Rated PG-13 for disturbing thematic material including bloody images, and some language.
Starring Abigail Breslin, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Joely Richardson
Directed by Henry Hobson
Not your typical zombie film.
As the world narrowly recovers from a near apocalyptic virus, an infected teenage girl with only a precious few weeks to live must find the strength and bravery to face her fleeting mortality as her father struggles helplessly to protect her from the frightened town and keep the family together. This heartbreaking take on the zombie genre twists expectations and puts a human face on an inexplicable horror.
This film was full of surprises. The biggest surprise just may be the fact that Arnold Schwarzenegger can act! I mean like a real actor with emotions and conflict and heart…and he doesn’t blow anything up.
Abigail Breslin was also a surprise. Not her acting, we all know she’s a talented actress, but her portrayal of a zombie is very surprising. In most zombie films, we see a victim get bit and turn quickly into a flesh-eating, lifeless walking corpse. But this slow transition added a new level of drama and tension to the genre. We agonize with the family as they watch their daughter slowly turned into a menacing, violent zombie.
Finally there was a surprise of how much is spoken with so few words. There is dialogue and it is well written, but most of the drama comes from the non-verbals. Schwarzenegger’s eyes are so powerful and so haunting.
I only saw one trailer for this film but I couldn’t wait to see it. It is artistic, terrifying and very well done. It is worth the “Rental.”
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
There is no sex or nudity and no profanity.
There are some bloody/somewhat gory images of open wounds and some quick shots of zombies attacking people. The zombie makeup and gory images may be disturbing to some. Also, the overall tone of the film is very bleak and depressing.
CONVERSATION STARTER:
- How does Maggie respond to her situation?
- How do her parents respond?
- According to the law of the quarantine, what were they suppose to do?
- How did they try to conceal what was happening to Maggie?
- How do we conceal our sins?
- What should we do with our sins? Why?
Read Proverbs 28:13
Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
Jonathan McKee
Jonathan McKee is the author of over twenty books including the brand new The Guy's Guide to FOUR BATTLES Every Young Man Must Face; The Teen’s Guide to Social Media & Mobile Devices; If I Had a Parenting Do Over; and the Amazon Best Seller - The Guy's Guide to God, Girls and the Phone in Your Pocket. He speaks to parents and leaders worldwide, all while providing free resources for youth workers on TheSource4YM.com. Jonathan, his wife Lori, and their three kids live in California.