By: debbie lynn elias
A post-apocalyptic zombie story told from a zombie’s point of view? And a love story at that? With a living human? For producer Todd Lieberman, that’s exactly what spurred him onward with the production of WARM BODIES. Thanks to co-producer Bruna Papandrea, who found the Isaac Marion novel on which WARM BODIES is based and brought it to Summit where it thereafter found its way to Lieberman, “I remember vividly reading the first three pages and keying in a tone that I had never seen before, and an idea that I had never seen before – a zombie movie told from the zombie’s point of view…and the ability to convey angst, humor, drama, all in the same fell swoop.” I, for one, am glad Lieberman read those first three pages and then kept going because WARM BODIES is an absolutely delightful film! With a dystopian Romeo and Juliet feeling, WARM BODIES is sweet, charming, heartwarming and adorable. I know, I know. Who would ever think of zombies as sweet and adorable, but with the character of R and his shy tentative teen-aged boy angst filled nervousness of girls, and particularly when it comes to the living breathing Julie, bubbling to the surface, the blood just rushes to your heart, warming you with happiness. WARM BODIES is like Mary Poppins giving you a spoonful of sugar with heart and a smile.
It’s been 8 years since a mysterious pandemic virus consumed the world and but for a surviving few hundred or so who are now living in The Green Zone, a Camelotesque bunker enforced world, humanity has been turned into flesh-eating monsters in various stages of decay, but all without any memories of their past lives. Living in The Dead Zone, Zombies survive by eating the living when they dare venture forth from the Green Zone. If the Zombies don’t feed, they then turn into Boneys which in turn eat both zombies and living humans. ( Of course, humans venturing past the walls is a necessary evil in order to secure medicines and supplies that have been abandoned in the zombie-ridden Dead Zone.) But the best part of eating humans is that if you eat the brain, you “see” the memories of your victim. And so, during a raid by one party of brave humans, the group is attacked by some zombies, including the meek, mild-mannered R who locks eyes with the lovely human Julie who just happens to be the daughter of the military-minded, shoot-to-kill, survivalist president.
Feeling “something” for Julie, R grabs her, taking her to his “home” where he can protect her from both the Zombies and the Boneys. For R, “home” is an old 747 filled with decades of nostalgia, history and life with everything from vinyl record collections to snow globes and twinkle lights. It’s like a magical fairyland. (All that’s missing is the absinthe Green Fairy.) Initially skeptical about R and this “prison” he calls home, Julie not only sees the world from a different perspective, but slowly begins to see changes in R. The eyes are not so vacant. The movements not so stoney. And as for R, he starts to fall in love.
But what happens when Julie returns to the Green Zone and R follows her?
Nicholas Hoult just melts the heart. Delivering an extraordinarily soulful physical and emotional character metamorphosis through physical movement, facial nuance and particularly movement of his mouth and speech pattern, as R, Hoult oozes charismatic charm. Your own heart grows ten sizes larger with his effectively stirring and sweet nuance. It’s easy to see why Julie would see something beyond the vacant black eyes of a zombie. Hand in hand with Hoult’s exemplary performance is Adrien Morot’s special effects “zombie” make-up which takes on a life of its own as R “changes”.
Teresa Palmer is quickly establishing herself as an actress who can not only deliver emotion and character but excel in action. Here, as Julie, Palmer walks the fine line of fear and trust, while embracing an emotional softness, and on the turn of a dime, goes toe-to-toe with a hard hitting John Malkovich or jumping into hand-to-hand combat with zombies ready to eat her brains out.
Scene stealing is the best description for R’s best friend M, played by Rob Corddry. With dialogue consisting of grunts, stilted heads and lumbering extremity movement, Corddry and Hoult actually have meaningful conversation that is more than comprehensible for the audience. While Hoult has this soulful sweet aura about him, Corddry brings a great earnest innocence that just grows more powerful with time. Key is that Corddry also elicits sympathy and empathy, establishing a firm connection with the audience that sparks inquisitiveness.
So often overlooked as a supporting player is Annaleigh Tipton. Here, as Julie’s best friend Nora, Tipton is hysterical! She not only provides a comedic pragmatism that I wish we saw more of in the film, but herself has a dynamic scene with Malkovich. Hey, would you be pulling a gun on him? She does it without a flinch.
And what about John Malkovich? As General Grigio, he provides a commanding presence not only within the context of the story but on screen as well. The veteran meshes well with his younger counterparts while walking the line of paternal concern and hard-nosed commander-in-chief who believes force is always the answer. By the same token, because of an audience’s built-in expectations for Malkovich, the film benefits by the preconceived “crazy edge performances” that permeate Malkovich’s storied career.
Written and directed by Jonathan Levine based on the young adult novel by Isaac Marion, Levine does what Levine does best – he taps into the humanness of humanity and the core of what it means to be human. Described by John Malkovich as “a difficult tone to achieve”, as he did with The Wackness and 50/50, Levine delivers well defined characters that are textured and layered. All the shades of grey are tackled very simply and subtly. However, a very noticeable problem comes with the dialogue. While the dialogue is simple, sweet, even cute, it doesn’t mesh with the actors cast in the roles. The film’s narrative by R is great, but the dialogue itself is very “junior high” and doesn’t fit with the age of the actors on screen.
Following through with a meticulous tonal development, where Levine truly excels is the advanced visuals with WARM BODIES. While his prior films are more character-centric, he now shows a truly elevated and blended skill set, stepping up the technical end of the film. Thanks to Javier Aguirresarobe’s cinematography, the film has not only a great visual softness, but a visual tone that exhibits great play with light and framing which is integral to the production design. Wide shots lovingly capture the loneliness and desolation of the Dead Zone. And the use of lens flares is just beautiful for the “memory” flashback sequences. The self-contained Green Zone is like a medieval Camelot, totally self-contained and sustaining within the walls of the city, harboring its own set of light, shadows and warm hidden color. As opined by producer Lieberman, it was apparent that the film would be “really execution dependent…It’s such a tonal tightrope. Tone is really tricky.”, but because Jonathan Levine was at the helm, “I had all the faith in the world that he’d be able to do it.” And he does. WARM BODIES sets a new standard for the genre.
Creating a timeless feeling, production designer Martin Whist outdoes himself with the creation of very distinct worlds and most notably, the airport where R’s group of zombies live and specifically, R’s airplane home. With an airport setting, Levine gives us a wonderfully visual metaphor for R’s life – he wants to live and “fly” but doesn’t remember how or why until Julie. She gives him his wings.
And let’s hear it for special effects CGI and the creation of the Boneys!! A silver-grey toned version of the skeletal mummy’s in the Scorpion King’s army in The Mummy, the Boneys are one of the highlights of the film, as is the blend of live action, breaking glass, natural elements and CGI to create a fully realized fight sequence.
Exhilarating is the music which employs classic vinyl gems from the past, among them, John Waite’s Missing You, The Scorpions Rock You Like a Hurricane, Bob Dylan’s Shelter from the Storm and Springsteen’s Hungry Heart. Adding to the timeless visual quality thanks to un-aging zombies and the decor of R’s 747, the music provides another level of timelessness, and making the soundtrack a must own.
A love story, an action movie, a comedy, a romantic comedy, a drama, a horror movie – all those things blended together – WARM BODIES has something for everyone. Jonathan Levine continues to step up his game as he taps into the humanness of humanity with WARM BODIES. Guaranteed to warm even the coldest heart.
Written and Directed by Jonathan Levine based on the novel by Isaac Marion.
Cast: Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, Annaleigh Tipton, John Malkovich, Dave Franco
