I’m in my glory; I’m surrounded by zombies! “Is she nuts? You’re probably asking yourself, and the answer is yes. I’m crazy over zombies and they’re all over the place; on television and movies. But I’m also very picky about the type of zombie I’d want to be stuck with during the Apocalypse. What am I looking for in the perfect zombie? Find out after the jump.
Shaun of the Dead vs. World War Z
I’ve watched Shawn of the Dead several times on cable and I can honestly say this film did for the zombie genre what Dark Shadows does for Vampires; it put the laughter into scary. Shaun of the Dead revolves around two slackers, their friends and the zombies that want to snack on them. Shaun (Simon Pegg) lives with two friends Pete (Peter Serafinowicz) handsome and successful, and Ed (Nick Frost), a lazy freeloader who’s hooked on video games. Shaun’s in a relationship with Liz (Kate Ashfield) but he’s not as committed as she would wish; hasn’t even introduced her to his mum. Shaun loves his Mum, but he’s not too crazy for his stepfather.
Shaun is a bit of a slacker and kind of coasts through his life; more interested in playing video games with his friend Ed than becoming successful in love and work; he’s a bit clueless. How clueless? He heads to work in the midst of the zombie apocalypse and never catches on. It isn’t until Ed and Shaun are attacked by a young woman in their garden that they realize just how seriously screwed up their situation is.
Because of a missed phone call, Liz breaks up with Shaun, and to make maters worse, Shaun’s mum, Barbara (Penelope Wilton), and stepdad Phillip (Bill Nighy) are attacked by zombies; Phillip is bitten. The rest of the movie is one mishap after another as Shaun, his mum, Liz, Ed, David (Dylan Moran) and Diane (Lucy Davis) try to make their way to the a local pub. There are plenty of funny scenes. My favorite is when Shaun and the others must mimic the zombies in hopes of getting inside the pub, unnoticed. Thanks to Shaun, they make it, but it isn’t long before the zombies realize that their human snacks are inside the pub. Things go from bad to worse and Ed is bitten. Shaun and Liz survive with Ed’s help and are later rescued by the military.
Shaun and Liz live happily ever after. But, what happened to Ed and the other zombies? Good news! The zombies are trainable and put to work as busboys, street cleaners, and babysitters? Well, maybe not babysitters, but we learn the Ed is fine and living in the Shaun’s garage playing video games.
World War Z
In the movie, World War Z, Jerry Lane (Brad Pitt), his wife Karen (Mireille Enos) and daughters Rachael (Abigail Hargrove) and Constance (Sterling Jerins) are in a taxi in Philadelphia when the world around them decides to go bat shit. Amid explosions, car crashes, and people running for their lives, Jerry witnesses first-hand the effects of a fast moving pandemic. Somehow, Jerry and his family reach the safety of a high-rise building and sanctuary inside the apartment of a trapped family. But, there really is no sanctuary when the pandemic consists of zombies; lots of zombies; hungry, fast zombies.
People all over the globe are being infected by an unknown virus and if these people bite you, you only have ten seconds before you become one of them. How this pandemic got started and how the United Nations can stop its spread, is the quest given to investigators Jerry Lane and Thierry Umutoni (Fana Mokoena). Jerry must leave his family on an aircraft carrier and head to South Korea and from there Israel in search of clues. After Israel is overrun by zombies, Jerry and Israeli soldier, Segen (Daniella Kertesz), barely make their way to the headquarters of the World Health Organization, and a possible weapon against the zombies.
The zombies of World War Z are fast; too fast. I can’t walk and chew gum at the same time, let alone run, so guess who would be the first zombie snack? Yep!
Conclusion
Although it’s nice to joke about the Apocalypse and surviving a zombie attack, if and when the apocalypse does arrive, the marauding zombies will be our family and neighbors. Just what I need! A neighbor, who mistakes me for a chicken nugget! If this is the fate of the world, then I’m picking the slow moving and trainable zombies, like Ed in Shaun of the Dead; scary but useful. How about you?
