Getting Warmer... No, Cold, Cold, Cold

Earlier this year, the movie Warm Bodies came along with a different take on a zombie tale. It's the story of one zombie who experiences love for a human woman, which begins to transform him from a mindless creature into something more. I had been interested in the film, and was disappointed I didn't get to see it at the time. But now that it's on video and I have seen it, I'm quite glad I didn't waste the money before.

The ads for Warm Bodies would have you believe it's a funny, quirky comedy. But this is one of those cases where nearly every funny line in the film is there in the trailer. The movie is in fact an almost straight-up romance, though admittedly with an unusual "complication" keeping the couple apart. I might have been able to get around my misaligned expectations, but it's simply not that well executed a romance.

The couple of zombie "R" and Julie is impossible to root for. And the Romeo and Juliet metaphor, in case you didn't get it from the names, is quite strained. The narration of R's inner thoughts is no compensation for the generally uncommunicative character -- he can't show his love, so he's constantly having to tell us about it. I remained unconvinced throughout.

The cast doesn't do much to help matters, and in many cases they can't. Nicholas Hoult as R is too constrained by the script to be a compelling lead. Teresa Palmer as Julie is just a pretty face, not capable of a very deep performance. Comedian Rob Corddry, as zombie M, is given only one real joke to play, over and over. And John Malkovich phones in his minor part.

The movie does serve up a laugh or two here and there, but they're awfully few and far between, and not really worth the patience it takes to get there. I give Warm Bodies a D+.