With a movie like WARM BODIES, word play seems almost inevitable. It's either, "WARM BODIES is hot stuff!" or "WARM BODIES left me feeling as cold as a Boney's skin..." muscle... whatever, you'll know what I'm talking about after you actually see the movie. And why not partake in a little rhetorical fun? It's one of the things at which Shakespeare, the clearest influence on Isaac Marion's 2010 novel and now the 2013 film of the same name, was the master! Unfortunately, WARM BODIES doesn't really warrant the time it takes to think of such witty puns (even for such a skilled wit as myself). In fact, it doesn't really warrant a ton of discussion at all.
Taking place after a mysterious plague has wiped out most of the world's population, the film follows R (Nicholas Hoult), a zombie of unknown age and origin who, along with his undead brothers and sisters, wonder the landscape looking for fresh meat (in this case, a concentrated group of survivors living in a small community surrounded by an enormous constructed wall. As we learn through R's interior monologue (the origin of most of the character's lines throughout the film), zombie's are not the brainless, bloodthirsty creatures that we consider them to be. Sure, there are "the Bonies" - horribly degraded and animalistic ghosts of Christmas future for the other zombies - but for the most part, these zombies are relatively nice. And apart from the whole "eating brains and being unable to string more than a few words together at a time" thing, they are relatively normal. So normal in fact, that when R finally meets up with Julie (a survivor played by Teresa Palmer), he finds that her presence has given him more life than he could have imagined.
WARM BODIES, the fourth major film from 50/50 director Jonathan Levine, is a cute film. In fact, for a movie filled with degenerative skeleton/demon hybrids and graphic brain snacking it's downright adorable. The problem is that in its cuteness, it fails to take any risks whatsoever. What we get instead is a cookie cutter romantic comedy with the occasional interesting idea thrown in. And it's not even a particularly good romantic comedy. Apart from Nicholas Hoult who does a good job in spite of not being able to utter more than a few words at a time, the rest of the actors are passable at best. Teresa Palmer in particular channels her inner Kristen Stewart and appears more lifeless than her corpse co-star (see, I knew I'd get some sort of word play in there). What this all culminates in is a relatively weak central romance which, unlike the play from which the film draws its inspiration, leaves the audience unable to become fully emotionally involved.
All of that being said, what ultimately leaves the worst taste in my mouth is the film's mediocre narrative. While introducing some truly innovative and interesting ideas such as zombies gaining a person's memories as they consume their brain and how the film handles zombie communication, the film is riddled with so many plots and contrivances that it becomes hard to do anything but scoff and role your eyes. If these zombies have nearly complete motor function and the ability to form complete thoughts and feelings in their mind, why can't they simply write a letter to the survivors they encounter instead of mumbling and moaning incoherently while some other guys put guns to their heads? Why do zombies develop super human strength and agility after they have nearly completely disintegrated into nothing but piles of bone? Why is [SPOILERS] Julie so cool that R just kind of, you know, killed her boyfriend and is now eating his brain and using the knowledge gained from doing this to win her affection? And for Pete's sake, why does John Malkovich (Julie's father in the film) only believe the concrete evidence about the zombies' recovery, provided by his daughter, the second before he's about to kill R? [END SPOILERS]
What these plots holes and contrivances are telling of is a sloppy, lazy script. And what but a sloppy, lazy, safe movie can be produced from such a script? It's why John Malkovich just happens to get called out to a meeting during R's impromptu visit to Julie's house. It's why R looks and behaves more like a human trying to play a zombie than vice versa. It's why the film feels the need to hit you over the head with obvious themes and ideas. And it's certainly the reason why none of the relationships feel substantial. Sure, Nicholas Hoult and Rob Corddry (the Mercutio to Hoult's Romeo) have good chemistry and comedic timing, but it holds none of the weight that Shakespeare's beloved play does.
Did WARM BODIES leave me as cold as a Boney's skin/muscle/whatever? No. Is it "hot stuff!"? Not really. What WARM BODIES is, is an appropriate title. Though it introduces some interesting ideas and themes and the occasional light to mildly-hearty chuckle, it's a lukewarm romantic comedy at best. You constantly feel it's PG-13 rating with its plethora of quick cutaways. All the passion that pervades through ROMEO AND JULIET is no where to be seen. What we're left with, instead, is a standard rom-com with a little zom that despite being well made (including a very well chosen 80s soundtrack), never distinguishes itself from what has come before it.
6 out of 10
