Westhoff Reviews “Warm Bodies”
By Jeffrey Westhoff
“Warm Bodies”
***
Rated: PG-13 for zombie violence and some language
Running time: 1 hour, 37 minutes
Who’s in it: Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, John Malkovich, Rob Corddry
What it’s about: A zombie boy (Hoult) who retains a vestige of his soul meets a human girl (Palmer) and falls in love. Eventually she returns his affections, but her father (Malkovich) is the zombie-hating leader of the local militia.
Verdict: Not only is this the first zombie romantic comedy, but also the first movie told from a zombie’s point of view (Hoult’s character narrates). In a low key way, the various story elements – romance, comedy, horror and suspense – work, but not always at the same time. Yet writer-director Jonathan Levine (“50/50”) pulls it all together with a sense of good cheer and, yes, heart. Hoult’s sympathetic and humorous performance provides much of ! the weird charm.
