Movie Review: Zoombies (2016)

The movie stars Ione Butler, Kim Nielsen, Marcus Anderson, Andrew Asper and LaLa Nestor.

I came across this movie on Netflix last week and, thinking it would be somewhat different, decided to watch it with my wife. To be honest, I didn't have high expectations when we started this film and, as a result of that, can say the movie did exceed those expectations. But, while there was plenty to like about the film, there were also plenty of reasons why it belongs in the "B-rated" category.

The one thing I did find I liked about this movie was the wide range of zombies the zoo-born virus created. While there were plenty of times when it reminded me of the film Jurassic Park, the fact the heroes had to survive zombie lions, apes and giraffes, among other creatures, did give the film a somewhat unique quality when compared to other zombie movies.

I also thought the acting, while a little campy at times, wasn't terrible. It was obvious the actors and writers weren't taking the film too seriously and, in this case, that did work. If nothing else, the cheesy one-liners were a little more tolerable when taken into context with the entire movie.

My biggest complaint about this movie is it does lack something as far as special effects go. I'm not opposed to low-budget films. But, at some point, the filmmakers need to recognize the limitations their budget offers and work around it. That really wasn't the case with this movie and, as a result, the zombie animals, explosions and even the dragged out zip-line scene looked really fake.

The movie also seems to skip over key plot points, such as what happens when a human is bitten by an infected animals, something that did make me wonder if the writers simply didn't put enough thought into it or if the movie had to be significantly edited for content.

Not to mention, with all the talk about keeping the animals from infecting the birds in the aviary, there's no mention of regular wild birds, mice, etc. that can enter and exit the zoo freely, something I would think would be just as significant of a problem. Granted, this might be overthinking it a bit, especially since this isn't the type of movie that is successful because of accuracy. But, it wouldn't have hurt to have that as one of the concerns.

As I said, this movie exceeded my low expectations. However, a limited budget and story did keep the film from being as good as it had the potential to be. It's worth watching if you're in the mood for something different. But, don't expect too much from it.

My Grade: C