wish it had one redeemable quality worth mentioning. Even Foree is awful in this one, not to mention the rest of the wooden protagonists. Don't waste your time.

InterPol agents join forces with a dangerous prisoner to fend off the zombie hordes.

Zone of the Dead is a zombie actioner produced in Serbia. Many low budget zombie films are still effective, however, Zone of Dead isn't one of them and is poorly put together.

Stefano Caprioli's score is good but it's unevenly placed over the film, at times distracting. The same can be said for the sound. The make up effects are well done and the setting adds atmosphere. There's a handful of sets ups with a little sword and gun play. Milan Todorovic and Vukota Brajovic's story is adequate. Directors Milan Konjevic and Milan Todorovic over use the shaky cam look and there's no getting away from Konjevic's sub-par screenplay.

Kristina Klebe as Agent Mina Milius lights up the screen and of course there's Ken Foree but they can't save that poor script which is badly delivered by the majority of rest of the cast.

It faults are to distracting for you to sit back and enjoy it as much as it may deserve. All the ingredients are there but someone wasn't watching the cooking times. True DTV hell.

This movie is a fun, popcorn flick. It's not the best zombie movie ever made, not by a long shot, but I had a great time watching it.

Ken Foree (from the original Romero's Dawn of the Dead) is one of my favorite horror actors. I will watch anything starring Foree, and he does not disappoint here. This is his movie - all the way. And I liked Kristina Klebe very much as well - she's very good with the shotgun.

The other actors are in the movie for the body-count, but this is a zombie movie after all - we need to have some victims, don't we? The death of Yovana (Iskra Brajovic) was the best kill in the movie, Miroslav Lakobrija's special effects are top notch considering the budget.

A must see for all zombie fans out there.

3/5