I like to laugh, even if I do it less and less. Look around you, this world is crap. Nothing to laugh about, except for people who are too stupid to understand the shit we’re in. With those encouraging words I’m gonna write about Zombeavers, which is exactly what you think it is: living dead beavers. I was a bit skeptical at first, because movies like this can in all honesty be pure dung. Like Piranha 3DD (the first one by Aja was great though) or (yes) Cabin Fever. Zombeavers makes it through without getting stuck in any of the trapped, and in the end it’s one of those film that makes you feel good. Even if the world stinks outside.
Zombeavers begins like so many other movies: a bunch of idiots wants to spend a weekend in a cabin by a lake and then something goes terribly, TERRIBLY wrong. In this case a barrel of toxic waste falls from a truck, ends up in a beaver dam and transforms the beavers to bloodthirsty, living dead...beavers. What else? They first attack our heroes out on a raft and then the story is taken inside, where there’s a classic Night of the Living dead set-up with the flesh inside and the flesh-eaters outside!
Believe it or not, but Zombeavers have a lot of heart. I think the most important thing is that everyone are allowed to be fun - not just the crazy dudes, but also the gals. This is a rare thing, in a genre where women often are put in the background as victims or as humorless, boring sidekicks to the male hero. Here the genders are the same level. One of my favorite, but very subtle, jokes is when one of the female characters walks around bare-breasted for quite a long time. The joke is of course that it’s so rare to see this - a flash of boobs is normal, or in sex scenes, but when it’s so clear, so in-your-face, it suddenly because very radical. Especially because there’s nothing sexual in these scenes.
You just have to go into Zombeavers with the expectation of a very unpretentious, silly horror-comedy. You can’t sit there, like the idiot behind me at the Monsters of Film festival, and comment on plot holes or details that point towards a lack of budget, because that means two things, 1. you have no idea what you’re watching an 2, you completely lack a sense of humor.
What Zombeavers want is to entertain us, and in that way it’s a success. There’s a lot of practical effects, the beavers looks like slightly more advanced animatronic dolls, not realistic at all - but that’s just the point with the movie. It doesn’t matter, because it’s a comedy which deals with living dead beavers. It’s not high art, well, it might be HIGH art (nudge nudge), but that makes it better. To be fair, looking at the horror stuff, the action, it’s actually damn effective. The last half is packed with awesome beaver shots...you know what I mean… including a brilliant Whack-A-Mole joke, and a few fun twists and turns. It’s an open-minded film, written with a modern, smart audience who wants something silly.
Okay, I can’t say I’m smart like the audience this movie is made for, but I sure liked the silliness more than I expected to. Can’t to see it again!
I think it was pretty clear from the trailer that this is about having fun, as an audience. I really don't expect a very deep story, just 90 minutes of fun. And it sounds like it delivers!
Posted by: Fredrik | October 13, 2014 at 18:18
"I was a bit skeptical at first, because movies like this can in all honesty be pure dung. Like Piranha 3DD (the first one by Aja was great though) or (yes) Cabin Fever."
No, I liked Piranha 3DD (2012) a lot....really liked that one
Cabin Fever (2002)...is ok, of all the films Roth directed so far I dislike that one the least.
Hoping Roth will dazzle me with The Green Inferno (2013).
"One of my favorite, but very subtle, jokes is when one of the female characters walks around bare-breasted for quite a long time. The joke is of course that it’s so rare to see this - a flash of boobs is normal, or in sex scenes, but when it’s so clear, so in-your-face, it suddenly because very radical. Especially because there’s nothing sexual in these scenes."
Ahhhhhhh...yesss casual female nudity how I miss thee....hahahahhahahhahah...no, seriously, there have been some discussion about this before in This Film Is Not Yet Rated (2006) by Kirby Dick.
"You just have to go into Zombeavers with the expectation of a very unpretentious, silly horror-comedy."
Yup....like the title.
"You can’t sit there, like the idiot behind me at the Monsters of Film festival, and comment on plot holes or details that point towards a lack of budget, because that means two things, 1. you have no idea what you’re watching an 2, you completely lack a sense of humor."
Maybe he had a girl with him?
"What Zombeavers want is to entertain us, and in that way it’s a success."
It sure do look more entertaining than Cloud Atlas (2012), Lincoln (2012), Blue Valentine (2010) , good review and thanks Fred.
Posted by: Megatron | October 13, 2014 at 23:55