Zombie romance enlivens genre and touches hearts

By NICOLE CONTRINO

For many, the zombie genre of film has begun to die out, since there is only so much Hollywood can do with a dead corpse. “Warm Bodies,” directed by Jonathan Levine, it plays a funny new twist on a zombie apocalypse.

After a zombie epidemic takes over the world, only a very small group of people survives in a town that has become completely secluded from the world. An oddly emotional zombie, R, played by Nicholas Hoult, meets a beautiful human survivor, Julie, played by Teresa Palmer, saving her from the attack of his fellow zombies.

When Julie finally comes to realize that R is different from the zombies she understands, the two form a bond in their struggle for survival. R becomes progressively more human, causing a rather funny and passionate chain of events that begin to transform the whole lifeless world.

“I think that “Warm Bodies” is very cute, because nobody ever thinks a zombie, something that could kill you, can fall in love and have feelings,” says freshman biology major Mary-Alison Lane.

While “Warm Bodies” may not sound like a very cliché love story, the love itself was something audience members had definitely seen before. In fact, a scene resembling the balcony scene from “Romeo and Juliet” even made an appearance in the film. However, some audience members believed the zombie twist truly made the film appear as no other love story had.

“I honestly thought it was going to be a waste of $10, but I ended up really liking it,” said Nicole Scotti, an undecided freshman. “It was something different, not your ordinary love story.”

Though the film started off slowly, many audience members were shocked by how intensely they became involved with the film. For a love story involving zombies, complete with the proper dosage of excitement and charm, there was surprisingly enough action and gore thrown in to make it a Valentine’s date perfect for couples with differing interests.

Freshman Caitlin Turner-Lafving, a political science major, said, “I thought it started off pretty slow, but it’s one of those movies that turns out to be really cute if you give it some time.”

This film is definitely one that has to do with love and change, but mostly delivers the message in a goofy, self-aware adorable way. If anything, the movie should be given due respect to the creativity of the director.