Movie Review: "Warm Bodies"

Supernatural romance is all the rage and like all things that gross over $100 million dollars at the box office, Hollywood has been churning them out faster than you can say "Edward and Bella." But with that famous vampire series finished and dwindling box office receipts for the latest offerings in the genre (February's Beautiful Creatures made $19 million through its whole run- less than the last Twilight movie made in a day) it seems that Hollywood is trying to mine as much gold as they can before audiences decide to go elsewhere with their money.

Enter Warm Bodies, a film that seemed to defy everything audiences know about supernatural romance- based on the film's trailers, it didn't take itself too seriously, had some comedic bits that really worked, a kickass soundtrack and, yes, romance. Unlike the Twilight Saga, Warm Bodies managed to do the impossible and actually appeal to men. And while $66 million at the domestic box office might not be that much (it's still less than Breaking Dawn: Part II made in one day) it's still a very solid result for a film of its genre. But trailers can be deceiving- what I wanted to know is if Warm Bodies could become a supernatural romance film for people who hate supernatural romances.

While the bond between zombie R and human Julie is certainly more interesting and less infuriating than the borderline misogynistic relationship between Edward and Bella, writer/director Jonathan Levine (adapting a book by Issac Marion) finds himself in a tricky situation. On one hand, Levine wants to highlight the ridiculousness of the situation by infusing comedy into the mix. The idea of having a zombie fall in love with a human is ripe with comedy and Levine tries his best to make the audience laugh. Some of the jokes work, but Levine still misses quite a few opportunities for some much needed comedic relief. Even worse, certain scenes of the film are taken far too seriously and destroy the more lighthearted tone Levine worked hard to create. The conflict between the humans and the zombies, for example, is treated like a legitimate crisis that the audience will have no trouble feeling the dramatic weight of. But there is no suspense in these scenes, and not nearly enough comedy, so they come off as ridiculous. Even worse is the cringe worthy story device in which R eats the brains of a supporting character he killed to see what it's like to be human. Is this supposed to be funny? Creepy? Sad? Levine never infuses comedy- or anything, really- into these moments, making them random and awkward.

Levine also fails to build tension during the film's climatic moments. There is apparently a lot at stake in the film, as the character's constantly seem to be stressed about something when they aren't falling in love or cracking jokes. But the film never really sells the tension to you- there is no suspense, no real drama and nothing worth caring about. The "Romeo & Juliet"-esque war between humans and zombies that R and Julie find themselves trapped in feels like an afterthought. Granted, a paranormal relationship dramadey was never going to be the most suspenseful film of the year. But a conflict has to do more than fill the space in between the comedic or romantic moments- it has to make the audience care about what's going on in the film. And Warm Bodies's conflict does not.

But praise must be bestowed unto stars Nicholas Hoult and Teresa Palmer, who bring life to the script and make the romantic moments come alive. The two have an infectious chemistry, solid comedic timing and are immensely likable. They do much more than make out and revel in teen angst- they make their characters interesting, and add dimension where the script is lacking. While it would have grown old eventually, the montages between the two characters are the highlights of the film, thanks in part to a terrific soundtrack.Best of all, the progression of their romance feels oddly realistic (or as realistic as a relationship between a human and a zombie can be). And while I did find the film's message- that, without love, we'd live a long and lonely life- a bit overbearing, the two stars manage to make it easier to bear.

Some of the comedic bits also work really well. Many of the scenes involving Julie's best friend Nora made me laugh, mainly because her character pokes holes in the film's convoluted logic. Hoult's inner monlogue also serves as an excellent comedic device, especially when coupled with his emotional facial expressions. While many of the best scenes have been spoiled in the trailer- namely R's reactions as Julie changes in front of him- they all land well and provide a window into how great the film would have been had they relied on comedy more often. But, it must be noted that a number of great comedians are wasted in supporting roles. Outside of a line or two, Rob Corddry's M is nothing more than an unnecessary supporting character. And the talented John Malkovich feels sorely miscast as the film's villain of sorts.

There is a lot of potential in Warm Bodies, but Jonathan Levine has only tapped into the surface. The film tries to differentiate itself and almost spoof films such as Twilight by incorporating a sarcastic sense of humor and sort of self-aware script. But the film's dramatic moments are poorly handled and feel like something you'd see in... well, Twilight. Levine, who directed 2011's excellent 50/50, tried his hardest to breath new life into this tired sub-genre and while it's a valiant effort, I think it's time we put an one final nail in the supernatural-romance coffin.

OVERALL GRADE: C

"Warm Bodies" is currently available on DVD, Bu-Ray and Video on Demand.

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