Movie reviews (titles starting with C)

[UK_zombie]

Just a quick review to add:

Dead Set (2008) (Mini-Series) 140+ Minutes

I am not sure if the Big Brother (BB) fad made it to the US but it took off in a huge way in the UK in the early 2000's and although initially part of a social experiment it was a big success and spawned countless series, spin offs and celebrity editions and opened the door to discussion on all kinds of social and moral issues with not only reality TV but society as a whole.

Social commentary aside this mini series does a really good job of being a satire on the whole concept of obsession with fame, celebrity and reality TV, and as a device to achieve this in a not so subtle way it uses Zombies!

Basic Plot - A young woman working for the TV channel that airs BB is trapped in the BB house along with the contestants as a zombie plague overtakes the country and her on/off boyfriend races to the studio to save her.

Characters - The main characters are relatable and well acted. Jaime Winstone stands out as the protagonist, as does Andy Nyman in a villain performance that I think sets the bar for people in a zombie movie that you really, really, really really (yes really) want to see get eaten.
The contestants are your typical BB bunch and do a good job of portraying the type of people wanting to be on that show, notable mention has to be the character Space and Pippa the stereotypical dumb girl.

Zombies - Although not at the mainstream movie zombie level the zombies are done and acted really well here and if you are from the UK and remember BB early days then you will pleased to see some of the old contestants in cameos, as zombies! Along with the fabulous Davina who really gets into her role (non-UK Davina MCcall was the host for a long time)
They are basic zombie rules zombies, drawn to the living, no speech, limited tool use, non zombies turn after bites/death. As a down side these are 28 Days Later fast style zombies.
Another plus point is that the zombie numbers reach Horde level (Lots of Zombies!) which I see as an important factor in my Zombie viewing.

Blood/Gore - Although infrequent to start with it gradually progresses in graphic nature and there are some great survivor eating moments from the Zombies especially towards the end.

Is it any Good - Yes, I would say 8/10 and I class it among a number of zombie related media that I think any true zombie fan should try and sit down and watch.
As its a mini series there is the added bonus that it runs longer than your usual zombie fare (more zombie minutes!) and if need be its episodic nature lets you watch it in separate sittings.