Re-Kill

I thought I'd seen it all and with TV shows like Fear the Walking Dead and The Walking Dead there would not be much more to add.

Plot: zombie virus has spread throughout the world and mankind has to do what is necessary to halt the spreading. Managing to contain it somewhat the government has created a special unit to clean out neighborhoods and secure that not a second outbreak will occur. A TV station has created a show around this unit.

I just love zombie movies, can't get enough of the theme of a small group of survivors trying to make it. Sadly, good zombie movies are hard to come by these days and ,quite frankly, it is a difficult genre to reinvent.

The Walkind Dead is excellent, showing the depravity of men combined with gore and survival. However, movies, unlike TV series, do not have the luxury nor time to explore that theme since you only got two hours or so to tell a story. Therefore zombie movies tend to revolve around getting from point A to point B or defending some sort of gated community. By now that has become dull which makes Re- Kill somewhat new, re-inventive even although not a revelation of sorts.

Re-Kill is structured like a mixture of reality TV, shows like Cops and the ever so popular found footage films (genre), which makes it a little bit new. And yes, you get plenty of gore too!

The positive sides is thus that it is relatively new, plenty of gore, good effects and decent acting from well known actors although not top notch. The zombies are not the slow, traditional ones of Romero's, but fast like 28 Days Later.

Downsides are the shaky camera, which is way too shaky even for a found footage movie; in general, too simple a plot; unexplored carachters; and not so much about the how, when, who and why.

A tip of the hat goes to the hilarious commercial breaks and the interviews of "real people" surviving the virus/attacks which echoes both Verhoeven's Robo Cop 1 & 2 and Starship Troopers. They are what really keeps the movie interesting and funny.

Bruce Payne is worth mentioning. Too me he is somewhat of a legend. But I must confess, I have always thought his acting style to be awkward and a bit stiff. But here he seems a bit more "alive" and tries to give his carachter a personality.

I haven't seen all zombie movies so I can't really say it is one of a kind within the genre itself, but to me it is kinda new and therefore I can't say "see this one if you liked...". However, if you like zombie films in general, traditional or more action driven, you will probably enjoy this one.

I give 6/10 due to its "newer" take on the genre, good acting (for the genre), the sfx.

I normally dislike the found footage genre (although as another reviewer said, I do like starship troopers so would advise those who liked the humour and/or style of Starship Troopers to give this one a chance).

I know other reviews have made a point of mentioning how shaky the camera was, but imo...its less shaky than what you would expect if you were actually being chased by a bunch of re-animated corpses that want to eat you. And (again imo), the shaky cam helps you submerge yourself into the film better - by creating the sense that they were panicked and running for their lives.

While I wouldn't think that this film would appeal to the masses and be winning any Oscars any time soon, I feel it is definitely one of the better zombie films - to the point that I've came here to review it (something I rarely ever do).

So I've been trawling through the zombie horrors as of late. By chance I happened upon Re-Kill, which I originally bypassed on release! I can still see why, but I found myself surprised by how well-executed the action/horror was. Drop the corny REC (Spanish zombie movie) dialogue, the First Person camera angles (which caused me some motion sickness) and a few pointless scenes here and there and this movie is actually a nod to '80s Paul Verhoeven sci-fi parody and Left 4 Dead multi-player gaming.

It's not there for the drama or to deliver a message, it's solely there for the experience and as zombie shoot-'em-ups go, it does a fine job when it gathers momentum. It just takes some effort to get there as a result of distracting cut-aways to scenes the movie didn't need.

What surprised me first and foremost, though, was its cast. Roger R. Cross never quite made the transition from TV face to movie lead since cult sci-fi series First Wave.

In Re-Kill he gets his own platoon and he kicks ass. His character is quite reminiscent of Tony Todd's performance in the 1990 Night of the Living Dead remake.

Also surprising was the return of '90s rent-a-villain Bruce Payne, who takes the crazy hero slant for once. He's still creepy as hell, though. And Scott Adkins, a martial arts action hero as a meat-headed SWAT trooper? He's pretty intense and very welcome for this one.

Some other actors could have done a better job, or simply not had a job. At first you won't know if Re-Kill is trying to be serious or just resemble the silly 3D movies they used to play at Alton Towers but eventually it comes into its own.

I just wish they had a director's cut with the idiot cameraman voice deleted, or rewritten and performed by someone who isn't irritating.

Good effort, just not a great contender!

"Re-Kill" is an action-horror found-footage film that takes place 5 years after "the outbreak", aka the zombie apocalypse. I am a big fan of martial artist Scott Adkins, and had read about this back in 2010 when it was being filmed (or about to go into production). 5 years later, it's finally available. Is it worth the wait and price of admission?? Well, that depends on why you are watching…

"Re-Kill" plays like an R-rated version of the TV show "COPS", following an elite squad of QUASI SWAT soldiers in a contaminated zone, fighting off seemingly endless hoards of zombies aka "ReAns" (short for Reanimated). The opening of the film is exciting, FULL of blood, bullets and gore. Since it plays like a TV episode, every 15 or so minutes commercials come on, a la "Starship Troopers" (still one of the best science fiction-horror-action films to date in my opinion), which are amusing and later in the film break up the bleak tone. It also peppers in personal interviews of our squads members throughout the movie, helping you (somewhat) get to know the guys who are doing all the shooting- and there is a LOT of shooting.

The film, shot in Bulgaria, has a generic but suitable look, fitting for a zombie apocalypse. After the first act (which has outdoor battles during the day), the film stays almost entirely gray, taking place in either the dark of night, in old run down buildings, underground corridors etc. Another issue is that everyone in the squad is wearing the same black SWAT uniform and helmet, so it's very hard to tell who is who, especially during the action sequences. There is a LOT of action in "Re-Kill", some of which is rather cool (especially in the big opening battle) but much of it is lost due to the shaky cam that plagues so many found-footage films. That being said, when it's not a "shaky cam" moment the movie looks good. There is a ton of action throughout the film- there is no shortage of bullets, blood or zombies (which are runners like in "28 Days Later", one of my favorite modern zombie films). I would love to know how many rounds of ammunition were used in the making of the film, it's probably in the tens of thousands.

The acting is adequate, but there isn't much for them to do besides fire their guns at the endless onslaught of zombies. Veteran B-movie actor Bruce Payne ("Passenger 57", "Highlander Endgame") is almost wasted (because there really isn't much for him to do) although he gives arguably the most memorable performance in the film as the religious zealot of the squad. Martial arts master Scott Adkins ("Undisputed" 2&3, "Ninja" 1&2) is the alpha male in the squad, and is totally wasted in the sense that he doesn't display a single punch, kick or flip- he just mows down hoards of charging zombies with his machine gun. I think its important to note that both of the aforementioned actors are supporting cast. The lead of the picture is the Sarge, chameleon actor Roger R. Cross (who has over 100 credits on IMDb), as the somber squad leader.

Recommended to fans of the genre, "Re-Kill" is a fast paced action-horror found-footage film, that focuses on action over scares. There is no shortage of carnage from start to finish. If you play video games, specifically first-person shooters, or enjoy the occasional found footage film (and not seeking an impressive martial arts display from Adkins or an intense monologue from Payne) give this movie a shot. It's a shame that this didn't release back in 2011 before the market was flooded with so many crappy low budget zombie movies. It's easily one of the better direct to video zombie movies to come out since the success of "The Walking Dead". It's a fun action packed, bullet and blood soaked, zombie filled 87 minutes and is a fairly fresh take on the zombie apocalypse.

Checkout more low-budget film reviews at TheBMovieReview

My quick rating - 6,3/10. Nice to breath some fresh air when it comes to the tired zombie genre. Sure the apocalypse has already happened so very little background needs to go into it but from there the movie follows a team of soldiers in a reality style TV show to eradicate the zombies. Sounds fun, right? It is but not full on action at all times. Slight drawback that is easily filled with the highlight of this movie. The reality style of the camera work is great but the star of the show is the wacky future commercials done in the same vein as Starship Troopers, Running Man, etc. The whole feel of this movie as just so well done that the plot of finding out the secret behind the walled in part of the city was a backseat to it. Our stars did fine (notably Scott Adkins) in acting for this type of movie and also overacting when needed. Along with this, the gore is there for all fans to enjoy as well. One fun ride to be had with this one and just a bit more action along the way (even if stretched out for the sake of over-indulgence) would've been just fine for this critic. Still well worth the wait and look forward to watching this movie again.