Talk us through itMorgan, Johnny, and Ash have survived the zombie apocalypse and are making do with the situation they find themselves in. Electricity is still running, and will keep running while the hydro-electric turbines keep on turning, there's ample food of the tinned variety, and there's always the chance that a new CD was released just prior to society disappearing in a blood soaked whimper. While you could argue the boys have very little to live for, Johnny is still holding out hope of a recording contract, and there's always the chance of a hot chick falling into their laps. While hunting for a new place to hunker down in, Morgan is bored with their currently crib, the trio run across Stef and her Dad, oh and a church fill of zombie flesh eaters. Stef's Dad goes down in the ensuing fight but everyone else gets out of dodge intact. While the boys might be content with their lot, Stef is working on a cure for zombification, unfortunately Morgan steps on a vial of blood needed for that cure. Stef needs to break into a research hospital overcoming the expected horde of zombies in the process, get a sample of arterial zombie blood, process it, and then fly the sample to a research facility on Stewart Island. Naturally the lads enlist on her quest, as that shouldn't present any difficulties for anyone. Can three blokes and one hot chick save the world from the zombie plague?
Review"So the whole walking dead thing hasn't affected the band?" - StefBesides Peter Jackson's Braindead (1992) New Zealand isn't exactly noted for the production of zombie movies. Logan McMillian is planning to change that perception with the first of at least two movies based in the Last of the Living (LOTL) universe. Can McMillian match the all out blood bath Jackson presented us with or is the young Director after something else?
LOTL clearly has a limited budget, rumoured to be nowhere near six figures, but the Director and crew are doing their best to present a movie experience that ranges from being a spoof on the zombie sub-genre, through some pathos, to holding its own on the International stage as a blood drenched zom outing. To a certain extent the movie makers have achieved what they set out to do, however LOTL is held back by its Kiwi roots. That was no problems for yours truly, loved that dry sense of humour used in places, but my fellow viewers were slightly less enameled by things. McMillian opens his movie with a lone figure walking through the deserted streets of Wellington, New Zealand's capital for the geographically challenged, which immediately brings to mind the opening montage from 28 Days Later, yes winks to the audience are high on the agenda. The scene is almost all shoot in washed out grays and the word "bleak" comes to mind immediatly. McMillian's introduction definitely has the Audience thinking we are in for a more serious Romero style zom flick than the kick arse DVD cover prepared us for. The sudden appearance of zombies and the resulting splatter going down tends to reinforce that notion. Full props to the makeup department here, those zombies look like the walking dead, though of the less decayed variety.
We are then totally thrown off balance as LOTL leaves Romero territory, touches bases with McBannon zombie slap stick, before finally delivering what is a pretty devastating final statement. This is truly an apocalyptic vision and McMillian does not lose track of that through the fart jokes, general mayhem, and judicious use of various sharp and blunt objects. The Director might be throwing a rom-com at us, but he's wrapping it in the sort of bleak post apocalyptic trappings one would expect from a more serious horror outing. Throughout the movie McMillian works to make the low budget an asset rather than generally being the pain in the arse some outings become. Blood splatters the camera lens, McMillian trying to put the audience into the scene, there's some gnarly angles in use, and nothing is left lingering in the afterglow of zombie carnage. This isn't to say we are in the Blair Witch woods here, the Director isn't going for the cop out that the "found footage" approach has become. McMillian's script is strong, there are no loose ends and nothing is coming at us from left field. Strong eye for detail here, the Writer/Director has his zombie on and knows how to rock and roll it with a horror flick.
As opposed to the steady stream of half arsed outings coming at us via the Boredwood dark genre conveyor belt McMillian has his characterization working like a brought one. You wont get confused in this movie about which character is which. Forget casting agency models, McMillian has gone with real people. Ash, reference to a certain Sam Raimi character? - is the geeky ex accountant who takes things very carefully. Morgan is just in it for the chicks and hanging out. While Johnny is the rock and roller after a recording contract, oh and trying to put the finishing touches to his fighting move. The three lads are well suited to their environment and you get the feeling that the zombie apocalypse has brought out the best in them, albeit the best being a sort of couch potato attitude to their situation. LOTL can be broken down into the standard three acts that most movies aim for, and some "artistic" movies tend to forget in their continued endeavors to impress the wine and cheese set. In the first block we are introduced to the leads and follow their day to day life of doing not much at all. Was the mall scene a reference to Romero's Dawn of the Dead I wonder? We enter the second act as the Lads decide to help achieve Stef's goal of saving the human race, it should be noted that at least in Morgan and Ash's case this is more to impress Stef than through any nobler motive. Johnny seems to be up for anything that has the potential of increased violence. The final block of the movie centers on Stewart Island and the fight for the human race.
Interestingly, and I believe Ramsay Campbell has been the only other person attempting it, the action goes down solidly during the day with no nighttime scenes aiding in McMillian's campaign to ramp up the scares. This struck me as more realistic than the 101 other zombie flicks were various victims decide to go do something at night, limiting their survival time to about 10 minutes in so doing. It does have the tendency throughout the movie of lessoning the chance of a "jump out of your seat" moment, but it rings truer than your standard "cat out of the cupboard" zombie scare going down after lights out. If you are going with an Indie low budget film, then cut the lightening out of the equation and make it as realistic as possible. In the wash up, whatever the hell that really means, Logan McMillian has managed to create a zombie apocalyptic movie that is actually bloody realistic, as opposed to the general run of the mill big budget Boredwood outing. LOTL almost becomes a slice of life film with no big scenes to override the general view of down home surviving in the face of insurmountable obstacles.
Morgan Williams (Morgan) was excellent for mine, maybe it's a kiwi stereotype but I've had flatmates exactly like Morgan in various scarfie flats. Robert Faith (Johnny) was a hoot, loved his rock and roll approach to the end of the world. Ashleigh Southam (Ash) struck a balance as the more careful of the trio, needed in order to stop the film from descending into total farce, Southam is all over the character. And Emily Paddon-Brown (Stef) inserted herself into what threatened to become a testosterone fueled outing to great effect. Ms Paddon-Brown is holding her own here and gets some choice one liners to throw at the trio of slackers she is stuck with. The score was handled by Ben Edwards and Kurt Preston, didn't notice it, so clearly I was caught up in the onscreen action going down. McMillian doesn't stint with the soundtrack however, lots of ballads and rock to keep you going as the camera angle goes wide screen.
Summary ExecutionI was fanging for LOTL as soon as I found out another Indie zombie movie had been released over in the Shaky Isles. It took an import from region one to finally get my hands on the film and folks I got to say it was well worth the effort. I was held absolutely spellbound from the opening frame to the closing frame as a movie fill of kiwi humour and zombie mayhem played out on my screen. I had a total hoot with the movie and have a feeling it won't be too much longer before a repeat viewing goes down. Best zombie movie out of New Zealand since Peter Jackson showed us the true purpose of a lawn mower.LOTL isn't currently available as a region 4 release but check into amazon.com for a copy. Strangely my New Zealand movie arrived from an American online store via Auckland New Zealand, go figure that one. And the fun don't done gang, Logan McMillian and team are currently hard at work on a sequel set a month or so after events in the current movie. Well dress me up in a party dress and call me Susan, I'm there on release date. I'm going to give Last of the Living a full recommendation and am going to state that anyone reading this review should immediately go and get a copy. One of the best Down Under zombie flicks to be released thus far this century, LOTL should be a priority if you haven't seen it as yet. Make a night of it and grab Braindead as well. ScaryMinds Rates this movie as ... Solid kiwi zom movie that has me begging for more.
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