Monday’s Movie Musings; Warm Bodies (2013)

Monday’s Movie Musings is a new feature here at A Daydreamer’s Thoughts. The idea of this feature is to have all of my movie things occuring in one place. Whether it is a review, article, or something else, this feature will just be all about movies.

This week I have for you a review of Warm Bodies

Don’t worry, I know it’s not Monday anymore, I haven’t become dellusional (yet) but I was so busy with work + a family birthday + a vet trip that I just didn’t find the time (or energy) to sit down and write this out so I am posting it today instead!

Directed By: Jonathon Levine
Adapted By: Jonathon Levine
Book Written By: Isaac Marion
Production Company: Summit Entertainment
Main Cast: Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, Analeigh Tipton, Rob Corddry
Format: Cinema {OUT NOW}
Add It: IMDB

Summary:
(From IMDB) After R (a highly unusual zombie) saves Julie from an attack, the two form a relationship that sets in motion a sequence of events that might transform the entire lifeless world.

What Happens

Something I feel is necessary to add to this review is that before I went to this movie I met up with Gaby from Queen Ella Bee Reads who told me adamantly that they are NOT zombies. I feel it’s important to mention this as it may have changed my perspective of the movie entirely, especially after the chat I had with my friend when the film was finished who hadn’t been there with Gaby. For me, this made the film more enjoyable to me, I could understand what was happening and why it was happening and I really liked the film because of it. My friend, on the other hand, found it difficult to wrap her head around it and so she had a few nitpicky things that she didn’t like about the film. Therefore, I can only urge you to watch it with the knowledge that they’re really not Zombies at all, but something else entirely – I’m calling them Warm Bodies for lack of a better name!

To You

Before going in to see this film, I had not read the book so aside from that conversation with Gaby and having seen the trailer, I had no preconceptions of this film. I didn’t know how it would turn out, I didn’t know what would happen and there were small gems within the story that I never would have expected and for me, that made this film incredibly entertaining. As a whole this film did not disappoint. It was humorous, fun, sensitive, and even had some action in it as well. The story was easy to follow – though it did move a little fast but most adaptations do – and you didn’t need the background information of the novel to understand what was going on, it was all explained within the set up. There were so many moments in this film where I was laughing, a few moments where I was just in awe at the pure brilliance of it, and another few moments where my heart felt all warm and gushy. It really was a film that had everything I could ask for.

When Everyone

One of the reasons this film was so easily watchable was because of Nicholas Hoult whom acted incredibly well. Which, considering he had very few facial expressions throughout the entire film, is quite impressive, in my opinion. It wasn’t just his acting that really made this film enjoyable, however, but also his voice-over narrative. Granted that a lot of that was from the brilliant script, but it was also carried a lot by Nicholas who really managed to use his tone of voice to cause the audience to laugh. It may not have been an Oscar-worthy performance (but let’s face it, very few comedy films ever make it to the top), but it was perfect for this film. Teresa Palmer was another reason this film worked. She fit the role well and acted well enough. There were a few moments where she grated on me but then Nicholas would step in and remind me that none of that mattered, she didn’t ruin the film completely. But this was also more of the character she was playing, as opposed to her talent as an actress. One last highlight was Bob Corrdry who I have enjoyed watching in Cougar Town, who brought another side of comedy to this film. Just by grunting, I was grinning like a silly person.

Believes You’re

The problem about films is that giving credit where credit is due is incredibly difficult because fimmaking as a whole is a collaborative effort. It is only when the script writer, director, cinematographer, editor, actors, and every other pair of hands comes together that a film can truly be made and so it would be unfair to finish this post without mentioning how well everything worked in this film. The cinematography was perfect, the editing brilliant, and the script (and novel, most likely) really brought the entire film alive. In my opinion, this film just simply worked in all the right ways. It had a job to do and it succeeded in doing it and that is all we can ever really ask for in a film.

A Deadly Zombie

All in all this was a film that was highly enjoyable, that had me laughing continuously, and was just simply a great film. With an amazing cast – for the most part, an innovative and unique storyline, and a brilliant collaborative effort, this film is definitely one that I would easily recommend. It may not ever win any awards at any of the ceremonies, but it is one that you would regret to miss, but I do also have a feeling that this one may not be liked by everyone. Perhaps this film does only cater to a niche market of people who enjoy comedic zombie movies, but either way, I truly enjoyed every minute that was spent watching it and would very easily, and happily, watch it time and time again.