Login
Director: Jonathan Levine
His 4th Movie
My 6th movie watched from the director
This is a little better than expected. It's actually kind of a sweet story which makes it strange with the post-zombie apocalypse setting. I suppose that's what they were going for, so it works. The two leads are pretty good and the chemistry is there, also strange. Still, the production overall didn't really impress me - it's not bad, just basic filmmaking.
Added to Lists:
Top Ten Performances - Nicholas Hoult
Stuck in One Place
__________
Location: Montreal, QB, Canada
Warm Bodies Reviews
Embodying Warmth
Posted : 5 months, 3 weeks ago on 2 November 2023 12:06
0 comments, Reply to this entry
A good movie
Posted : 8 years, 5 months ago on 25 November 2015 09:56
Since I kept hearing some interesting things about this flick, I was quite eager to check it out. First of all, the zombie genre is still really popular nowadays and it seems that the film makers have now decided to combine it with some other genres to keep the audience interested somehow. Here, they mixed it up with a romantic comedy (in fact, it took me a while to actually find out that it was also some kind of remake of 'Romeo and Juliet') and the end-result was actually decent. Even though you might expect a broad comedy like 'Zombieland', the comedy side was actually rather soft. I mean, the whole joke of having a zombie a boyfriend was rather limited so they had to come up with something else to keep the story 'alive' so, basically, they cheated. Indeed, not only the zombie guy had some thoughts and feelings, something rather controversial when you are dealing with zombies, but they even made him talk. So, he wasn't much a real zombie after all and towards the end, they even decided to cure them with fine air basically to make sure that the two main characters could stay together. To conclude, even though it didn’t completely work, it was still fairly entertaining and I think it is worth a look, especially if you want to see a different take on the zombie genre.
0 comments, Reply to this entry
Pure rom-com bliss
Posted : 10 years, 11 months ago on 10 May 2013 12:16
"This girl's dead. That guy's dead... That guy in the corner is definitely dead."
Although Warm Bodies seems like a blatant attempt to cash in on the "supernatural teen romance" subgenre popularised by the abominable Twilight saga, the similarities start and end with the idea of a human falling in love with a supernatural creature. In fact, Warm Bodies has more in common with Edward Scissorhands, as it's a quirky, incredibly endearing romance that's wonderfully acted and directed. It's a peculiar hybrid of Shakespeare and zombies, but the result is pure bliss, with writer-director Jonathan Levine (50/50) pulling off an ostensibly impossible tonal juggling act to tell this oddball tale of zombie romance. It may not match films like Shaun of the Dead or Zombieland in terms of laughs or thrills, but it packs a great deal of heart.
Although Warm Bodies seems like a blatant attempt to cash in on the "supernatural teen romance" subgenre popularised by the abominable Twilight saga, the similarities start and end with the idea of a human falling in love with a supernatural creature. In fact, Warm Bodies has more in common with Edward Scissorhands, as it's a quirky, incredibly endearing romance that's wonderfully acted and directed. It's a peculiar hybrid of Shakespeare and zombies, but the result is pure bliss, with writer-director Jonathan Levine (50/50) pulling off an ostensibly impossible tonal juggling act to tell this oddball tale of zombie romance. It may not match films like Shaun of the Dead or Zombieland in terms of laughs or thrills, but it packs a great deal of heart.
After an apocalyptic world disaster, the planet is overrun with the walking dead. Human survivors live behind huge walls, while the zombies are left to wander around aimlessly, looking for fresh meat. Residing in an airport, R (Nicholas Hoult) is a sensitive creature who feels guilty about feeding on humans but is compelled to do so to survive. During an attack on a group of humans, R spies a woman named Julie (Teresa Palmer), and he suddenly begins to feel emotions he's long forgotten. Wanting to protect Julie from his zombie brethren, R takes the frightened girl back to his shelter within an abandoned plane, trying to communicate through his actions and the limited number of words he can utter. Julie is horrified at first but begins growing a hesitant trust for the zombie as they spend time together. Their relationship cannot last, though, as Julie's father (John Malkovich) oversees the military team assigned to slaughter zombies. But R starts to display human-like qualities the more he hangs out with Julie, beginning a trend in the rest of the undead.
As plot complications continue to pile up, you begin to wonder how everything will end up being resolved, but Levine (adapting Isaac Marion's novel of the same name) does a superb job of wrapping everything up without making the ending too overwrought or prolonged. Plus, the film closes with a happy ending that doesn't feel like a total cop-out, which is miraculous. Warm Bodies manages to breathe fresh life into zombie lore as well. The film actually evokes memories of George A. Romero's Day of the Dead in its depiction of the living dead learning to use vehicles and weapons. Luckily, Levine doesn't pussify zombies (a la Twilight), instead merely presenting a balanced and thoughtful perspective on them, which is refreshing. Nevertheless, the undead still have real bite here; although R is sensitive, there are packs of skeletal zombies known as "Bonies" which are ferocious and add genuine threat to the tale.
Clocking in at a brisk 95 minutes, Warm Bodies progresses at a nice clip and never outstays its welcome, yet more narrative development would've been beneficial. The film hinges on our belief that the zombies can be rehabilitated as they get in touch with human feelings again, but it's never quite believable enough as it's too rushed. It needed more breathing space and time to gestate; it all happens too quickly, making a number of things hard to swallow. Added to this, the script is tacky from time to time, with a few eye-rolling lines of dialogue. This aside, there's little else to complain about in Warm Bodies, which is otherwise a solid film. Levine keeps things playful and fun, with the script emphasising R's buzzing brain. See, although R can only speak a few words at a time, we're privy to his interior monologues; hence, there's a lot of effective voiceover narration that adds context to his actions while providing some wry humour.
There's no getting over the fact that Warm Bodies is patently ridiculous; the scientific underpinnings of the premise and a few aspects of the narrative are a bit too cutesy for their own good. But the film overcomes this because Levine commits to the premise with absolute sincerity. Levine was last seen behind the cancer comedy 50/50 for which he displayed a miraculous ability to mix the sweet and the sour, and he retains this skill for Warm Bodies. He strikes a perfect tonal balance, playing the horrific elements completely straight while also providing some exceptional comedy and a sense of sweetness. Indeed, the relationship between Julie and R feels fully human and gains more emotional traction than most Hollywood romances. The payoff is rewarding, as we get the chance to feel invested in the relationship. Warm Bodies is also a handsome and well-made motion picture despite its modest budget. Cinematographer Javier Aguirresarobe shot the film on 35mm, which gives it a gorgeous cinematic look.
Levine has a secret weapon in Hoult, who impresses mightily as zombie R. Hoult's body language and tender line delivery sell the role perfectly, and his demeanour is believably zombie-esque, especially with a layer of impressive make-up that further sells the illusion. Meanwhile, as Julie, Australian newcomer Palmer looks remarkably like Kristen Stewart, inviting even more Twilight comparisons. However, Palmer is a terrific choice; she's the hot version of Stewart and can actually act. Indeed, whereas Stewart is emotionless and stiff, Palmer is a genuinely expressive actress able to convey emotion and nuances. Hoult and Palmer share wonderful chemistry, too. Fortunately, there's solid support from several actors, including Malkovich as the badass military leader, Rob Corddry who's often amusing as R's kind-hearted zombie pal, and the lovely Analeigh Tipton playing Julie's best friend.
Warm Bodies is no masterpiece, and it won't pick up any Oscars, but it's a sweet, good-natured romantic comedy, and I was surprised by how much it won me over by the end. Comparing it to Twilight is wrong; Warm Bodies is so much smarter, thematically deeper and charismatic than the Stephanie Meyer franchise, and it doesn't deserve to be associated with Twilight. Although the movie is primarily aimed at young ladies, it will also appeal to males, who won't be embarrassed to watch this one with their dates.
7.1/10
0 comments, Reply to this entry
Warm Bodies is rather cold on delivery
Posted : 11 years ago on 7 April 2013 11:22
When you think about zombies two things that pop into your mind is flesh eating monsters and George A Romero. At least that was the way it was for an entire generation of people who grew up believing zombies tore the flesh from bones and were rotting decaying shells of the human being the used to be.
Going into Warm Bodies I was sceptical about a zombie film that had emotions on display, and coming out of it I am still sceptical about the execution, the idea that an entire mystical, unearthly creatures decades long lore has been thrown out the window for a film that is essentially about how love conquers all.
How can this not be called the Twilight of Zombie films? It’s not an insult to call it that, because in many ways it does to the zombie genre what Twilight did to vampires. It neglected to follow the lore, the written code of the creature on display, it portrayed a vastly ineffective romance bit that was all too cheesy and rushed. It featured a natural handsome leading man, in films about true love. First off, original vampires are essentially described as freaks, and modern zombies, thanks to George A Romero are rotting decaying, people hungry emotionless dead creatures.
Which is not to say this movie was bad for choosing to be different, but in the end I wouldn’t call it a zombie film because the main crew of zombies eat one or two poor souls through-out the film, then begin talking, loving, breathing and bleeding. It’s as if they awoke from a terrible nightmare, from a state of hypnosis. Good play on the original definition of zombie Isaac Marion and Jonathan Levine, while still trying to incorporate touches of the modern definition. Speaking of classic’s what was with the Zombie Romeo and Juliet moment?
On many levels it seemed rushed for film purposes, one minute R is munching on poor Dave Franco, the next he is forming sentences and learning to drive like a normal human being, albeit for a normal human being there is a large time gap between their first sentence and their first drive, but I digress. This film seemed to have a harder time defining what genre it really wanted to be a part of, a love drama, a romantic comedy, an action flick or a parody comedy. For a film that is barely over 90 minutes in length that is a lot of different films to take in.
This is again not to say it was bad, just terrible on being decisive. It seemed like when writing the screenplay Levine would write dramatic bits, laugh a little with friends want to start a whole new parody but because we was lazy he made it all into one poorly written screenplay. The actors did all the could, unlike Twilight at least Teresa Palmer proved that opening the box of emotions is good, and displaying them on your face is the mark of an even better actress. Hoult proved he could stumble through words, act awkward as a zombie and learn to love again, but that was better then being a pale faced 108 year old still attending the local high school. Analeigh Tipton and Anna Kendrick played almost identical roles, so no judgement there.
I’m not saying don’t see it, I’m just saying if you just came off watching The Walking Dead season finale, and have seen George A Romero’s classics, this may not be the zombie substitute you were hoping for or that you should even consider. It is what it is, honestly you can take it or leave it, I’m just saying it wasn’t something I would label as a zombie film. More like Romeo and Juliet meets Frankenstein meets When Harry Met Sally, meets 30 Days of Night. Weird right?
Going into Warm Bodies I was sceptical about a zombie film that had emotions on display, and coming out of it I am still sceptical about the execution, the idea that an entire mystical, unearthly creatures decades long lore has been thrown out the window for a film that is essentially about how love conquers all.
How can this not be called the Twilight of Zombie films? It’s not an insult to call it that, because in many ways it does to the zombie genre what Twilight did to vampires. It neglected to follow the lore, the written code of the creature on display, it portrayed a vastly ineffective romance bit that was all too cheesy and rushed. It featured a natural handsome leading man, in films about true love. First off, original vampires are essentially described as freaks, and modern zombies, thanks to George A Romero are rotting decaying, people hungry emotionless dead creatures.
Which is not to say this movie was bad for choosing to be different, but in the end I wouldn’t call it a zombie film because the main crew of zombies eat one or two poor souls through-out the film, then begin talking, loving, breathing and bleeding. It’s as if they awoke from a terrible nightmare, from a state of hypnosis. Good play on the original definition of zombie Isaac Marion and Jonathan Levine, while still trying to incorporate touches of the modern definition. Speaking of classic’s what was with the Zombie Romeo and Juliet moment?
On many levels it seemed rushed for film purposes, one minute R is munching on poor Dave Franco, the next he is forming sentences and learning to drive like a normal human being, albeit for a normal human being there is a large time gap between their first sentence and their first drive, but I digress. This film seemed to have a harder time defining what genre it really wanted to be a part of, a love drama, a romantic comedy, an action flick or a parody comedy. For a film that is barely over 90 minutes in length that is a lot of different films to take in.
This is again not to say it was bad, just terrible on being decisive. It seemed like when writing the screenplay Levine would write dramatic bits, laugh a little with friends want to start a whole new parody but because we was lazy he made it all into one poorly written screenplay. The actors did all the could, unlike Twilight at least Teresa Palmer proved that opening the box of emotions is good, and displaying them on your face is the mark of an even better actress. Hoult proved he could stumble through words, act awkward as a zombie and learn to love again, but that was better then being a pale faced 108 year old still attending the local high school. Analeigh Tipton and Anna Kendrick played almost identical roles, so no judgement there.
I’m not saying don’t see it, I’m just saying if you just came off watching The Walking Dead season finale, and have seen George A Romero’s classics, this may not be the zombie substitute you were hoping for or that you should even consider. It is what it is, honestly you can take it or leave it, I’m just saying it wasn’t something I would label as a zombie film. More like Romeo and Juliet meets Frankenstein meets When Harry Met Sally, meets 30 Days of Night. Weird right?
0 comments, Reply to this entry
Warm Bodies review
Posted : 11 years, 2 months ago on 18 February 2013 06:02
After a cold and quiet January, Warm Bodies manages to warm and liven things up at the multiplexes. I will admit, when I first heard about this I thought of Twilight and what this movie would to the zombie genre that Twilight did to the vampire genre. A lot of people thought this as well and that's perfectly understandable but, I was pleasantly surprised. To compare this to Twilight is almost an insult. It's not perfect but, it's definitely charming and clever.
While I did enjoy this movie very much, I can't help but feel that the trailers promised so much more. This movie is many things, part horror, part comedy, part romance, part action, part romantic comedy but, this movie only achieves some of these and fails in others. The horror is kind of lame, the bonies are suppose to provide the horror but, they're horrible done and look really fake. There's some action but, none of it really gets the pulse pounding. I guess these problems have to do with the PG-13 rating, there's no zombies ripping people's guts out or zombie's heads being blown to bits. The PG-13 doesn't give it the edge that this movie needs. However, it does succeed in being funny and romantic, which makes up for these things towards the end.
Instead of the movie showing us everything through the human's point of view like in every zombie movie, we see everything from the zombie's point of view. Though it might be weird at first (zombies can actually think and talk to themselves inside their heads?) it's a unique and interesting twist. There are also more fresh twists along the way, like by the zombies eating human brains they actually get glimpses of past memories of the person the brain belongs too. While I've never heard of this, I liked it anyway. I thought it was a clever and well executed idea along with some of the other things the film makers throw at you.
With the exception of John Malkovich who just utters a few lines of dialogue, picks up a paycheck, then leaves, the acting is great. Nicholas Hoult is the stand out, and unlike Robert Pattinson who's come out in the past that he never liked playing Edward, that showed in twilight. Here, that's not the case with Hoult and he's really starting to become more known which is great because he's a good actor. I look forward to Jack the Giant Slayer coming out in a couple of months and the next x-men sequel. Teresa Palmer is better here than she was in both I Am Number Four and The Sorcerer's Apprentice, and she's gorgeous. Her and Hoult share effective chemistry, by the end I was rooting for these two which took me by surprise. Rob Corddry has the best lines, and Analeigh Tipton is sweet as Palmer's best friend. The rest of the cast don't do much, but they're good too.
What really sets this apart is that unlike Twilight, this movie never takes itself too seriously. This movie knows what it is and never tries to be anything more. Director Jonathan Levine stated in a couple of interviews that John Hughes was a big inspiration and it shows. They're many references to those movies. The nice 80's score also added to that and when the soundtrack comes out I plan on buying it. Then there was the issue with necrophilia, I mean this is about a girl falling in love with a corpse but, as you see in the trailer, the zombies begin to come back to life so no need to worry.
Warm Bodies couldn't have come out at a better time. With Valentine's Day just around the corner, you could do worse, a lot worse than Warm Bodies. Especially since Safe Haven, another Nicholas Sparks adaptation coming to the big screen on Valentine's Day. This has something for both the Ladies and the Men so I would recommend seeing this instead of another gag-inducing Nicholas Sparks movie. As for the zombie fans, you'll most likely be disappointed as there's not much zombie gore or action (thanks to the neutered PG-13 rating). This is after all Romeo and Juliet except with zombies, R(Romeo), Julie(Juliet). This probably won't become a classic like the John Hughes movies Warm Bodies references but, this is finally the first good picture of 2013( No I'm not counting Zero Dark Thirty or Silver Linings Playbook because they're technically are 2012 releases). This puts a nice spin on the zombie genre and although it's not particularly scary or action-oriented, it's still funny, clever and charming. As for you Ladies, I think your boyfriends would be much more forgiving dragging them to this movie instead of Safe Haven.
While I did enjoy this movie very much, I can't help but feel that the trailers promised so much more. This movie is many things, part horror, part comedy, part romance, part action, part romantic comedy but, this movie only achieves some of these and fails in others. The horror is kind of lame, the bonies are suppose to provide the horror but, they're horrible done and look really fake. There's some action but, none of it really gets the pulse pounding. I guess these problems have to do with the PG-13 rating, there's no zombies ripping people's guts out or zombie's heads being blown to bits. The PG-13 doesn't give it the edge that this movie needs. However, it does succeed in being funny and romantic, which makes up for these things towards the end.
Instead of the movie showing us everything through the human's point of view like in every zombie movie, we see everything from the zombie's point of view. Though it might be weird at first (zombies can actually think and talk to themselves inside their heads?) it's a unique and interesting twist. There are also more fresh twists along the way, like by the zombies eating human brains they actually get glimpses of past memories of the person the brain belongs too. While I've never heard of this, I liked it anyway. I thought it was a clever and well executed idea along with some of the other things the film makers throw at you.
With the exception of John Malkovich who just utters a few lines of dialogue, picks up a paycheck, then leaves, the acting is great. Nicholas Hoult is the stand out, and unlike Robert Pattinson who's come out in the past that he never liked playing Edward, that showed in twilight. Here, that's not the case with Hoult and he's really starting to become more known which is great because he's a good actor. I look forward to Jack the Giant Slayer coming out in a couple of months and the next x-men sequel. Teresa Palmer is better here than she was in both I Am Number Four and The Sorcerer's Apprentice, and she's gorgeous. Her and Hoult share effective chemistry, by the end I was rooting for these two which took me by surprise. Rob Corddry has the best lines, and Analeigh Tipton is sweet as Palmer's best friend. The rest of the cast don't do much, but they're good too.
What really sets this apart is that unlike Twilight, this movie never takes itself too seriously. This movie knows what it is and never tries to be anything more. Director Jonathan Levine stated in a couple of interviews that John Hughes was a big inspiration and it shows. They're many references to those movies. The nice 80's score also added to that and when the soundtrack comes out I plan on buying it. Then there was the issue with necrophilia, I mean this is about a girl falling in love with a corpse but, as you see in the trailer, the zombies begin to come back to life so no need to worry.
Warm Bodies couldn't have come out at a better time. With Valentine's Day just around the corner, you could do worse, a lot worse than Warm Bodies. Especially since Safe Haven, another Nicholas Sparks adaptation coming to the big screen on Valentine's Day. This has something for both the Ladies and the Men so I would recommend seeing this instead of another gag-inducing Nicholas Sparks movie. As for the zombie fans, you'll most likely be disappointed as there's not much zombie gore or action (thanks to the neutered PG-13 rating). This is after all Romeo and Juliet except with zombies, R(Romeo), Julie(Juliet). This probably won't become a classic like the John Hughes movies Warm Bodies references but, this is finally the first good picture of 2013( No I'm not counting Zero Dark Thirty or Silver Linings Playbook because they're technically are 2012 releases). This puts a nice spin on the zombie genre and although it's not particularly scary or action-oriented, it's still funny, clever and charming. As for you Ladies, I think your boyfriends would be much more forgiving dragging them to this movie instead of Safe Haven.
0 comments, Reply to this entry