Hi everyone!
Tired of Netflix Originals? Well, good thing that Andrew Campbell has returned with another Fantastic Fest feature, one I really wished I had caught in the theaters, and am currently waiting with baited breath to come to streaming services. For a few other zombie films, one of my favorite genres, check out “Ravenous” (Episode #066), “Cargo” (Episode #139), “Day of the Dead: Bloodline” (Episode #140), “White Zombie” (Episode #152), “Overlord” (Episode #316), and “The Night Eats The World” (Episode #372). If you have any zombie favorites, let us know over social media!
Oh, that must be Andrew. Hey dude, listen... about that whole “Sleep Tight” introduction... oh, hey there. Well, this is quite unexpected. Come in, come in!
Take it away, Andrew! Aaaaaaaaand...
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Hello, Film Fans!
Andrew here, back this week with my favorite Fantastic Fest film that I saw last year. However, this movie actually made its world premiere the previous year at the 2017 festival. Festival-goers sustained such a buzz around this one that when the film finally got its nationwide release more than a year later, I snuck out solo to the Alamo Drafthouse to catch it with a packed house on opening night. I loved this film so much, I was a little worried it might be a case of confirmation bias, given I had psyched myself up about it for so long based on the festival hype. So, the next day I dragged my wife to the theater for a second opinion and... well, I better just let her tell it...
Stephanie here, hijacking this week’s review about a zombie bloodbath that’s also a high-spirited romp the whole family will enjoy!
Today’s movie is “Anna and the Apocalypse” (2017), the Scottish zombie Christmas musical you didn’t know you needed in your life. “Anna and the Apocalypse” was written by Ryan McHenry and Alan McDonald and directed by John McPhail. Yup, this is Scottish, alright. Ryan McHenry wrote and directed the short film “Zombie Musical” in 2011 upon which his screenplay for “Anna and the Apocalypse” would be based. McHenry drew some fame in 2013 for creating a hilarious series of Vines called “Ryan Gosling Won’t Eat His Cereal,” which is worth a quick YouTube search if you’re not familiar. Sadly, McHenry was diagnosed with cancer that same year and lost his battle before “Anna” went into production.
“Anna and the Apocalypse” tells the story of Anna Shepherd (played by English actress Ella Hunt), a young woman who has grown up in a sleepy Scottish town. She’s in her final year of secondary school and looking forward to a gap year to travel the world, completely unaware that the zombie apocalypse is about to interrupt her plans.
The film starts out on familiar ground, with wistful, broody teens wanting more in life than their tiny school and small town are giving them – you might get a John Hughes vibe. We meet beautiful Anna (Ella Hunt) and her affable best friend John (Malcolm Cumming), along with ambitious student journalist Steph, attached-at-the-lips couple Lisa and Chris, and bad-boy Nick. The musical numbers set in the school halls and cafeteria are catchy and delightfully cheesy. Even the lunch lady sings along! No sign of zombies in the early part of the film, just your typical high school fare including love triangles, rehearsal for the school Christmas show, looming homework deadlines, and bothersome parents and teachers. One of the film’s best songs, “Hollywood Ending”, plants the seed for viewers that, unlike a typical high-school rom-com, everything is NOT going to work out perfectly for these characters.
Enter the zombies, and one of the movie’s best scenes as we watch Anna and John dancing through the streets belting out a peppy anthem, their ear buds somehow making them completely oblivious to the zombie carnage all around them. Anna and John eventually get wise to the zombie apocalypse and reunite with some of their classmates. Their mission? Travel across town, slay any zombies in their path, and make it to the school where the rest of their friends and family are –hopefully— waiting; if they haven’t already gone the way of Justin Bieber.
I generally love high school rom-coms and Christmas movies, I’m hit or miss with movie musicals, and I can take or leave zombie movies. So what happens when you put all of these elements together into one film? Well, don’t expect clever plot twists or significant character development. You might scratch your head over some of the characters’ choices, like why exactly is Principal Savage so evil? And how can Anna still be daydreaming about her gap year when almost everyone she knows has become a zombie? But these are not questions to dwell on or a movie to be taken too seriously. Enjoy the scrappiness of this film becauseit lacks the polish of a big-budget Hollywood product. Appreciate all the charming moments, such as when Lisa (Marli Siu) slays her performance in the school Christmas musical, singing a double entendre-laced ballad directed to Santa. This film is a loveable, earnest ride full of ear-pleasing Scottish accents, catchy songs, comical zombie violence, and talented newcomer actors. “Anna and the Apocalypse” has the potential to become a Christmastime cult hit and be the launchpad for a bright career for star Ella Hunt. The film may have its flaws, but you’ll soon forget them. Those songs, though? They may be stuck in your head for a while!
“Anna and the Apocalypse” is as delightful as it sounds, mixing a half-dozen memorable tunes sung by a promising young cast with irreverent humor and a few creative zombie kills. Fans of musicals will enjoy this film. Fans of “Shaun of the Dead” will enjoy it as well. Fans of musicals AND “Shaun of the Dead” will love this one.
Rotten Tomatoes: 77% (CERTIFIED FRESH)
Metacritic: 63
One Movie Punch: 9.0/10
“Anna and the Apocalypse” is rated R and is available on VOD. Follow us on Twitter @onemoviepunch and we’ll let you know when “Anna” or any of the other films we cover hit a major streaming service.
OK, Andrew you can have your podcast back.
Thanks, Steph. Come back next week when I take on “Tumbbad” a period horror film out of India you can catch now on Amazon Prime. Full confession: I don’t think I had ever seen a single film produced in India. If the same is true for you, next Friday I’ll let you know if this is a good place to start.
Hey, if Joseph’s wife is One Movie Spouse, does this make me One ‘Fantastic’ Spouse?
Yes... Yes it does.
I think I would be in big trouble if said ‘no’, so… absolutely!
