This is one of those movies I've been looking forward to seeing during the challenge this year. It's a newer movie that's gotten a ton of good buzz, even from people who don't typically like horror movies. A lot of people are calling this a "thinking man's horror movie," which is a snide way of complimenting this movie while insulting other horror movies (because no THINKING MAN watches those OTHER horror movies, just us uneducated hillbilly folk) but I thought I might like this movie. It's not the movie's fault if its fans are arrogant pricks, and I love me a good horror movie, so I was excited to check this out.
I threatened everyone I knew with violent bloody death if they spoiled this (or any other) movie for me, so I knew next to nothing about it going in. It's about a girl, and she presumably has gifts of some kind, I suppose. Thanks to one of those aforementioned snide jerky people who couldn't keep their mouths shut about the plot, I also knew it has something to do with zombies.
I used to tell people I didn't like zombie movies in general. They're certainly not my favorite subgenre, like slashers, where I can enjoy most of them even if they're bad. No, with zombie movies, I was far less forgiving. If they were stupid or annoying, I hated them, and I'd seen enough stupid and annoying ones that I preferred not to watch them at all for fear I'd be wasting my time. It took me years before I'd seen enough good zombie movies that I was willing to give them a chance. Now I don't really mind thenm, but the good ones, the gems that stand out and become some of my favorite movies, those are rare. I'd probably list "Berlin Undead," "Dead Snow," "28 Days Later," and the original "Night of the Living Dead" among them. Maybe "World War Z," since I'm the only person in the world who likes that movie. And now this movie joins that list of great zombie movies, too.
The acting in this movie is top notch. I found myself staring in shock at the screen a few times just enjoying the performances. I don't do that very often. Glenn Close is great as always, but Gemma Arterton, Sennia Nenua, and even Paddy Considine do a great job in their roles as well. The depiction of a small group of people trying to survive after the end of the world is devastating as always.
That's one of the reasons movies like this work so well for me...I fear the end of the world and how I would survive it. Movies like this give me a kind of hope that there's a way to go on even after the worst you fear has happened. I'm thankful to movies like this for doing what I know horror stories are capable of doing so well: showing true evil and showing that maybe it can be survived. Thanks, horror movies (the best ones) for helping me find the hope at the bottom of Pandora's box.
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