DEAD UNDEAD

DEAD UNDEAD

1990’s pop heart-throb Luke Goss never faded into obscurity like some of his poptastic peers. As Goss’ legion of besotted female fans made the transition from screaming teenagers to MILF’s, likewise Goss has (thankfully) swapped the recording studio for the film set. Goss has starred in a healthy array of movies such as Blade 2, Hellboy 2, 13 Graves and now the insanely titled DEAD UNDEAD!

The movie begins with a familiar but lacklustre scenario, with five friends in their 20’s are about to embark on their summer vacation. Vehicle trouble means they take refuge in a deserted Motel in nowhere-ville USA. Despite the absence of any proprietors, the group ludicrously let themselves into the room with the excuse that they will "pay later". Almost immediately strange events start to unfold. First there is an uncanny child who appears in one of their rooms. Then, after having an imprudent dip in the nearby lake, one of the girls starts to feel very ill. But her ailment, we soon learn, can’t be cured by any pharmacy.

As night falls, the group are beset by some hideous beasts. These are not shuffling zombies – the abhorrent creatures are high energy blood thirsty monsters. The inane party are rescued by 5 renegade Zombie hunters, who are tooled up to the back teeth with military grade weaponry. Jack (Goss) heads the group who all in turn have a tale to tell as to why they have undertaken such a mission. An arsenal of weapons pitted against a horde of monsters can only mean good news for gore hounds right?!? In between the high octane combat, Jack explains to the sole survivor of the original gang his militia’s plight. They themselves are politically correct vampires if you will! (Basically, they abstain from human blood drinking only the blood of cattle). But in these times of crazy cow disease, the vampire’s vigour is being severely compromised. Will the honourable vampires overcome the ZeeVee’s (That’s short for Zombie Vampire hybrids… Goss’s dialogue not my invention!) or will the vampire instincts take over once and for all?

Well writer Edward Conna and director Matthew R Anderson have certainly tried to serve up an original take on the undead tradition with this one! What starts as another mundane teenage frightfest soon entwines some fresh ideas into the plot. For example Gabrielle and Aries, part of Jacks gang, originate from the mythical Valhalla battle fields where they were Vikings. This is told with a short flashback sequence, as is another member of the squad who derived from a tragic scenario in the Wild West. Daring to be original can bring a few problems, none more so then rendering the narrative a little ludicrous.

The good news is that this absurdity is balanced with a relentless barrage of ferocious violence. The budget is way above average with explosions a plenty. But the most pleasing aspect of the film for me was the effective blend of squibs and CGI. Take your eye of the screen for more than a minute and you are bound to miss someone being blown apart or ravaged! The slight problem arises of the incessant gunfire becoming a little tedious after an hour or so, but at least the movie can’t be accused of lacking action.

In truth its brainless fun that yearns to be something more complex. With a plot that eludes to Dead Undead being merely the first chapter of this confused saga, one can only imagine what the sequel might be called. The Dead Undead Dead of the Undead Dead wouldn’t be a bad one me feels. As long as they keep the budget inflated and stock up on ammo and not too bothered!

Review by Marc Lissenburg


 
Released by Metrodome Group
Region 2 - PAL
Rated 18
Extras :
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