Warm Bodies star Nicholas Hoult plays an unusual zombie named R, who falls in love with a human teenage girl. (Courtesy of AP)
Vampire love stories can seem somewhat overdone now that the blood-sucking creatures have repeatedly been the subject of books, television shows and films over the past few years.
The vampire trend seems to be slowing down. This is especially true after “The Twilight Saga” reached its end after the release of “Breaking Dawn: Part 2” last Nov.
Without Bella and Edward and their vampire love story, many are left wondering: what’s next?
Well, according to Summit Entertainment’s newest film, “Warm Bodies,” zombies may be the answer.
The film, based upon Isaac Marion’s novel by the same title, explores a different type of supernatural romance. the zombie, human love story.
The paranormal romantic comedy takes place in a post apocalyptic world, where zombies wander the streets in search of human brains.
Humans have become largely outnumbered by the dead streetwalkers and they must constantly be on the defense in order to preserve their species.
The film claims to be a “funny new twist on a classic love story,” and certainly offers enough funny dialogue to live up to that description.
Most of the zombies have lost touch with their humanity and only possess the capacity to think about getting their next human meal.
The film focuses on an unusual zombie named R, played by Nicholas Hoult, who falls in love with a human teenage girl, Julie, who is played by Teresa Palmer.
Similar to Romeo and Juliet, another famous ill-fated couple, R and Julie face circumstances that set them up as star-crossed lovers.
Only R and Julie face their own unique set of obstacles that threaten the unlikely couple’s budding romance.
An early problem arises due to the fact that the couple meets when R kills Julie’s boyfriend.
Another challenge is that R must protect Julie from his zombie peers since he is the only one of his kind who does not want to eat his love interest.
Furthermore, all of the humans are out to destroy R, and the leader of the anti-zombie brigade just happens to be Julie’s father, who is played by John Malkovich.
While the “Warm Bodies” love story may not feature dueling families and vials of poison, the journey that the main characters take creates plenty of humorous conflict.
Jonathan Levine, the film’s writer and director, ensures that there are enough comedic moments to balance out the dark circumstances surrounding the main characters and the society that they live in.
Despite all of the factors that are working against the romance between the two main characters, their relationship sets forth a series of events that could potentially change the doomed state of the society they live in.
While the overall theme is based upon a love story, the film is loaded with different aspects that appeal to a variety of audience members.
With all of the humorous moments and plenty of zombies versus human fight scenes, the film is an enjoyable experience to more than just the Twilight-obsessed girl.
Don’t forget to check out the PG-13 film once it hits theaters nationwide on Feb. 1.
