User Reviews

~Spoiler~

A zombie flick was practically filmed in my backyard, I know people who are in/worked on the movie, and it still escaped my knowledge. How did that happen??? I still don't know, but it hit DVD and a copy found its way into my hands. I couldn't wait to watch it so a lot of people came over and we made an event out of it. Sadly to say, we were all disappointed. It's hard to write a negative review for it because I feel like I'm rooting against the home team or something. But there are some aspects to the film that could have been drastically better. My biggest complaint is the pacing. Zombie Planet clocks in at 2 hours!! WHAT?? That's just not necessary. And the sad part is it ends with a "to be continued" feel. Where was the editor? So many scenes could have been cut down...needed to be cut down. Just fixing that alone would have made this film light years better. Most of the acting is laughable, but that's to be expected. You can't really complain a whole lot. They're all amateurs, but with so many familiar faces on the screen it's hard not to laugh. Everyone kept saying "Wow, I know that guy." or "I've seen that guy on campus." So that was equally fun and distracting. But the two main characters, Kane and Adam, did fine and that's enough to please me. Another plus is the make-up. Some of the gore is really amazing and it definitely holds up. It's probably the film's biggest strength. Too bad the zombies weren't used more. Much of the movie is backstory and talking. And that's just not what I want to see with a movie titled Zombie Planet. I want to see loads of zombie mayhem and carnage. Another strength was the plot. The zombie plague in this film was brought about due to experimental weight-loss supplements. Of course, they work a little too well and you know what happens next. This is especially effective considering the carb craze as of late. From there the film enters post-apocalyptic territory and it may have been too ambitious for the budget. Maybe the director can fix these problems in Zombie Planet 2: Adam's Revenge. And maybe I'll like the film a bit more when I get some sort of conclusion that was missing from this movie.

Set in the near future a dark stranger walks into some southern American city plagued by zombies. Settling with a group of friendly face inhabitants our stranger learns the harsh realities of city life. There are two groups of people; the upper classes who dwell safely behind the concrete walls of the city being provided by, at the right price, the state police. Then there are our friendly face inhabitants. These lower class folks live along side the zombies. There only means of survival is to trade goods, which they forage for during the day, with the police in exchange for tins of food. Our stranger discovers why his world is plague by zombies. A new dietary pill that suppressed the craving for carbohydrates was the foundation. The human race's desire to shed fat caused the down fall of society as we know it. These pills increased the desire for protein i.e. meat, even the pet poodle. However, there was one more grave side affect, after death people became reanimated with an even stronger craving for protein namely human flesh.

With what I feel is an imaginative introduction I felt that this film many realise some inventive material. What better way could explain the cause of the zombie race than by a contemporary idea of people's desire to make any sacrifice to change their body without the hard work of the gym? However, the imagination of this film soon stopped after this exposition. This film falls into the old trap of 'I can not imagine what the world will be like when society collapses'. When you watch this film you do not escape to a different world as you do when you watch Planet of the Apes (original), Alien, Mad Max or Texas Chain Saw (original). In this film the alternate society is define by people with hair dyed orange and green. Face paint and charity shop leather jackets. There is no harshness about life in this alternate society, just healthy faces and over made-up zombies. Films should allow you to escape not remind you that you need to clear out your wardrobe and take your old cloths to the charity shop.

Forget about some of the pitiful acting, or the over made-up zombies. This film fails because it is too polished, too congenial and too predictable. I have watch films like this since the early eighties. If you are going the make a film of this nature I suggest you need to watch again such films as Dawn of The Dead (original and remake), Threads or Fulci's Zombie to see and experience that feeling of desperation in a devastate society.

The film is bad, but that is not to say it lacks entertainment value. Entertainment value comes from the fact the film is so badly made it is funny. First off their are really only two films. The first two films are nearly 4 hours. The third film is a 2 hour version of the first two films combined.

The film takes place in "Southern City." It was actually filmed in Lexington, which is not too southern and most likely didn't want to be associated with the film.

T.K. Kane ( Frank Farhat) is the main character. He is the "Mad Max"/ "Billy Jack" hero. He joins a group of walled in people called Dregs. They must contend with two factions: the zombies and the Upper Class.

The zombies can speak and reason. They only come out at night and stay out of sun light, except that which comes through doors and windows. The zombies were created by a protein diet supplement which causes a craving for protein, any protein except horse meat.

The Upper Class is a group of controlling psychos lead by Adam (Matthew Perry) former prison inmate. The control the Dregs and other sectors.

Kane is seeking something, he just doesn't know what. His real identity is revealed in part 2 which includes a nice recap of part 1.

Why this film is bad, but might be entertaining:

1) The sound man was terrible. The hitting sounds didn't always match the blows which never landed on the individual. The clip clop of the heels of the woman walking on the bridge doesn't match her steps.

2) the acting was horrible. Many of the cast have the same last name and are also part of the production crew.

3) The dialogue was lame.

4) Zombies engage in a fist fight. It just looked stupid.

5) CG graphics are cheap.

6) Sound track was lame. The guy who did it was also an extra.

7) The school yard bully aspect of the initial encounter with the Upper Class was cheesy.

The film teases us with some opening zombie nudity, but never repeats it. Yes, the manged to master the opening teaser, but nothing else.

This would appeal to a limited audience, most likely those who praise "Brain Dead" productions. May be too bad even for Asylum fans.

Parental Guide: F-bomb, early nude scene. 1 star for most viewers.

This movie was very good for an indie horror film. some excellent effects for the budget. The story was very well thought out and executed. sometimes a little slow for my taste but the story moved a long. Mr Farhat was an excellent actor for the part of loner hero type. My hats off to the cast and crew of this film. I enjoyed the fight scenes. Some of the zombie effects were outstanding and some not so good but for an indie horror film I've seen much worse. Good characterization for an indie horror film also. A movie where you care about the characters is a great effort in film making. I look forward to seeing part 2 for the rest of the story. Good luck in future endeavors.