Zombies of Mass Destruction Review (DVD)

Release Date (UK DVD) – 18^th October 2010 

Certificate (UK) – 18

Country – USA


Director – Kevin Hamedani

Runtime –89 mins


Starring – Janette Armand, Doug Fahl, Cooper Hopkins, Bill Johns, Russell Hodgkinson, Ali Hamedani, Cornelia Moore, James Mesher

Whilst Kevin Hamedani’s ‘Zombies of Mass Destruction’ combines the familiar zombie genre elements of politics, allegory, humour and gore established by George Romero’s ‘Dawn of the Dead’ (1978), its startling lack of originality, wit or momentum ensure its failure to frighten or amuse throughout; this self-entitled ‘zomedy’ is certainly no Shaun of the Dead.

Set in Port Gamble, an isolated right wing town on an island off of Washington, the film begins with a lone zombie being washed ashore. Whilst his infection slowly spreads throughout the community we meet Frida (Janette Armand), of Iranian descent, who has dropped out of Princeton University and returned home to work at her fathers diner. Tom (Doug Fahl), another returning islander, is back from New York with the intention of coming out and introducing his gay lover Lance (Cooper Hopkins) to his mother.

For the first thirty minutes the film is not about zombies, and glimpses of them are rare; we are gathering background character information. Unfortunately it’s provided via unfunny satire and before any zombies have even bitten I’m disengaged and willing the cast to die. I understand the political points being made - a redneck local tortures Frida based on the assumption that she is in league with middle-eastern terrorists who have released the zombie plague in a revenge attack on the U.S - an idiot would, but I don’t care. I admired the films sentiment at times, and acknowledge Hamedani’s loyal attempts to follow Romero’s rulebook, but ultimately the acting was average and the one-liners monotonous. A more subtle approach to the script’s humour may well have made comparisons to 2004’s ‘Shaun of the Dead’ relevant and justified, but as it stands ZMD belongs in a far lesser league.

The disc is basic, featuring a trailer and a five minute Making Of special feature.


Published on www.thefilmpilgrim.com