Nigsley

I hadn't heard of this film when I watched it so had no expectations, but I'm glad I gave it a go as the cast and director have delivered a real treat.

This is the story of Barry and his sister Brooke, battling Zombies and the military in the Australian Bush.

It was only at the end I realised I had no real idea of why the zombies had arrived or why the military were acting the way they were, but this lack of exposition actually made the film a more enjoyable experience, leaving me to enjoy the visuals all the more.

And for me the look and feel of this film is what makes it a cut above most other low budget zombie films out there.

It owes a lot to mad Max in feel, but manages to be it's own story.

One of my pet hates in Zombie films is wooden acting,but here the cast really deliver. I liked the lead characters and wanted to know more.

I'm not a fan of CGI effects when you can notice them and that was the case here with some of the blood but that is just a small thing and may have been down to budget and time

All in all though this was a fun ride and I do hope we I get to see more of Barry and Brooke.

Zombie movies are traditionally low budget and tend not to take themselves to seriously.

As a result they are often either intentionally or unintentionally very amusing to watch.

With World Z suddenly someone is taking Zombie movies seriously and have put serious amounts of money into producing this adaptation of Max Brooks' book.

The book is essentially a series of recollections from survivors of a zombie apocalypse and as such doesn't offer one cohesive story to adapt and as a result the film-makers have had to go for a more linear plot.

It doesn't follow the usual story though, of a group of people slowly being eaten until only the lead characters are left to single handedly kill all the risen dead.

No - World War Z has a much wider world view with Brad Pitts' Jerry cruising around America, Korea, Jerusalem and Cardiff (!) trying to find a cure.

This isn't the only thing grander in scale as there is no doubt the zombies hoards are vast.

Really then should be the greatest Zombie movie ever made, but for a fan of the genre this for me is where it comes unstuck.

The CGI zombies to me don't feel real in the way a person with an old suit, latex on his face and his arm hidden behind his back does.

The whole mood is very serious and humourless, although to be fair a zombie war is never going to be laugh a minute affair.

However I also didn't feel engaged with Brad Pitts character or family which meant I didn't feel any jeopardy when they were in dangerous situations.

Don't get me wrong, as I enjoyed watching what is definitely a well made and entertaining movie, but it just felt a bit like the zombies..... a living thing but without a soul.

With so many zombie films being made nowadays It's easy to forget how influential this film was.

This film was fun, had talking and running zombies and was the first time they wanted to eat your brains.

The first time I saw this I was blown away and 30 years later it still impresses and apart from some of the 80's outfits, it has aged well.

As with the best zombie comedies, the humour backs up a proper horror film with some genuinely scary moments.

It's fast paced and has some good effects, which thankfully because of when it was made are genuine physical effects rather than CGI or optical effects. No doubt if that had been the case then it would have aged nowhere near as well.

Overall this isn't quite the Grandaddy of Zombie films ( an honour we should leave with George Romeros first 2 Dead films). Rather this is the roguish uncle who doesn't follow the rules yet everyone likes to have round every now and again as they're so entertaining.

It does have it faults as some of the plot is rather holey and the gang of kids don't come across as very likable, but don't worry about that.... Just sit back and relax and watch one of the most influential zombie films ever made,