Zomblogalypse

You are either going to get the humour or not and in that way the film is a bit like marmite- you will love it or hate it. The acting is wooden but that is part of the humour. It is good fun and sends up the genre. Watch it for what it is: a fun take on mass produced zombie films and don't expect it to be scary or horrific just very tongue in cheek.

When I checked for this movie it had a score of 8-ish so I said i'd give it a try. 20 minutes of it made me come back here and write my first review. Please, DO NOT waste your time. This is horrible. Please don't waste time on this, I beg you, don't do my same mistake. As for the movie, it's just bad, not even comically bad, it's just B. A. D.

Right, well I am not familiar with the web series that the 2022 movie "Zomblogalypse" is based upon, simply because I don't bother with web series at all. So I had no familiarity with this 2022 horror comedy from writers and directors Hannah Bungard, Tony Hipwell and Miles Watts as I sat down to watch it.

And I can't really say that I was harboring much of any expectations to the movie neither, given the rather poor and bad title it had. But still, it was a zombie movie that I hadn't already seen, so of course I opted to watch Hannah Bungard, Tony Hipwell and Miles Watts' movie.

But I have to say that this movie was bad. So horribly, horribly bad. It was low budget, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. But the movie was just not even funny, nor was the storyline even close to having anything worthwhile watching, nor was it entertaining. So it was quite a struggle to suffer through this horror comedy.

The acting performances were wooden and rigid, sluggish and amateurish. But hey, at least that was in touch with the overall feel of the movie. So that had to count for something, in a way, I suppose.

The zombies in the movie were rubbish. It felt like they weren't even bothering to try to make it look like zombies. This was definitely some of the worst zombie make-up and effects that I have stumbled upon in a zombie movie. And believe you me, I have seen a lot of zombie movies.

The movie was lacking comedy, it was lacking horror, it was lacking a story, it was lacking a proper production, it was lacking good special effects and zombie prosthetics, it was lacking basically just about everything.

Do yourself a favor and stay well clear of this one, especially if you want to be entertained by a proper zombie movie.

My rating of "Zomblogalypse" lands on a one out of ten stars.

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!"

If you stitched 9 episodes of the Zomblogalypse web series together, it wouldn't be as great as this. This has all the ridiculousness of that, but with a feature-length plot, and slightly better camera work.

For me, the film has a handful of laugh-out-loud moments of comedy gold.

The film could probably use a tighter edit, but for the most part it's fine, and there's a faster overall pace than many episodes of the web series.

I advise those unfamiliar with the show to watch a few episodes before seeing the film, to get to know the lead characters better.