Alive – Review
Written and Directed by David Marantz
Synopsis:
Helen navigates a ravaged world with her boyfriend Kevin and her little brother Barney.
Desperate to find help after Barney’s infection slowly turns him into a zombie, they come upon a house where lives Dan, a man harboring a heavy secret.
Well, I have to admit, I’ve allowed myself to become a bit jaded in terms of outbreak/zombie-type films, and so I wasn’t prepared to really enjoy myself on this one.
But, as you may have guessed, I was, if not completely wrong, then at least I wasn’t completely right, either.
Yes, we get news reports of a virus of undetermined origin moving across the globe, turning people into zombies. Then we fast forward a few months to a couple of teens traveling with their teacher (who was underwhelmed by the government propaganda she was being asked to peddle during the early days) to an island broadcasting via radio that they are virus free.
Helen (played by Ellen Hillman) is trying to protect her little brother, Barney, while dealing with her boyfriend, Kevin (Kian Pritchard), while the crazy priest is rallying his congregation against the zombies with God on their side.
Pretty standard fare so far, right?
Well, if you listen carefully, you can hear not only the island broadcasting it’s purported safety, but another broadcast advertising some… different… ideas.
Helen is, for lack of a less loaded phrase, a strong female character: protective, resourceful, and willing to do what it takes to keep her loved ones safe, all without making us feel sorry for her or angry at her boyfriend for being less, because he’s not less, he’s just a teen boy in an apocalypse who makes mistakes.
And Hillman plays her very well.
I don’t want to spoil too much for you, because while the film isn’t perfect–in fact, it often lingers too long on people simply sitting–it does incorporate a few interesting ideas and inspirations for your enjoyment.
Obviously, every zombie movie is fodder for Alive, but so do family dramas, religious fanaticism, and even a critical plot point from the novel “The Day of the Triffids,” which contains one of my favorite post-apocalyptic human dramas ever.
The performances here are pretty solid, and the interesting angle it takes on the zombie… culture?… by the end of the film is fairly unique as far as I know, though I don’t claim to be a zombie scholar.
All in all, a pretty fun 90-ish minute diversion in the English countryside.
Check it out.
Alive is currently available on digital and on-demand and stars Ellen Hillman, Kian Pritchard, Stuart Matthews, and Neil Scheffield.
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