THE DEAD TIMES

RATING:

ZOMBIE RATING:

DESCRIPTION:

The Vice President is giving an election speech in the American city of Baton Rouge. The security services have been placed on high alert after reports, coupled with video footage, of a grisly cop killing. However, when the VP and his entourage are exiting the building, civilians, obviously intent on doing harm, rush towards their position. Just a few minutes later, contact with local police teams and the secret servicemen charged with protecting the VP is lost. Fearing that the VP is being held hostage by members of the civilian riot, ignited by an unknown foreign power, an elite Navy Seal team is sent in - their mission; extract the VP as quickly as possible and get out. However, it soon becomes apparent that this is no riot and that the people involved are not mere civilians… but crazed Zombies, driven by an unholy quest to feed on the living.

MY VERDICT:

Navy Seals vs. Zombies is as odd as it is straightforward. Firstly, the name hardly promotes inspiration or intrigue; it pulls no punches and holds no secrets - there are good guys, the Seals, and there are bad guys, the Zombies, they fight and that's pretty much it. This breathtakingly simple approach has seen a lot of criticism in online reviews but I actually think it does the film credit. Time after time I see Zombie movies with basic plotlines twisted and built upon, mutating into grotesque narrative abominations - keeping it simple is a refreshing change. Sadly though, that 'gun meets Zombie' simplicity is really the only highlight of this film; the acting is merely passable, the Zombies range from high-quality renditions of sprinting infected to "people with blood on them" and the budget for visual effects is painfully minimal. That being said, I found myself reasonably entertained by this movie - actually titled, Navy Seals: Battle for New Orleans (the publishers, rightly, must have thought that this name just would not sell).