...to the undead competition, "Dance of the Dead" marks the full-length feature debuts of a number of relative unknowns who may (or may not) be going anywhere. In a genre dominated by any number of standout efforts like "Return of the Living Dead," "Shaun of the Dead," "Fido," and "Zombieland," it really takes something special to transcend mere competence in film-making. Sadly, "Dance..." doesn't quite do that, although I give it a few points for the attempt.
As is usually the case, it's the tyro script that keeps this one in the realm of the mundane. After a somewhat promising opening, way too much time is spent introducing the principal characters, none of whom are overly interesting (with the possible exception of the criminally underused Gravedigger), and establishing the tone of the proceedings, which promises comedy but fails to consistently deliver. The slim plot that ensues is distressingly banal, centering on the usual hijinks of recognizing the situation, surviving it, and the eventual efforts to save a prom from zombiedom. None of it is unique or terribly entertaining, sorry to say. Perhaps the greatest fault is the hodgepodge of zombie tropes that refuse to mesh throughout the film: sometimes they're slow, sometimes they're fast, sometimes they literally vault from the grave! And then there's just pure silliness like zombies that can drive cars, or carry their severed head around, or are pacified by music. The make-up and fx range from good to slipshod, but nothing stands out as memorable; set pieces veer from the slapstick of a bodiless pair of zombie legs staggering away to straight-up Romero-style grue and disembowelment, but none of it is scary or suspenseful or even particularly disturbing. There's no tension in the film at all, mostly due to characters painted in broad strokes, leaving the viewer no reason to care about them.
Basically, "Dance..." brings nothing new to the table, and that condemns it to the disease of boredom. One positive note I have to give it is that the young cast, by and large, actually appears to be the right age for their high school characters. That's just about the only unusual thing in the whole film.
Ho-hum DVD viewing that I'm glad I copped at the library. A short piece done by the director in college shows more promise than the feature film can live up to.
As is usually the case, it's the tyro script that keeps this one in the realm of the mundane. After a somewhat promising opening, way too much time is spent introducing the principal characters, none of whom are overly interesting (with the possible exception of the criminally underused Gravedigger), and establishing the tone of the proceedings, which promises comedy but fails to consistently deliver. The slim plot that ensues is distressingly banal, centering on the usual hijinks of recognizing the situation, surviving it, and the eventual efforts to save a prom from zombiedom. None of it is unique or terribly entertaining, sorry to say. Perhaps the greatest fault is the hodgepodge of zombie tropes that refuse to mesh throughout the film: sometimes they're slow, sometimes they're fast, sometimes they literally vault from the grave! And then there's just pure silliness like zombies that can drive cars, or carry their severed head around, or are pacified by music. The make-up and fx range from good to slipshod, but nothing stands out as memorable; set pieces veer from the slapstick of a bodiless pair of zombie legs staggering away to straight-up Romero-style grue and disembowelment, but none of it is scary or suspenseful or even particularly disturbing. There's no tension in the film at all, mostly due to characters painted in broad strokes, leaving the viewer no reason to care about them.
Basically, "Dance..." brings nothing new to the table, and that condemns it to the disease of boredom. One positive note I have to give it is that the young cast, by and large, actually appears to be the right age for their high school characters. That's just about the only unusual thing in the whole film.
Ho-hum DVD viewing that I'm glad I copped at the library. A short piece done by the director in college shows more promise than the feature film can live up to.