Customer Reviews

Zombie Apocalypse: Redemption

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Zombie Apocalypse: Redemption (2011), directed by Ryan Thompson, takes place years after the initial outbreak, with a diverse cast of characters. Governments of the world attempted to use nuclear weapons to fight the millions of undead, which had no effect, and screwed over the remaining survivors even more. Not surprisingly, the survivors form different groups and fight over what little resources are left.

The main character, Johnny Knox, falls in with a group led by a drug-addicted psycho named Rome. Knox has trouble following Rome's orders, and is sentenced to death. His brother takes him out to the desert, rather than watch Knox be burned at the stake. Knox is nearly killed by some zombies, when he is rescued by another group of survivors. They are led by a guy named Moses, played by none other than Hollywood B-movie legend Fred "The Hammer" Williamson. When Rome finds out that Moses and his fellow survivors are harboring Knox, he orders his raiders to completely wipe out the camp, including the women and children.

There is no lack of action in this movie, and the special effects are better than what you often find in a SyFy weekend movie. The dialogue was pretty entertaining as well, with some great lines, and a talented cast that did not disappoint. As a matter of fact, ZA:R won "Best Movie Made in Michigan" at the 2011 Motor City Nightmares.

Even going in with low-low expectations, I was amazed by how amateur this production proved to be. The acting was painful to watch, the fight sequences were so lame, the story was over ripe....leaving me hard pressed to find any redeeming feature worth boasting about. Oh yeah, it was also too long by 101 minutes.
Not a keeper.

Zombie Apocalypse: Redemption is a bare bones, low budget movie made by folks who appear to be having fun with what was clearly a labor of love. The basic synopsis of the plot is that John Knox, the main character, is condemned to death by the group of Apocalyptic Raiders he fell in with after the dead have risen and the world is overrun by zombies. The reason for his sentence is that he no longer wants to follow the leader Rome, who like Knox is ex-military, but is a psychopath that slaughters for fun and for no other discernible reason. Knox is allowed to escape by one of the other members of the group who apparently also doesn't like Rome much either (and gets executed for his troubles). The escape isn't without hardships, since Knox is left handcuffed and is sent out into the desert. He manages to avoid getting devoured by a zombie and gets rescued by a band that roams the wastelands doing their best to fend for themselves. They are led by a man named Moses (Fred Williamson) who is likely the only member of the cast that the vast majority of the audience might know. Knox does his best to help his new found friends, even though trust is hard to come by given the fact that they know of his raider past. At the same time, his old nemesis, Rome, wants Knox found and executed, and so the hunt is on. Of course, the two groups end up clashing and in the end this tale becomes a battle between good and evil, with a horde of the undead smack dab in the middle of it all.
I was provided this movie for review because I am essentially a zombie-fiend. I review mainly zombie and other horror-type novels, but now and then I will review a movie. Yes, this is a very low budget movie and is very much a b-grade flick. Some of the dialog was a bit rough and every now and then unintentionally amusing. Jerry Lynch, who plays the head bad guy, appears to be fond enough of chewing scenery that he probably got indigestion after he was done here. Nope, this one won't win any major awards, but for me, it was a fun post apocalyptic zombie flick. You sort of have to just go with it-accept the limitations of having minimal budget, no real known actors, and a simple apocalyptic premise. If you can do that, this movie is fun to watch. The concept is workable, with a bit of a Road Warrior type feel to the bad guys with their mishmash of armor and a deluded leader who craves power. Fred Williamson might be a bit too old to be doing fight scenes (he is over 70, after all), but even watching him do that after having seen him in plenty of classic B-Grade action flicks of the past brought a smile to my face. This is a simple, rock 'em, sock 'em zombie flick with a high body count and no hidden meanings. Pick your side, grab a weapon, and kill both the undead as well as the living that would kill you first if they had the chance. Go in knowing what to expect here and you will probably have some fun with this one.

Don't get me wrong most zombie movies can be cheesy but funny in that sense, this was jus bad, if u want a good zombie movie get the horde or dawn o the dead remake

So, I have to disclose that I have ties to one of the performers (Richard Raphael). I popped this DVD into my player with a bit of concern. After all, I am a bit of a movie snob, and especially when it comes to the zombie genre. That said, I had a great time watching this movie. Some of the fun was seeing Richard act like a goon for the bad guys...but some of it was just being able to have fun and NOT take this film seriously. Now, that might sound bad to some, but the reality is that this is an indie film. Not that there aren't amazing bits of cinema out there from the indies, but for those who watch the SyFy movies...those are gems of fun if you take them as such and don't try to get too serious.

Some observation, the women were so over the top, the outfits were...well let's just say they were NOT dressed for an apocalypse. The central "hero" was a poor man's C. Thomas Howell. And Fred Williamson, bless his heart, when he jumped across the hood of the truck "Dukes of Hazzard" style...well it brought me to tears. I haven't had that good of a laugh during a zombie movie since Shaun of the Dead.

This movie is fun! Period.

Independent, low budget movie I know but I was expecting something a little better than this garbage! The people who made this should be ashamed of themselves. Dont watch I'm begging you!

this indie film is put together really well. It is exceptional in special effects, music and setup. The characters are well put together. If you like Walking Dead this is much better, as the characters are not cleaned up and ready to go. They are dirty and they do dirty things. Never a dull moment

The first couple of reviews must have been written by folks involved in the production. What horrid and inept film making. In an era where lower budget Zombie flics can actually be GREAT there is no excuse for this sort of crap. AVOID IT.

Really, what was I thinking? This is my first review for Amazon, in an attempt to earn some karma points by saving someone else from wasting their time and money on this movie. I'm all for low budget movies, I've enjoyed some great ones multiple times. The Hidden, Bubba Ho-Tep, (or anything with Bruce Campbell, i.e. Army of Darkness,) Shaun of the Dead, all examples of what I think of as low budget great movies. I kept hoping this movie would pick up, improve, come around. Dud. I don't remember if I read the negative reviews, and then ignored them, probably. Please don't. Ken (Otis)

I'd seen the part one thingee -- so was hesitant on this but, have to say all Indy-film aspect aside, I did enjoy it. Film values were good and the zombie make up was not horrible - more of a human drama but did have some REAL good and tensed up zombie moments -- so I'd suggest if you like zombie films as much as i do - don't heistate to add this to your collection.