2012: Zombie Apocalypse Movie Review
SyFy Channel made this little gem in 2011. Make no mistake, this is definitely a B Movie. However, it’s a notch above the usual rabble. It has a somewhat well known cast, such as Ving Rhames (Dawn of the Dead remake), Taryn Manning (Sons of Anarchy), Lesley-Ann Brandt (Spartacus), and Eddie Steeples (My Name Is Earl). These men and women, along with their co-stars, deliver a fairly decent performance, and when the inevitable losses happen in this gritty zombie flick, there was enough investment with each character to feel sympathetic to their plight.
I was surprised how good this movie ended up being (I had very low expectations), but I’m not going to sugar coat it either. This movie doesn’t introduce anything new, let alone twists on cliche material. It’s a straight up, no nonsense, zombie apocalypse survival movie.
QUALITY CHECKS
Story: Average
Setting: Average
Acting: Good
Make-up/Special Effects: Bad
Sound Effects: Bad
Action Sequences: Very Good
Survival Emphasis: Very Good
Zombie Explanations: Very Good
Horror/Suspense: Average
Humor: Nothing Intentional
Final Thoughts: This is a great “break-in” movie for the zombie genre for anyone who hasn’t dabbled much. It isn’t terrifying or very traumatizing, it does a very good job of explaining viral-style zombies and their outbreak origins, and best of all (for this film) it goes fairly in-depth for survival strategies — everything from defending yourself to evading detection.
If you enjoy zombie flicks, or just want an excuse to see Ving Rhames beat a bunch of undead freaks with a giant hammer, 2012: Zombie Apocalypse delivers.
side-note: At the time this review was written, it was available to watch on Netflix instant stream.
