When you watch a zombie movie there are a few questions that need to be answered regarding the unspoken “rules” of the given zombie world.
- Are they fast zombies (virus infection) or slow zombies (decomposed brain-eating corpses?)
- Are we learning about the zombie infestation that is happening at the moment of the initial outbreak (Night of the Living Dead, Quarantine, Zack Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead remake, etc), or are we thrust some time into the outbreak, and find the main characters in survival mode (28 Days Later, Romero’s “Dead” films, The Walking Dead, etc.) and, finally,
- Is a cure for the zombiness even an option? Recent examples include finding a “cure” for zombieness through disguising yourself as a sick person (WWZ), or by love (Warm Bodies), or by science (I Am Legend).
The answers to these questions determine the plotline of nearly every zombie movie — but which do not apply to the upcoming Open Grave.
Open Grave combines the concepts of Christopher Nolan’s Memento with the ensemble storyline of James Mangold’s Identity (which, in turn, was a version of Agatha Christie’s Ten Little Indians) and throws in some “infected” zombies to create a unique take on the entire genre, with a little Cabin in the Woods-like twist just for fun.
Open Grave, which premiered in limited release on January 3rd and is now available on iTunes and Amazon instant video, is headlined by Sharlto Copley — who plays something like a cross between his deadly, hard-nosed Elysium mercenary and his District 9 bureaucrat. The film explores what it means to face the zombie apocalypse after having your memory wiped. Bringing depth and emotion to his character’s struggle, Copley shines in this film while the ensemble cast balances out the rest of the movie’s backstory.
Copley’s character awakens in an open mass grave of dead bodies, unable to remember his name or how he got there. The audience accompanies Copley as he pieces together the events that left him in the grave. After being rescued from the mass grave by a mysterious woman and entering a building with several other amnesia sufferers, the fun really begins, especially when the survivors discover an extremely large cache of weapons inside. Not to mention the horde of bloodthirsty zombies outside. However, is the real danger outside or is it more deadly to be inside amongst the conscious as clues to who they all are start to be revealed? Hmmmm….
I forgot to mention the fourth element which you can expect almost every zombie movie to have: a twist. As we are already expecting such a twist, don’t expect Open Grave’s to be too mind-blowing, but do expect the ending to wrap up the narrative, yet still provide an opening for anyone else interested in exploring the world of Open Grave further in a subsequent sequel. I doubt that’s even remotely being considered, but I would enjoy a possible continuation of this story.
Open Grave is a solid piece of zombie fare. Even though the zombies aren’t featured that much, the story is certainly much more character-driven. I’d definitely recommend this film to any zombie fan that’s looking for a change of pace, and also to fans of thrillers to whom I believe will enjoy a new angle on this genre.
Many props to Spanish director Gonzalo Lopez-Gallego for providing a better offering than his previous Apollo 18.