Arts & Entertainment Editor
“But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?” There are few fictional romances as memorable as Romeo and Juliet. Warm Bodies, now considered a “zomb-com” (zombie romantic comedy), plays on elements from that unforgettable Shakespearean drama.
In its first week, Warm Bodies grossed over $20 million, which tops recent films such as Argo and Dark Skies. Supernatural romances are nothing new to Hollywood, which caters to teenage girls fawning over werewolves and vampires. Perhaps it was only a matter of time before zombies were included. However, this movie (unlike Twilight) doesn’t take itself too seriously. It chooses instead to play on the humor and awkwardness of unnatural teenage romance movies. The zombie in question isn’t a suave renaissance man, but rather an undead guy who feels weird around the girl he likes and gets embarrassed by accidentally eating her boyfriend.
R, played by Nicholas Hoult, is a zombie. Although this would usually limit his ability to find love, he falls for Julie, played by Teresa Palmer. Julie’s father, however, is the leader of the human survivors of an unknown disaster, and he dedicates his life to killing zombies in order to preserve “normalcy.” While R’s feelings intensify for Julie, he feels himself becoming more human, but he has to make sure he doesn’t become the victim of Julie’s father. Throughout the film, the viewer will notice an obvious resemblance to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.
Despite the intentionally corny circumstances, Hoult and Palmer still have a certain level of on-screen chemistry, and this film will likely please romantic movie lovers. This doesn’t mean fans hoping for a bit of action will be disappointed. There are a few intense scenes involving the almost-completely-dead zombies, who will eat “anything with a heartbeat.”
Regardless, most movie-goers should enjoy Warm Bodies. With thrilling action sequences broken up by humor, this zombie-human romance has something for everyone.
