by Aiyonna White, Contributor
Cinemark Theatres has partnered with The Asylum to offer discounted tickets to exclusive horror, sci-fi, thriller, and cult films from the independent film company. The studio is most famous for the Sharknado franchise.
Originally titled “Ibiza Undead”, Zombie Spring Breakers is a comedic-horror movie that is actually funny. Written and directed by Andy Edwards, the film takes place during, you guessed it, a spring break trip to Ibiza. Although the premise may be cliched, the film is not boring.
A group of English (this is important) college friends take a vacation to Ibiza. They go clubbing in a sketchy club owned by antagonist Karl (Matt King).
Karl has been turning his employees into zombies and setting them on stage to perform at his club. Karl says he gives the zombies MDMA to mellow them out, but that alcohol is a no-go. The science doesn’t matter. In fact, if you pay too much attention to the science or the logistics of the film, you will ruin the movie for yourself. Anyway, an unrestrained Jim (Ed Kear) gives the zombie alcohol, which enables it to attack and begins the outbreak.
If you like Sharknado, this is right up your alley. The main three friends Alex (Jordan Coulson), Az (Homer Todiwala) and Jim fulfill basic stereotypes. The heartbroken friend who “just needs to get laid” to get over his ex, the brown innocent nerd whose endearing naivete wins him the hot girl at the end, and the overweight comedic relief. All of the characters in the ensemble are two-dimensional, but you don’t watch this sort of movie for plot or characters.
The special effects are fine. It’s obviously not going to be Marvel Studio’s levels of beauty. However, the makeup is particularly rough. But I will warn you, there are two scenes where people get their arms chopped off that were hard to watch. I approve.
There are a few romantic storylines, but they were cliched and uninteresting.I’m not a fan of having a romantic plot point just to have it. I mostly ignored them. However, one of my favorite scenes at the end of the movie is the result of a twisted love affair between Jim and Alex’s sister Liz (Emily Atack).
If you’re not familiar with British culture, some of this movie may go over your head. As an American, there were many small things that I noticed and knew I was supposed to find entertaining but didn’t because it wasn’t written for me. Don’t let the slight cultural differences stop you from watching the movie. I still enjoyed it. There’s one character in the movie from the United States who is just a caricature of American culture, which I loved.
Ultimately, if you’re watching an indie horror movie, you can expect subpar special effects and hit-or-miss acting. Where Zombie Spring Breakers shines is the humor. I genuinely laughed at a few parts, which is impressive for me.Give this movie a try, especially if you love Sharknado and other SyFy channel straight-to-television movies.
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