Firstly I'd like to make this clear...this movie is really, really, awkwardly British. Sometimes it's deliberately awkward, bumbling and loose like some of our greatest sitcoms, and I for one am bowled over by the performances from Miles Watts, Hannah Bungard, and Lyndsey Craine, and how they play their scenes and off each other.
Low budget horror comedies, on these micro levels never work, because the writing, the directing, the comedic timing is off and doesn't exist. Yes, whilst some sequences just fail and come off as, well, far more awkward because they're missing the mark, and this is due to poor performance-choices, and comedic timing, that's all I have to say negatively in relation to this gem of a film.
They really have made a fun, engaging, horror zomcom. The filmmaking trio are really pushing beyond their limits, and instead of trying to pull off more than they can chew and failing, they embrace the low-fi nature and weave it masterfully into their film. It is rather ingeniously done. I have to hand it to them, many directors have used the found footage genre as a way to best hide imperfection and their movies low-fi underpinings, but, that is not apparent here. It is just another way to tell their story, and a lot of the shots are very sleek and clear, there is no shakycam overuse here. And that is what makes this so brilliant, as the genre and its mechanics are never really used to fall back on, to validate certain quality issues.
I have been involved both as a Kickstarter-er/Crowdfundee on many small productions, putting money forward to various films, and earning credits (that I don't deserve) and om other projects that I had a creative hand in, and know the areas these films exist in, and know the hard work, love, and great care that goes into such things, so maybe I am a little biased, but only because I have experience in these low budget filmmaking realities.
I salute Tony, Miles (who needs to be cast in more stuff, also BBC, this guy would make a hilarious Doctor Who), and Hannah for their talent. Also, praise the heavens, a low-low-budget horror comedy actually ends up being what it is... a bloody good laugh/laff.
There are so many highlights, especially the first production meeting. That scene, and everyone involved is firing off on all cylinders. The chemistry and vibe, the writing, it is jjust superb.
What is so particularly fun is that is is ever so British. So British I think American audiences, or anyone outside our island will not engage with the humour like a fellow awkward Brit would.
Then again, that's what sets this film out from the rest of the shoe-string-budgeted straight to VOD fair that's released frequently. It works.
It looks good, the effects work, the writing is smart, and, in how idiotic the three leads are, within these characters there is such a relatability, outside of this absurd situation, these situations can be applied to every day life. And, you can't not laugh, nod and fewl familiar.
The film is so realistic, as to the realities of trying to make a film with your mates, it speaks to you, and conveys that passion, grit and frustration - that is the films advantage, in comparison to other films of this genre/scope.
The charm comes from these three bumbling, rather clueless idiots, who, you can't help but love. And the poor souls that end having to contend with Miles' arrogance and ego, and put up with the trios nonsense - full stop! Which allowed certain actors to steal the scenes they were in, such as: Aaron Dennis (whose character basically works as the audience, responding in the way any one in real life would), and Peet Torkussen as Peter Ronson, the health and safety manager who each time he appeared really got me giggling.
Ignore all the negative reviews, and go into this knowing that it is a movie made by lovers of movies, lovers of the craft, the comradeship of getting together and making a film, and having a blast whilst doing it. The movie embraces its naff VFX and ocassionally bad gore gags, which feeds into the whole movies DNA. It is joyously unpretentious and loving to the art of making film.
Making a film is tough, and then putting it out into the world for others to maul for the pure sake of it, it's always going to be a tough ride. Luckily, I think based on how much this made me chuckle, and sometimes out loud, which is a rarity for most films, I can't deny that its awkward, sloppy, silly charm worked on me, and will you.
The concept of this feature is strong. Yes, people will compare it to the not too dissimilar Cut of The Dead, but this is doing its own thing. It is in so many ways satirical, especially the elements of the narrative where the character's elude to Kickstarters and Perks, the almost absurdity of it, the weird politics, but also the importance of it, who is in so many ways personified in the character of Lyndsey, played by Eating Miss Campbell's lead actress, and star in the making, Lyndsey Craine, who is so sweet, so innocent and charming, another actor who steals the film each time she's on screen.
Though the film is about Miles, Hannah, and Tony, making a movie about, well, themselves, as the heroes/budding vloggers/filmmakers, who are still in the grips of a zombie apocalypse, trying to recreate what had already occurred, it is the supporting cast that makes certain scenes sing.
The film is partly a found footage, mock-doc feature, with a few extra CCTV cameras used as alternative sources of footage, working off its own insane rules, that feels uniquely like territory that hasn't been fully exploited by the powers at be... you know the guys, the bigwigs behind some producer desk, rinsing it of all its singularity. And that's to this films advantage.
This was a delightfully silly, bonkers movie.
That end sequence, with the leads looking up at the work they have achieved, that spoke volumes to how long these guys have been working towards this movie, that final moment where they can go, "This is it! We did this!"
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