Zombie Planet (2004)

Good start, but then it gets ruined

Awesome Movie

It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Now, I'm a big fan of Zombie movies. I admit Zombie movies usually aren't all that good, but I like them anyways. Despite the crappy acting and worthless dialogues that occur in almost all Zombie movies, this one is by far the worst. See, there are a few ground rules with zombie-movies. 1. Zombies are suicidal. Tactics is seldom used, and NEVER do they act like a boxer. They don't dodge a blow to the head, they take it with a ugly smile. They don't try and hit you in the face, they grab a hold of your arm and bite it! 2. Zombies can't speak. Only in Evil Dead. Otherwise, they DO NOT SPEAK. 3. You don't fight zombies with melee-ranged weapons. You loose in a melee fight against zombies. Firearms are used. In this movie however, melee is the way to go, which is wrong. Very wrong.It had NO redeeming qualities.If you wish to see a Zombie movie, see one with an average score higher than 3 on IMDb.com

I don't know what critiquing system that the "critic" who works at the local Lexington, KY video store was judging this film by, but as a professional working in the direct-to-video industry, my vote is that Zombie Planet was a solid "B" Horror flick. Compared to the majority of horror in this market, ZP has better production values than 70% or greater of the "junk" currently available. I mean, did anybody say that "B" Horror is supposed to be a work of art? In my opinion, Zombie Planet serves its purpose; it has an entertaining, thought provoking story line, blood, gore, handsome men, and hot chicks - what else could you ask for?

I think that Zombie Planet was a great film. I mean look at how well it has done. It has been released on DVD by Tempe. Tempie also said that that it had the highest pre-order count of "any" film that they have released. Now for such a "tarible" film it sure has done pretty dam good if you ask me. The film was made by a lot of first timers, they put their heart and soul into the production. The story was a great idea. Not only dose it make a interesting film, but it hits a problem that is plaguing America. Obesity. The fact that the still of diet that was used in the film is now all the rage goes to show that they hit the nail on the head with what some people will go through to look like a supermodel even if it risks their health and their life. So just back of and look at the big picture that is panted.

~Spoiler~A zombie flick was practically filmed in my backyard, I know people who are in/worked on the movie, and it still escaped my knowledge. How did that happen??? I still don't know, but it hit DVD and a copy found its way into my hands. I couldn't wait to watch it so a lot of people came over and we made an event out of it. Sadly to say, we were all disappointed. It's hard to write a negative review for it because I feel like I'm rooting against the home team or something. But there are some aspects to the film that could have been drastically better. My biggest complaint is the pacing. Zombie Planet clocks in at 2 hours!! WHAT?? That's just not necessary. And the sad part is it ends with a "to be continued" feel. Where was the editor? So many scenes could have been cut down...needed to be cut down. Just fixing that alone would have made this film light years better. Most of the acting is laughable, but that's to be expected. You can't really complain a whole lot. They're all amateurs, but with so many familiar faces on the screen it's hard not to laugh. Everyone kept saying "Wow, I know that guy." or "I've seen that guy on campus." So that was equally fun and distracting. But the two main characters, Kane and Adam, did fine and that's enough to please me. Another plus is the make-up. Some of the gore is really amazing and it definitely holds up. It's probably the film's biggest strength. Too bad the zombies weren't used more. Much of the movie is backstory and talking. And that's just not what I want to see with a movie titled Zombie Planet. I want to see loads of zombie mayhem and carnage. Another strength was the plot. The zombie plague in this film was brought about due to experimental weight-loss supplements. Of course, they work a little too well and you know what happens next. This is especially effective considering the carb craze as of late. From there the film enters post-apocalyptic territory and it may have been too ambitious for the budget. Maybe the director can fix these problems in Zombie Planet 2: Adam's Revenge. And maybe I'll like the film a bit more when I get some sort of conclusion that was missing from this movie.