In many zombie movies, the living dead aren’t always the real monsters…it’s the characters who display the worst aspects of humanity. The monsters in this case are the Japanese army during World War II. As a form of biological warfare, they figure out how to reanimate the dead, then release one of those experiments during an incursion on a Thai province.
Operation Undead doesn’t begin that way, though. In fact, the goofy opening scene features a young squad of Thai soldiers watching their buddy get it on with a prostitute while they collectively jerk off. That, along with the playful score, suggests more of a comedy…and a dumb one at that.
The tone quickly turns serious (and more melodramatic) with the introduction of the film’s protagonists, Mek (Chanon Santinatomkul) and Mok (Awat Ratanapintha), two bickering sibling soldiers. Of course, one’s dedicated to his country, the other is a flaky free spirit. There’s also an added subplot of Mek’s pregnant girlfriend, who largely exists to be put in peril, as does the local village where most of the squad was raised.
 |
| "SMMMOKIN'!" |
The film tries very hard to get the audience emotionally invested in its individual zombies. But while we do side with them as a whole, simply giving each a chance to explain what they’re gonna miss by being dead isn’t enough. Ultimately, we just want to see them wreak havoc…which they definitely do. Operation Undead is never as affecting as, say, Train to Busan, but it delivers the gore goods, often spectacularly. There’s gobs of gut-munching, artery-spewing, brain-bursting mayhem on display, all vividly depicted with pretty convincing effects.
With a sky-high body count - including children - Operation Undead mostly maintains interest through violence and action alone. It also grows increasingly bleak and culminates in a climax that’s somewhat underwhelming and kind of a downer. But until then, the film offers some nasty fun for gorehounds.
No comments:
Post a Comment