THE DEAD TIMES

RATING:

ZOMBIE RATING:

DESCRIPTION:

A band of poachers break into an animal reserve to capture various endangered creatures, armed with a hand-crafted toxin used to subdue the beasts. However, unbeknownst to them, the toxin actually turns the animals into deadly, flesh-crazed Zombies. So, when a reserve ranger arrests the poachers, he is unknowingly saving their lives. Ultimately, that ranger, the other reserve staff and the evil poachers join forces in an uneasy truce to try and contain the super-Zombie virus before it infects wildlife all over the world.

MY VERDICT:

Where the original Zoombies was all tongue-in-cheek goofiness in the vain of Sharknado, Zoombies 2 (actually, a prequel to the first movie) takes the series in a, still playful yet, more serious route - and it's much the better for it. Okay, there is still not a whole lot of depth to it; animals get infected with a virus that turns them into blood-crazed Zombies and people get eaten until a cure is found. This time around, the characters do have some elements of backstory - some being likeable and others not, some being humorous, some taking the fight to the undead animals with guns, others with science. I like the fact too, that the team behind the film have not chosen the obvious, already fearsome creatures to infect. For example, a lion is already an efficient killer so making it go crazy would just seem lazy, but a hippo, a meerkat, an aardvark? Some thought was put into what gets infected and I commend the developers for that. To be honest though, Zoombies 2 is a very average Zombie film with an unusual setting and premise. If that's enough for you, you'll enjoy the movie, if it isn't, best look elsewhere.