The first comparison so many people make when they see the trailer is “It’s Twilight with zombies.” While this is a fair assumption to make, after seeing Warm Bodies, it couldn’t be more false. Warm Bodies is extremely witty, occasionally poking fun at the zombie stereotypes, along with some clever characters and scenes. Sure, it’s nothing spectacular and genre changing, but it’s definitely a nice and refreshing take on the usual teen fantasy/romance tales.
The acting is nothing too special, but none of the performances were at all bad. Some characters were underdeveloped and almost had no point at all other than to be used for some quick jokes. However, with a film like this character development isn’t exactly the main focus used, and it doesn’t weigh down the movie much at all, as our two leads are entertaining enough to carry the movie.
The screenplay was admittedly dull at times, as the zombies don’t communicate much with another, and usually just grunt and groan. This can create some boring scenes, but it never stays down for too long and throws something new and exciting at you soon after.
Warm Bodies is tentatively cheesy, but never completely reaches the eye-rolling stage of cheese, which is nice. The romance doesn’t get too sappy either, and the main focus of the movie is the zombie apocalypse and the effects it had on society. There are also some gory and shocking moments too, which one wouldn’t expect from the trailer. There are moments that make you jump, along with some bloody zombie attacks and flesh being ripped away, which is pretty unexpected for a PG-13 movie, but it also voids it from being a complete romance, which is refreshing.
Overall, Warm Bodies isn’t the best romance you will ever see, but if you’re comparing it to the cheesy and lame romantic comedies we’ve received recently, it’s definitely something you’ll really enjoy. It’s got likable characters, awesome action sequences, and some great zombie blood and gore. There are definitely things that don’t work too well, but the things that do work will distract you from any major flaws it has.
