Warm Bodies is a peculiar love-story told from the perspective of a zombie. Set in a post-apocalyptic future, our title character R wanders aimlessly through the airport, contemplating his fate and wondering about a past he can’t remember. R encounters Julie and rescues her from a zombie attack, thus beginning a series of events that will not only transform R, but the other zombies as well.
The theme of the movie is connection. The more that Julie and R bond with each other the more that R changes. Midway through the film, the simple act of Julie holding onto R’s hand in a moment of terror begins a chain reaction that allows the other zombies to transform.
I can assure you that as bizarre as this movie sounds, it actually works and is highly entertaining. It works because of the excellent actors Nicholas Hoult (R) and Teresa Palmer (Julie) as well as director Jonathan Levine’s innate talent to make movies that explore the relationships between people. The dialogue is witty and wry, and the use of music allows the movie to stay light and, therefore, doesn’t become overly melodramatic.
Nicholas Hoult is masterful in his performance of R. He brings to life his undead character and elevates his performance through his commitment to the creepy zombie stare and shuffling body movements.
Teresa Palmer brings to her character Julie strength and earnestness. The movie doesn’t revel any of the backstory that lead to the zombie epidemic, but it does show you that the remaining humans have gotten used to the fact that their loved ones will probably die. Even with this knowledge, Julie still allows herself to be vulnerable.
The movie is based off a young adult novel of the same name by Isaac Marion. It would be unfair to compare this film with other young adult books that have been turned into movies, such as the Twilight series or Beautiful Creatures because it is so different. The movie is witty and clever with enough moments of suspense and action to keep the audience entertained and with enough heart to allow the viewer to accept this alternate reality. If you don’t mind a little horror with your romance, I would recommend checking out his movie.