Zoombies (2016)
(In French, On Cable TV, September 2022) The title of Zoombies says it all: Zombies, in a zoo. Meaning not only undead humans, but undead wildlife as well—have you really lived until now without at least considering the possibility of a zombie koala? As you may guess, Zoombies is not made to be a serious film—it’s a made-for-cable-TV shlock made by the same production crew as Sharknado, and the lower-end production values reinforce the idea that we’re not supposed to take this seriously. Much of the structure is obvious, from the introduction of the high-tech zoo to the bland cast of characters, to the cute animals that will turn deadly, to the high-tech mumbo jumbo that will explain how a virus can jump from animals to humans and back. The actors are in this film because they’re cheap and willing, not because they’re good—although I did find Ione Butler more compelling than the others. And while most of the film is grade-Z bloody silliness meant for humour more than horror, two overly gory sequences stand out as being particularly atonal in the middle of so much good-natured fun: the sobering aftermath of a kid being traumatized by having been attacked by a zombie koala; and a character’s guts being used as a nest for an egg-laying zombie eagle. Yuck—hey, screenwriters, tone down the gore if you want to keep it enjoyable. Those caveats aside, and with a big reminder that this is definitely not a good movie, Zoombies does have a few moments going for it. You already know if you’re going to want to see it.