Last of the Living

New Zealand 2009
produced by
Logan McMillan, Michael D. Sellers (executive), Jamie R. Thompson (executive) for Gorilla Pictures
directed by Logan McMillan
starring Morgan Williams, Robert Faith, Ashleigh Southam, Emily Paddon-Brown, Mark Hadlow, Annette Sikora, Mark Edwards, Becky Truscott, Mike Kingan, Carl Voss, Mark Hamilton, Ishmael Cheyne, Chester Dextar, Logan McMillan, Stacey Stevens, Clementine Marshall, Bart Hoedemakers
written by Logan McMillan, music by Ben Edwards, Kurt Preston, Wuckud MC, Logan McMillan, visual effects by Dan Watson

review by
Mike Haberfelner

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Womanizer Morgan (Morgan Williams), nerd Ash (Ashleigh Southam) and crazy musician Johnny (Robert Faith) have survived the zombie apocalypse and are now making the most of it, cruising around town in their souped up armored car, taking over abandoned luxury homes, raiding supermarkets for food and other stores for fun, and making a sport out of killing zombies. And playing videogames. Mostly playing videogames, actually.

Then though they bump into Stef (Emily Paddon-Brown), a young scientist who needs to take a zombie bloodsample and deliver it to a secret lab on an isolated zombie-free island, so an anti-zombie serum can be developed and the world can be saved. Our three heroes decide to help her save the world, and fight their way through a hospital full of zombies and a gasstation overrun by the living dead to do so. Johnny dies heroically at the hospital though, and Stef gets bitten at the gas station - but they decide they can make it to the airport and take a plane to the island before she turns into a zombie - problem here is, only she knows how to fly an airplane. Of course, almost there, Stef turns, and Morgan has to throw her out - but since he has taken a fancy in her and figures there will be a serum to turn her back soon, he gives her the plane's only parachute and sees to it that it opens.

Now it's Morgan and Ash on the plane, and Ash only has a remote idea how to land it from his videogames - but succeeds with dumb luck anyhow. Our two heroes find out that the island has been overrun by zombies recently though, there are no scientists left, and they are in more danger here than anywhere else, and eventually, Morgan is turned into a zombie as well, and it seems zombie Morgan has made it his prime mission to turn his erstwhile best friend, too.

Somehow Ash manages to kill Morgan for good, and the last image sees him leaving the island on a rowboat - but where to go all on his own in a world full of zombies?

Basically, this is a film made by people who have seen Shaun of the Dead a few times too often, so instead of finding their own approach to the zombie genre they try to copy that movie's quirkiness. That goes so far that the main characters are not actually developed at all but attempt to revive that movie's mix of coolness and nerdiness. Now I'm not saying that there aren't any good jokes in Last of the Living, because there are, several, and some kills and action setpieces are really cool, but the film as a whole seems just wholly unoriginal. Pity, really!

review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

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