The October Zombie-Thon! - Day 22: Necropolis Awakened
Posted by Trevor Snyder on 10.22.2007
Flesh-hungry zombies vs. a drunken, bearded mountain-man named Bob? Sounds good so far...
NECROPOLIS AWAKENED (2002)
Written & Directed by: Garrett White
Country: USA
As I watched today's extremely low-budgeted film, I couldn't help but be amazed that writer/director Garrett White had somehow found two of the most hilariously over-the-top, scenery-chewing hams I had ever seen for the movie's two lead roles. Both the evil hit-man Judas and the heroic mountain-man Bob were being played by actors who seemed to have some sort of bitter hatred for the idea of subtlety. As the two overdid every single of dialogue like some sort of out-of-control William Shatner, I could only shake my head in disbelief and wonder.
As I started to pay closer attention to the film, however, something started to dawn on me, until finally it clicked – this was not two actors playing these roles, but rather one man (Duke White, Garrett's father), delivering not one but two laugh-out-loud inducing parts, in one movie. And thus began my love for Necropolis Awakened.
Actually, that's not entirely true. I suppose, when I really think about that, that Necropolis had started to win me over from its very first moments, as the film opened with the kind of high-speed car chase you just never see in movies like these (certainly not in ones with this small of a budget). It doesn't take long to realize the movie is quite unlike any other low-budget zombie flick you have come across, and nowadays, that's almost enough to recommend it right off the bat.
Because, as you probably already know, I've watched a lot of independent zombie movies, and while I have enjoyed my fair share, and even found the occasional diamond-in-the-rough, I've also made no secret of my dismay at the disappointing laziness of most, not to mention the unfortunate sameness that plagues the genre.
I get that it's fun and (potentially) easy to make a cheap little zombie movie with your friends – it's that attitude that has kept part of the genre thriving, and full of new talent, for quite some time. Still, it bothers me that so many of these first-time filmmakers seem to think their job is mostly done as soon as they decide to make a zombie movie, and so they spend no time whatsoever making sure they're adding anything new or original to the mix. We've all seen the exact same formulas and scenarios multiple times already; do these people actually believe we've just been patiently waiting for their personal variation on the oh-so-familiar themes?
Garrett White almost made these very same mistakes. According to the extras on the Necropolis DVD, he and a couple family members (brother Brandon, and father Duke) were all set in early 2001 to make their own nondescript living dead film, and throw it onto the already growing pile of similar films. Suddenly, though, Garrett was struck with what one might call "divine inspiration," if not for the fact that we're just talking about cheesy B-movies here and that term might be a little over-exaggerating. So let's just say he had "a crazy idea." That idea was this: perhaps, in order to stand out from the crowd and make something a little more interesting, he could actually…*gasp*…try something new and wildly different with the genre.
I know…madness, right? Or at least you'd think it is, considering how few of these wannabe Romero's ever seem to think it. But I thank my lucky stars Garrett White did, or else I might never have experienced Necropolis Awakened, a silly, outrageous, and legitimately engaging mixture of The Evil Dead and Mad Max.
The story concerns a psychotic undead geneticist by the name of Nefarious Thorne, who has taken over the small mountain town of Sky Hook with his army of undead ghouls (here represented by a handful of extras wearing goofy looking masks, but hey, what are you gonna do – did I mention this flick was cheap?). Thorne is using the town as a testing ground for his zombie-making ways, and having found success, plans to soon move on to the rest of world. Only one man stands in Thorne's way: Bob, a grizzled alcoholic who ends up the town's only survivor. Forced to hide out in the surrounding mountain caves, Bob mounts a one man war against Nefarious – a one-man war, that is, only until he is joined by his noble nephew, Titan.
Because Thorne's zombies have great difficulty finding and destroying Bob (they may be deadly, but they're also really stupid), the madman has no choice but to hire a trio of professional assassins to come to the town and take out the heroic Grizzly Adams look-alike. The group is bad news: Judas, the insane, tough-talking leader; Gog, the loyal muscle, and the less-than-enthused Detroit, who is the only one of the three who questions the ethics of working for a deranged monster intent on wiping out humanity.
Soon, it's all-out war in the deserts and mountain-highways of Sky Hook, complete with frequent Road Warrior-esque car chase scenes that, while they won't cause George Miller to lose any sleep at night, are still a damn sight better than you would expect from a movie that only cost about $7000.
Actually, that's pretty much the best way to sum up Necropolis Awakened as a whole: It's way better, and certainly much more fun, than it really has any right to be. This is the do-it-yourself attitude of indie-filmmaking at its finest. Apart from the occasional zombie extra, Garrett, Brandon, and Duke White play all the parts themselves. We've already covered Duke's uproarious portrayals of both Bob and Judas, but he's not alone in pulling double-duty, as Brandon plays Gog and Nefarious. Garrett, meanwhile, sticks to one role – Bob's nephew, Titan – but give the guy a break. He was busy directing the thing.
And it's a pretty darn good directing job, too. Borrowing heavily from the visual styles of Sam Raimi and the Coen brothers (but not so much that it seems like an outright rip-off), White manages to bring a heavy dose of energy to the proceedings, particularly in the film's chase sequences. Granted, there are moments when you can tell the cars probably aren't going much over 40mph. Hell, there are times you can tell they're not moving at all! But White approaches every scene and set-up with such passion and attention to detail that it's hard not to be impressed with how much he has accomplished with so few resources.
I can see some people calling me crazy for raving about this film. There will be those that will not to be able to handle the ultra-goofy delivery of Duke White, in both his roles. Others will bemoan the movie's lack of convincing gore effects, or complain about its odd sense of humor. Whatever. Speaking as a guy who watches 31 of these things every year (and usually more), I'm damn glad to see something different being tried in the genre. A lot of folks were recently raving about the third Resident Evil movie's decision to mix its zombie mythology with Mad Max-ish elements. Here are three guys who did the same thing seven years ago, for about 1% of that film's budget (if that).
Is Necropolis Awakened as slick and polished looking as a big-budget studio film like Resident Evil: Extinction? No, of course not. But I'd argue that it was made with just as much, if not more, enthusiasm – and is just as much fun in the long run. My recommendation for the movie is not just for zombie fans looking for a enjoyable flick, but is particularly for any aspiring filmmakers out there – to show them that a lack of funds, or actors, doesn't mean you still can't try to shoot for the stars.
FINAL SCORE: 3.5 out of 4 Bubs (Highly Recommended)
