Customer Reviews

American Zombie

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

At this point as a society, we've coupled zombies and comedy. I'm sure there are a myriad of compelling psychological reasons why this is so. But whatever our complex need to attach comedic value to something as existentially horrifying as reanimated corpses, it manifests itself in an equally complex milieu. The zombie/comedy dyad operates within a very wide spectrum. Zombie movies can be hilariously funny, a la Sean of the Dead, or stark and terrifying, as in the original Night of the Living Dead (which uses only a sprinkling of comedy to balance the effect).

I think the other reviewers may have expected this movie to be a lot more screwball than it was. The fact that it wasn't doesn't constitute a failure. The slapstick zombie movie is only one type of a surprisingly complex subgenre of cinema. And this ain't it.

American Zombie asks viewers to suspend disbelief to its very limits, and assume that zombies are both real and that they are deserving of deeper consideration. For anyone who ever spent more than an hour in discussion of zombie physiology, cause, and social consequence, this movie is like candy.

The movie (which is conducted like a documentary) follows four "high-functioning" zombies living (also dating, consuming, and working) among regular humans in Los Angeles. Each subject has his or her own take on his unique "condition."

The general feeling of the film is the same as that of a documentary following people diagnosed with an untreatable medical condition. Ivan begins with the statement (paraphrased), "I don't know how long it will be before my body decomposes, so I'm living each day at a time." A second character, Lisa, is first seen wandering (a little plaintively) in a cemetery, admiring funerary bouquets and wondering if she'll ever know who she was in life.

The film plunges into the cause of zombiism: namely that some people carry an inert virus in the brain that isn't activated until the host is the victim of violent death. American Zombie then quickly investigates other compelling ideas like the implication of being an adult with essentially no identity and how the families respond to a loved one who was first a victim then a reanimated corpse with no memory of their past.

The film also investigates how the civil infrastructure manages a zombie population existing in tandem with the human population, from city government census agencies to a not-for-profit advocacy group working to avoid sweatshop-type exploitation of zombie workers.

There are a number of secondary themes, from zombie sexuality to zombie art. The effect is of a fully fleshed out scenario that lacks the gaping continuity holes that characterize 95% of zombie films. It gives the considerate viewer ample material to chew over and provides plenty of meat for discussion (pardon the necrophagy pun). Which, for an audience who groans at every inconsistency and implausibility that plague the genre, proffers a film that addresses our core hunger for a socially responsible zombie movie.

Finally, the film also follows the "filmmakers'" creative and production process. This is actually a little annoying for the first half of the film, and feels a little Lisa Ling (National Geographic)-ish. However, when the filmmakers disprove their own thesis statement, and find that their subjects are not the same as a cancer patient and cannot simply assimilate into the human population, the coverage of the filmmakers takes on a much more urgent life.

The climax of the film is a complete shock, which alone is rare in a well canvassed subgenre of cinema such as zombie movies. I won't ruin it. So I will conclude by saying American Zombie is as much unlike a George Romero or Sean of the Dead movie as one can get and has what it takes to delight and surprise veteran zombie aficionados. More casual audiences might lament it's lack of visual one-liners and lack of back to back gore scenes. But fans of the genre should seek this one out, as it's an infrequent example of a film doing something different with the zombie theme. It's a welcome addition to the canon.

I think the number of people that fall into the target audience for this film is really, really small.

First off, let me say that it is a very well made film, a very slick production that captures the feel of a documentary exceptionally well (as I suppose it should, since Grace Lee apparently makes documentaries). I also think the concept of the film is very clever (that zombies live among us, but they're just another misunderstood and downtrodden subclass...or are they?).

Having said that, it's kind of an odd mix of styles and I'm not sure who will ultimately enjoy the film. I'm not sure how many people who are attracted to the zombie film genre will also be interested in a film which is at its heart a media and identity politics satire. And I'm not sure how many people looking for a media satire will be interested in the zombie subject matter.

I see there is a bit of a debate raging as to what this film actually is: mockumentary, faux documentary, horror movie, etc. I don't really know what the difference between a mockumentary and a faux documentary is. If the difference is that mockumentaries are comedies and faux documentaries are not necessarily comedies, I have to say I think this is intended to be primarily a comedy (or at least, as I said, satire...and my understanding of satire is that it's generally intended to be funny). True, it's a relatively dark and low key comedy, but still a comedy.

Part of the film's problem may be how it is promoted (to the limited extent that it has been promoted); the Netflix capsule review of American Zombie opens: "Part mockumentary, part unabashed gore-fest..."

Well, we can argue about whether or not it's a mockumentary, and it's a matter of personal experience whether it's scary or not, but I don't think anyone could honestly describe this film as "part unabashed gore-fest." So to the extent that that tag would draw the core audience for more typical zombie movies, I think those people will be disappointed.

On the whole, I found it worth watching for its novelty, and I think the film makers hit exactly what they were trying to hit (I'm just not sure how many people are out there waiting for a film to hit that).

My favorite moment: John keeps insisting that the film explore whether or not zombies are eating human flesh. Grace, in irritation, lashes out with the question: "Why do you insist on essentializing zombies to their biological functions?"

If you don't think that's funny, don't get this movie.

An excellent, intellectually stimulating film, much needed in a sub genre full of dross. It engages on many levels and you can really get into the people they meet, they are very interesting.

This is a film that starts light and fluffy, even funny and amusing in places then by the end is deadly serious, those sweet friendly zombies are suddenly clearly as sweet and friendly as a rabid rottweiler. It scared the pants off me and made me worried about the topic - one that doesn't even exist!! Excellent effort. Especially the closing scene.

The one star review here on the page by another reviewer is undeserved. Mockumentaries are not always comedies and don't have to be comedies. They can be comedirs (e.g. Spinal Tap and the other reviewer mentions Zelig) but they can also be deadly serious. There are many serious examples (like the recent post apocalyptic one set in San Francisco- "Ever Since the World Ended").

I do think it works as a funny mockumentary. I laughed out loud many times, more than I can say for many recent comedies. I thought it was a fresh idea and I liked the characters. The final scenes actually did have "horror" in it, as well.

I found it to be a creative interesting concept. i just feel that such a unique plot shouldve been pushed much further than the subtle direction it took. The film does leave you thinking......were the zombies convinced they were normal or were they just trying to convince others? All and all they end up being exactly what you perceive them to be.

This is a movie about zombies. There is nothing in this film that remotely relates to the genre with the exception of the last 15 minutes. This is another soap box, social commentary or op-ed piece designed to mirror the civil rights debate but with the living impaired. Save your money.

American Zombie is a mock documentary that chronicles the lives of four zombies living in Los Angeles. On one level, the movie is a comedy. The humor is subtle, however, and you will not find yourself rolling on the floor with laughter. It has the feel of being a real documentary and makes no attempt to be a side-splitting comedy. Nonetheless, there are some extremely funny moments (especially when we meet the various "experts" who understand everything there is to know about zombie history, culture, and psychology). On another level, American Zombie is a bona fide horror movie. You will have to wait until the last half hour for the terrifying elements to begin, but they will occur. Don't think, however, that you will be able to predict what is going to happen. You will sense that something is coming, but you won't know what until it hits like a two-by-four to the side of your head. American Zombie is probably not funny enough for those who are looking for a comedy, but it is perfect for those who are looking for something different. It is one of the most creative movies that I have seen in a long time.

hard to find anything original with zombies but this one finds higher ground. A mocumentary, two very different indi film makers decide to do a study on the zombie population which has sprung up in major cities. These are not the "ooh ahh, give me brains" zombies. They vary from very low to very high functioning. The film focuses on 4 high functioning zombies: a radical (reminicent of the gay movement), a young man just going about things, an older woman filled with questions and barely supressed rage, and a young woman in full denial. The film tries to show a "slice of life" aspect but conflicting intentions between the two film makes leads them away from the point, and falling prey to their own misconceptions about themselves and the world around them.

I love this movie. I am a die hard zombie fan. This film is a must for genre collectors.

This is a mockumentary on the zombie community. In many ways it is a parody on the gay community. Unfortunately in order to capture the feel of a real documentary, the movie is very boring. The low budget made for very few special effects or zombie make-up. The zombies they follow live boring if not pathetic lives. The real action in the movie starts at a festival called "live dead" which reminded me of a Grateful Dead parking lot. At this point the movie is well past the half way point. Feel free to tell people the surprise ending.

If there isn't one already, then soon there will probably be a pop culture thesis or dissertation to explain or at least examine the explosion of Zombie films in the last decade. The best of these movies are often thinly veiled commentary on our society - but our insatiable appetite for them is a reflection on ourselves also. It would be interesting to know what compels society to produce and support Zombie flicks (and books, and comics, and video games, etc, etc.). I suspect it isn't an entirely healthy attraction.

Regardless, since the industry is still churning them out, the market must be unsaturated, though filmmakers are stretching the genre's boundaries to the breaking point. Hence 'American Zombie', an addition to the fold done in the 'mockumentary' style (which is itself beginning to wear thin). Here we have a group of filmmakers who are prepared to document the 'lives' of Los Angeles' undead community. Within the framework of the film, this community is a disenfranchised, exploited minority, although they can and do mix with the humans around them. It's quickly apparent that one of the people involved in making the film is expressly interested in exposing zombie habits that make this arrangement untenable, and one of the more dry elements of the film is that the others act as if he's showing bad form.

The filmmakers follow four 'revenants'; a slacker teen/early twenties convenience store clerk, an activist for zombie awareness and civil rights, a thirtysomething organic food distributor in denial about her undead status, and a mousy artist full of suppressed anger. The crew follows these four about in typical documentary style, shooting raw footage and cutting away to interviews to fill in the gaps that explain this alternate reality. Meanwhile, the co-directors argue between themselves about the direction filming should take. The footage culminates in the film crew receiving permission to attend 'Live Dead', a undead festival where humans are strictly forbidden. Things start to go poorly for the crew at this point, and in the wrap-up footage, we learn once again why zombies don't make good friends.

The problem with 'American Zombie', as I see it, is that to do a 'mockumentary', you must have a target to mock. This film could have been a piercing unveiling of the pretensions in mockumentary filmmaking itself. Or it could have aimed at fans of the zombie genre in general. Instead, it takes pot shots at whatever is handy - slackers, repressed individuals, loneliness, race relations and civil rights activists, music and arts festivals - and fails to focus on anything specific. As a commentary on modern life, its conclusions are banal; as comedy it's too obvious, and as horror, except for one genuine creepy moment that I won't go into for sake of spoilers, it doesn't even make an attempt. On the plus side, the production value is pretty good - this film probably didn't cost a lot to make, but they've disguised that well and turned in a professional effort. The actors, all unknowns to me, do an excellent job, and though supposedly a comedy, the film stays seriously dedicated, never descending into slapstick or cheap gags.

None of that outweighs the drag of unfocused satire. All in all, an average film, probably best reserved for the ardent zombie junkie, and not for the common horror fan.