SHOCKtober! The Zombie Diaries
Welcome to the zombie movie where nothing ever happens…
The Zombie Diaries is a British flick that came out a few years back and seems to take inspiration from Max Brookes’ excellent novel World War Z. The idea here is that different groups of survivors film the outbreak in different stages (which means a whole load of shaky cam), showing their experiences trying to survive the zombie invasion.
Remember when “bird flu” was big? You know, before the pigs took over? Well, The Zombie Diaries was filmed during that time and as such uses it as a launching pad for a pandemic. The zombies here are slow-walkers who have all been infected with this particular virus. It’s a cool way to make the story relevant to today’s audience, but the problem here is – like I said – nothing ever happens in this movie. The different stories all wind up tying loosely together at the end, but there are very few zombie kills, very few tense moments, and a whole lot of bad actors walking around, wringing their hands, saying, “What are we gonna do?” And when the zombies are actually on the screen, they almost seem harmless. They’re taken down with ease, and the times they actually do make contact with the survivors it’s unclear how they managed to sneak up. In one scene, a guy is sitting in a car safe from harm and a second later there’s a zombie on top of him. How did he get there?
It’s not that The Zombie Diaries is a “bad” movie. It’s just incredibly slow-paced and certainly drags throughout the majority of the picture. About halfway through we’re introduced to a group of survivors who are living on a farm and shit starts to get interesting. If you like your zombie flicks to be more human interest pieces involving tales of survival and how people interact, this might be up your alley. Just don’t expect The Walking Dead.
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Tags: shocktober, zombie diaries, Zombies
