Zombies of Mass Destruction DVD Review
Zombies of Mass Destruction DVD Review
Seek and destroy all copies of this DVD.
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Hoping to follow in the shambling footsteps of zom-coms like Shaun of the Dead, Fido, and Dead and Breakfast — not to mention sociopolitical satire ala the zombie king himself, George A. Romero — Zombies of Mass Destruction has a few funny and freaky beats… but that's about all there is to recommend it.
The ooey-gooey action takes place in Port Gamble, a picturesque and quaint town ill-equipped to accommodate upgrades. So when an Iranian family, a gay couple, and a female mayoral candidate all start to shake stuff up at once… the collective cork pops and a zombie outbreak is somehow inevitable.
At first, there's some set up showing our four heroes in everyday mode. The pretty hero-chick is Frida (Janette Armand), a sweet but sassy Persian-American college dropout who's recently returned home to help her father run the family restaurant. On top of having to remind everyone that she's not Iraqi, she has a dumb-as-a-stump wannabe rocker boyfriend to deal with. Tom (Doug Fahl) and Lance (Cooper Hopkins) have come home to come out. Lance is already flying his rainbow flag loud and proud, but Tom, a successful broker on Wall Street, is still concerned about how his estranged mother and the Port Gamble townies will take the news. The last corner on the square shield of zombie mass destruction is local schoolteacher and resident granola-cruncher, Cheryl (Cornelia Moore). She's decided to run for Mayor, which doesn't sit too well with the good old boy incumbent.
Armand is the best actor of the bunch and is certainly the most likable, relatable and natural person. Therefore, the filmmakers decide to give her the least screen time. Fahl and Hopkins are playing pretty stereotypical fey men, but they do it well in spite of being given some rather awkward dialogue. Moore is not very good at all, unfortunately. Even in the "reaction shots" — some of them being very clumsily inserted and not even color matched — she's stilted. The square peg / square hole preacher is predictably played, as are the ignorant, small-minded townspeople.
The zombies seem to be having fun and there is an excess amount of grimy grossness, so if you can get by the almost interminable first 30 minutes or so, Zombies of Mass Destruction just might be your cup of meat.
There's nothing wrong with being low budget and showing it, but add to that burden the extremely poor acting, bad lighting, choppy editing and weak script, and, well… you get what you've got with Zombies of Mass Destruction.
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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson