Apocalisse Z - Inizio della fine

"Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End" brings an invigorating Spanish flair to the well-worn zombie genre, blending terror with a surprising resilience not only in its human characters but in an endearing feline companion as well. The film is a testament to the indomitable human spirit, capturing survival instincts in a grimly fascinating setting. The cast is superb, with performances that feel both grounded and compelling-no overacting, just pure, authentic grit as characters navigate this grim new world.

At nearly two hours, the film could benefit from a modest trim or, perhaps, a few extra zombie-packed scenes to heighten the tension. Nonetheless, it maintains a fine balance of suspense and emotion, keeping viewers thoroughly entertained. For aficionados of the genre, Apocalypse Z is a delightfully crafted thrill that's sure to satisfy.

I would give it a sound 7 out of 10-an enjoyable entry in the annals of apocalyptic cinema.

As a fan of zombie movies, I went into this without knowing the plot or heard anything before for this. I saw it because it was with zombies and I gave it a chance. What a pleasant surprise it was.

The movie managed to deliver the stress of being alone in such situation. At start it is slow but it needed so as to feel the character and to care for him and for his car!

The acting was above par the scenery beautiful, the zombies well done and general the feeling of the movie was excellent.

I would recommend it of course to zombie fans.

It remind me a little of 28 days later mixed with walking dead.

Nice little zombie movie!

Plot

Manel is sheltering from a rabies-like disease which sweeps the planet, until he is forced to leave and meet unlikely but essential traveling companions.

Cast

Not familiar with anyone of the cast but Director Carles Torrens I'm familiar with, though with mix results.

Verdict

As a life long mid 40's horror fanatic by favourite sub-genre has always been zombies. However I'm not as excited booting a new zombie movie up like I used to be as generally they're cliché ridden, trope saturated generic messes and it's rare I come across one I truly enjoy. Part of reason is that they're cheap to make so indie filmmakers with no budget and even less talent are making them and even when the budget is there the originality has waned.

With a generic title like Apocalypse Z which would befit a Scyfy original I went in assuming the absolute worst but found myself engrossed in an entertaining and likeable affair.

Following a single character has been done before but tends to be the setup for rather boring zombie movies this bucks that trend and was very engaging. His tiny travelling companion added both joy and consistent dread throughout the film which I enjoyed but very easily could have not.

The film isn't perfect, it has a mediocre ending and suffers from pacing issues a couple of times but overall this is one of the better zombie movies I've seen in the last 5 years and is well worth a watch for anyone who is a fan of the sub-genre.

Rants

I have 6 cats, they're my world. Being a crazy cat dad and generally a person who looks at the world with a animals > people stance made me wince throughout the movie. I had to Google in advance to find out if the pet dies, if the answer had been yes I wouldn't have watched this as that to me is the biggest horror trope that needs to die. What it did bring here though was heart racing dread and genuine concern, I approve! Horror movies simply don't scare me anymore and haven't for 30 odd years but this dread was a surprising and appreciate substitute.

The Good

Solid character development Some original moments The cat element really worked

The Bad

Weak finale Slumps a couple of times.

Apocalyptic times will have you surviving the best way you can. A virus spreads fast across the world, creating rabid creatures. A man and his cat look for safe places to hide on sea and on land, as the food is dwindling. This movie is a story of survival by any means necessary. The physical and emotional aspects of this movie grasped me, as I was watching. I cared about the main character and his fight to survive. The tension and infection is rising as the cat starts to feel grumpy. Overall i enjoyed the movie & I am hoping for a part two, sequel, or prequel. Make it happen Hollywood. I love zombie movies.

For anyone who enjoys this genre, like I do, I'd definitely recommend it.

Considering that this isn't a series like *The Walking Dead*, where every detail can be explored at length and the story unfolds at a slower pace, it's no small feat to compress all the events into just 1 hour and 50 minutes. Yet, I feel this movie managed it impressively.

It explained the death of Manel's wife, established an initial bond that led to the main goal of reuniting with his family, showed the food scarcity he faced while trying to feed both himself and his cat, and included the usual mishaps you'd expect in this type of film. It all wraps up with a scene clearly hinting at a sequel, so if this does well with audiences, I think we'll see a part two.

Great production overall, and I definitely didn't feel it was time wasted.