The October Zombie-Thon - Day 14: Dead Moon Rising
Posted by Trevor Snyder on 10.14.2008
Wow....that's A LOT of zombies.
DEAD MOON RISING (2007)
Written & Directed by: Mark E. Poole
Country: USA
If there's one thing I think the Zombie-Thon proves, it's that there are a lot of zombie movies (duh). And while I definitely enjoy trying to watch all of them (that, too, should be fairly obvious), even I have to admit that – and this is especially true when you get into the realm of very low-budget zombie movies – there's really not a whole lot differentiating many of these zombie flicks from the others. You could say this is simply because there's nothing more for the genre to say or accomplish, but that's a lazy excuse. The sad truth is that many of the genre's filmmakers seem to have no desire to attempt anything new. It's kinda easy to just make another by-the-numbers zombie movie, and you know people like me will watch it anyway (even if we'll come to regret it later). So why bother trying to achieve something truly unique?
For that reason, I'm always thrilled to see any movie that has at least one element that completely separates it from the rest. To that end, I have to give Dead Moon Rising writer/director Mark E. Poole some credit, because while in many ways his movie isn't that much different from other recent indie zombie-comedies, it does feature at least one notable accomplishment: a zombies vs. humans battle featuring 1,200 extras! The DVD box brags that this is the largest zombie scene ever filmed, and it's pretty tough to argue. It's one hell of a remarkable sight…but it's also the very last scene in the movie. So the question, of course, is whether what precedes it makes sitting through the whole movie worth it, just to get to this admittedly awesome moment.
Well, the rest of the flick is pretty standard stuff, albeit with a few interesting twists. It's the beginning stages of a worldwide zombie pandemic, but in Louisville, KY, Jim (Jason Crowe) – the slacker manager of a car-rental company – and his coworkers are too busy bickering and complaining about customers to even notice the horror erupting outside their door. Eventually, though, the violence comes spilling into their building, and they have no choice but to make a run for it…but that doesn't stop them from still bickering and complaining.
Jim and his buddies are now forced to make their way through the city (it's never really clear what final destination they are attempting to reach) and survive the occasional zombie attack. They are joined along the way by a number of fairly stock characters – a cute teenage girl who just saw her family devoured, a church fanatic and her secret-pervert son, a heroic cop, and the requisite evil businessman who is only worried about himself. Perhaps sensing that he needed to shake things up a bit, Poole includes at least one rather interesting character in the form of Vix (Tucky Williams), Jim's badass and perhaps-psychotic ex-girlfriend. Vix's addition allows for not only the sort of "warrior woman kicking ass" scenes that are always appreciated in these movies, but also a sequence where she makes out with the aforementioned cute teenage girl…which I would suggest is even more appreciated.
So, yeah, there's a definite sense of "seen it all before" in the characters' quest to stay alive while crossing a zombie infested city…but Poole also throws in an intriguing fourth-wall-breaking twist, as Jim spends much of the movie turning to the camera and speaking directly to the audience. This kind of gimmick is always a big risk, as it can often come across as far-too-clever for its own good. It's actually quite effective here, though, even if a lot of it focuses on a back-story regarding Jim's fear of guns that is not nearly as interesting as Poole seems to believe. Still, if nothing else these scenes serve as nice periodic breaks from the movie's more clichéd moments, and do a nice job setting Dead Moon Rising apart from other zombie flicks (probably even more so than that giant zombie scene at the end).
Considering that Dead Moon Rising is a comedy, it also helps that it is quite funny. Oh, sure, a number of jokes fall flat, but it's a fairly strong ratio of "effective" vs. "ineffective" humor. Since most of the comedy is dialogue-based, I suspect even more of the jokes would have worked if not for the actors being obvious amateurs. Even still, there are a number of truly amusing moments, such as a great "nightmare within a nightmare within a nightmare" sequence, a scene of a zombie being given a wedgie (haven't seen that before), and a hilarious moment where Jim discovers that the government has outsourced the U.S Homeland Security hotline to India.
And while I'm discussing the things I liked about Dead Moon Rising, I'd be remiss in not mentioning the unique notion of zombies actually feeding on their own. This is a nice, unique touch, as it offers a whole new escape tactic to the genre. Being chased by zombies? Just trip the one in front and run away while the others pounce on it.
Of course, I did mention that in many ways Dead Moon Rising is similar to other low-budget zombie efforts, and so it needs to be said that it also unfortunately suffers from some of the usual problems. For instance, this is yet another indie plagued by audio-problems, leading me to wonder if part of the microphone budget wasn't needed to pay off all those extras. We also have the standard low-budget idiocy, such as an "Army soldier" represented by a guy in a gas-mask and a green polo shirt. The zombie makeup, too, leaves a lot to be desired. With their yellow faces, I couldn't be sure if they were in fact undead or just stricken with an extreme form of jaundice.
Still, I don't want to nitpick too much, not over this one. All things considered, Dead Moon Rising is a decent enough effort. It doesn't break much ground (apart from that undeniably impressive final scene), but it does what it does quite well most of the time. It probably would have been a lot more memorable with better actors and a slightly-bigger budget, but in its current form it still offers more entertainment than a number of lesser indie zombie movies. And, if nothing else, there is that final scene, which is pretty darn cool.
FINAL SCORE: 2.5 out of 4 Bubs (Mildly Recommended)
