Zombie Planet

I'm sure glad I didn't allow the naysayers from Lexington to discourage me from seeing this movie. The people from Lexington should be proud this movie was shot in their back yard. One of the things I look for in a saga such as this are heroes and villains. ZOMBIE PLANET, like the BATMAN series, has cool heroes and even cooler villains. My favorite hero: Dr. Warren played by Christopher Rose. He's the kind of hero we can all relate to. Favorite villain: Stiletto. Jon Shelton's over the top performance reminds one of a cross between Caesar Romero's Joker and Jack Nicholson's. Of course, the main villain and hero are both dynamic characters. Frank Farhat as our hero Kane has the perfect nemesis in Adam played by Matt Perry. I can't wait to see them clash in the sequel. Of course, hottest villain of all is Mari Stamper as Jamaica. I can't wait to see what she does to Kane in the sequel! Karl Lindstrom as Cowboy Frank plays the kind of character who could go either way. And who can blame him when the bad guys have it so much better than the good guys do. Rebecca Minton also turns in a sympathetic performance as Frank's suffering wife, Julie. Someone criticized her performance, but I say it's believable because Julie's emotional growth would have been stunted by such tragic events at such a young age. Each character is well portrayed by the actors. There are many subplots that are jammed into the film's two hours and I think this may overwhelm some viewers. But if you stick with it, ZOMBIE PLANET is a well acted and imaginatively produced film filled with interesting characters.Great makeup work, too! Since this is an independent film, I'm willing to overlook a few technical flaws that often go with the territory. Viva la Zombie Planet!

I work at the video store that rents this video in Lexington and I must say...it should have never been made. I even know some of the people who worked on it who regret doing so. Bad effects, horrid acting, bad script especially. I swear the dialog wouldn't have passed for the original PSX Resident Evil; it's that bad. If you want to know how not to make a movie, watch this film to learn a thing or two. If not, don't waste your time. And even the director know it sucks because he keeps coming in to try to get us to upsale the movie. No sir. I've watched two-thirds of the horror section and this rates even lower than Plan 9 from Outer Space. Even Ed Eood would have said, "Nope. That's too stupid even for me."

Just when you think that you've seen the worst the zombie sub-genre can offer, along comes another budding Romero and his team of no-talent mates to prove you wrong.

I've suffered the Zombie Bloodbath trilogy, endured Death Valley: The Revenge of Bloody Bill, sat semi-comatose through The Zombie Diaries, and laughed hysterically during Zombie '90: Extreme Pestilence, and genuinely thought that amateur movie-making could sink no lower. However, having just watched Zombie Planet, a two hour long festering pile of drivel from writer/director George Bonilla, I think I have found the ultimate in awful zombie movies.

In this dreadfully amateurish effort, which is part Mad Max and part Dawn of the Dead (but ALL bad), Frank Farhat stars as T. K. Kane, a tough fighter who kicks zombie ass for a hobby, armed only with knives, a machete, some concussion grenades, and what he obviously perceives to be a really mean glare.

After a desperately unexciting opening sequence in which he takes on a horde of dodgy looking zombies, Kane teams up with a group of survivors who not only have to fend off attacks from the undead, but must also must placate a gang of vicious thugs who have taken control of the area (by searching for and handing over any valuables that they find).

Of course, Kane isn't the type of man to take orders from a bunch of z-grade post-apocalyptic bully boys, and he sets about teaching the bad guys a lesson (mostly by glowering at them in a threatening manner), only pausing to periodically rescue pals from zombies.

Featuring awful acting from almost everyone involved, a dreadful script, laughable effects, and shoddy production values, there is virtually nothing in this film to make it worth a watch. To be fair, I quite like the basic premise that the zombies are the unexpected result of a highly popular slimming drug that blocks cravings for carbohydrates (we learn this when one character conveniently explains the back-story to Kane, who strangely has no idea what has happened), but this is about the only vaguely interesting aspect of the whole production.

I have a certain amount of respect for anyone who manages to fund and make their own movie, but when the results are this poor, that respect is lost when they decide to make it available for public viewing. I would've kept this one under wraps if I had made it.

I think that Zombie Planet was a great film. I mean look at how well it has done. It has been released on DVD by Tempe. Tempie also said that that it had the highest pre-order count of "any" film that they have released. Now for such a "tarible" film it sure has done pretty dam good if you ask me. The film was made by a lot of first timers, they put their heart and soul into the production. The story was a great idea. Not only dose it make a interesting film, but it hits a problem that is plaguing America. Obesity. The fact that the still of diet that was used in the film is now all the rage goes to show that they hit the nail on the head with what some people will go through to look like a supermodel even if it risks their health and their life. So just back of and look at the big picture that is panted.

I live and work in Lexington, Kentucky, the town where Zombie Planet was filmed. I'd heard about the film forever ago, from various people who claimed to be a critical part of the production. Then, for several years, I heard absolutely nothing. Imagine my surprise when I found it sitting all by itself at the local video store, just itching for a rental. So, being the cinephile that I am, I decided to give these local filmmakers a shot.

Bad idea.

Zombie Planet is overlong, boring, poorly acted, miserably shot -- and that's just the good stuff. I tried my hardest to enjoy it, which included removing my brain and setting it on the table so that it wouldn't get in the way of the horrible storyline. Alas, nothing worked. Zombie Planet is so bad it's pathetic. And the very idea that they're planning a sequel leads me to believe that the director and his henchmen have listened to none of the criticisms I'm sure they've heard. Move on, you guys. Please. In fact, refrain from film-making altogether. Or attend a few classes on pacing, storytelling, and, well, basic direction.

Otherwise, for the love of God, hang it up.