A blatant Twilight-esque twist on a classic love story, Jonathan Levine's Warm Bodies looks to cash in on the recent vampire craze with its quirky, unique, and witty style. And while the film proves to bear a brisk pace and offer up a few laughs, its overall demeanor and silly schematics make it a lukewarm affair at best.
Nicholas Hoult stars as R, a highly unusual zombie with a complex sense of hesitation when it comes to eating humans. When R rescues Julie (Teresa Palmer) from an attack, Julie slowly begins to realize that her hero is a bit different from those walking around nearby. The pair ultimately form a truly special relationship, struggling to stay alive as they find themselves the prey to two entirely different species.
Much of the dialogue is delivered through voiceover, with a growing ability to speak amongst a few of those experiencing life after death. This allows for a baseline of information to be presented"”forcing the audience to assume nothing and just sit back and listen. It isn't that I didn't enjoy the basic, almost juvenile approach, but I will say that it makes for a very lackluster experience.
Thankfully, Levine is able to present the film with a style that was visually pleasing (though painfully cliché). The first half is strong as the story and characters become introduced and viewers become accustomed to a group of zombies that are a bit more agile than those of movies past, but Warm Bodies putters to the finish line, losing steam as the runtime wears on. The final few minutes prove immensely frustrating as obvious CGI takes over with unrealistic scenery and ridiculous situations.
Rob Corddry, Dave Franco, and John Malkovich provide strong supporting work, giving the film a slew of talent to feast upon. Levine is successful in pulling out the good in each actor, though the script rarely keeps pace with any of their talents. The throwback scenes to the easily referenced Romeo and Juliet provided for some creative smirks, but the symmetric elements are anything but natural within the flow of the story.
At the end of the day, Warm Bodies is a decent attempt to breathe new life into the dead-beaten zombie genre. Sure, the term "forbidden love" takes on a whole new meaning here, but what did you expect from a zombie romantic comedy?
