I never knew I needed to see a Christmas zombie musical but I'm glad I did. Such a unique movie that doesn't always work but I love the idea. Plus most of the songs are great.
Without the musical elements, this would have been a competently made, but unremarkable Shaun of the Dead the junior edition. With the musical elements? It's still competent but unremarkable, only with a few songs thrown in that don't always sit comfortably with the tone. It's an okay flick, but those with a better tolerance for musicals will rate it higher than me.
Ask yourself what a Christmas movie needs more of....Musical numbers? Check. Teen angst? Check. Funny dialogue? Sometimes. Good characters and acting? Yes, has that. How about zombies? Bloody action sequences? Got that, too. Toe tapping tunes like "No such thing as a Hollywood ending" and "When it comes to zombie killing, I'm at the top of my class" break up what would have been a brat pack version of "Shawn of the Dead." Enjoyable, but not a home run.
It's the holiday season, it is senior year and change is everywhere. Anna is on the cusp of adulthood and ready to make her first big decision as she wants to travel for a year before going to university. Her father has his own thoughts on this matter, her best friend pines for her and the bad boy bully that she had a fling with can't keep his mouth shut. This is all standard high school, teen comedy drama but throw in some zombies and the musical aspect and you have yourself a pretty great movie. The movie clearly owes a lot to Shaun Of The Dead and there are some nitpicks to be had, but that mostly seems to be due to budget restraints, they really swing for the fences and the soundtrack is full of bangers. Cult classic potential achieved.
This is one of the movies that is really hard to rate for me, and I am torn between two sides. On the positives:
I liked the acting of this rather unknown cast. Acting for a normal movie is hard enough, and I believe that musicals are the supreme discipline, as you do not only have to have the ability to be a good actor, but you also need to both, be able to sing and dance and it has to sound good and look good. And here I have to say: They are excellent. All dance choreographies where really challenging, and had really funny ideas that made me smile a number of times. Comparing it to other musicals I have seen in the last year I have to say, those choreographies where even better than those in the beloved La La Land. Those choreographies where also well designed and scripted - for instance take the very first dance choreography in the high school - it is used to convey all the relationships of the different characters and their (hidden) feelings for each other, which I think was really great.
And speaking about great ideas - the entire movie is a absolutely great idea - when did you ever see a Christmas-High-School-Coming-of-Age Musical with Zombies? A really innovative idea, creating something new, which is really hard, in today's movie landscape.
The movie uses a lot of absurd ideas and interesting camera angles (e.g. the burning tire or a few of the deaths) and the humor that is conveyed using these angles was also really good. The movie doesn't take itself serious, there are a number of splatter scenes that are really funny, many things look unrealistic, because they avoid CGI and everything is made of practical effects (and those are simple) but with this I think they pay homage to the stage musical where you don't have CGI and use simple practical effects throughout - and also these things make the movie look even more funny.
And last but not least, the movie has a lot of soul, everybody seems to be really invested into this movie and giving his or her very best. It is a really charming movie.
If I point out that I have found a number of positive aspects that means that unfortunately I also have found some aspects that I consider negative:
Probably the most important one for me: The jokes that they made on purpose in movie where absolutely bad, and I couldn't laugh at any of the dialogues or one liners (e.g. "Oh no" - "What?" - "Justin Bieber is a zombie" - how is that even remotely funny?). I thought most of the jokes where either embarrassing, not funny at all or even annoying. And for me that really harms the movie.
Obviously Shaun of the Dead is an inspiration to this musical and it's even referenced. The parallels however are often really obvious and the problem with that is: Whenever Anna and the Apocalypse "copies" something we already know in Shaun of the Dead the later makes it so much better than this movie does. For instance they use the typical cut technique we know from Edgar Wright (e.g. in Worlds End where they order their beers and a water), but when they do, they do not try to convey a funny moment and therefore it seems unnecessary and wasted (for instance they use it in a random scene where the guys get into a car, which has no funny moment and does not compact something that needs to be shown).
Musicals are called musicals because they have music, and for me, a good musical has a song that captures me and that stays with me even after I've seen the movie for the first time (without rehering the soundtrack, etc.). Take La La Land, for instance. I've just seen that movie once, yet when I read the three words "City of Stars", I have an instant earworm that will stick with me the entire day. The Greatest Showman's "This is me" is equally catchy. With "Anna and the Apocalypse" there is no song that stood with me, no song that stood out, that captivated me, and a few weeks later if you'd play a song from this movie to me, I believe I wouldn't recognize them).
And when it comes to the genre of Zombie movies, this movie does not bring you anything new. And even for Zombie comedies there are a lot of better options to turn to. The only thing unique to this movie is it's setting at Christmas time, but they don't really cash in on the Christmas spirit, so other than the date and the decorations, this movie does not feel like a Christmas movie at all - take classics such as Home Alone, you can see that it is possible to convey a Christmas feeling even though your movie is not really about Christmas but cool action. And here - again - Anna and the Apocalypse falls short.
Last but not least - I am not really a musical fan. It's just not my genre. So convincing me is just as much harder, and in that aspect "La La Land" really did an excellent job, while all of the other current musicals didn't - this one included. I would have loved it to become a Christmas steady, I am always open for good new and unconventional Christmas movies (I feel like there are too few Christmas movies that I actually like - you can fill them into one evening, so I would love to have some additions to that list) but I am not sure if this movie could fill that spot - unfortunately.
Still I have to also honor all the positive aspects that I have mentioned, and I am sure that everyone who enjoys musicals will find this movie a great pick - it's no La La Land, no Shaun of the Dead and no Zombieland - but for a low budget independent movie with an entire cast of new inexperienced actors this movie this is really worth your time, so I would still recommend to give it a chance, and I am sure that it will find its fandom.
Great movie! What a fun time. It's a great zombie movie, it's a great musical, it's a great Christmas movie. I was bumping the soundtrack on the way home. Also, at least 3 of these songs will be in regular rotation for Christmas music each season.
All right, you get 10 points for being one of a kind. Cheesy Trash-Horror-Musical. Reminded me again how much i like musicals and that we really need more zombie movies again. Definitely worth a watch. The Trailer says its a mix from Shaun of the Dead and Lala Land, but i think High School Musical fits better. Some songs are kinda funny others are way to cheesy. But my head still shaked to the tunes ;D Thank your for that movie and please make another one, i really would like to see where they go next.
This was actually a really fun and one of a kind movie. It’s a musical that I actually enjoyed, which is very rare.
How in the world is this certified fresh on rotten tomatoes?
Many descriptions apply to "Anna and the Apocalypse": Christmas movie, high school drama, comedy, musical, or zombie flick. It's definitely an interesting genre mix, but it's not entirely successful. This is mainly due to the fact that not all the elements really click. There isn't enough festive atmosphere for a good Christmas movie; the relationships between the characters are too uninteresting for a good high school drama; too few of the jokes hit for a good comedy; and the songs are too generic for a good musical. Only the zombie part worked for me for most of the time, as the movie is quite bloody and has a few nice kills. And when it does get funny, it's in this area. Ultimately, the movie is entertaining enough for a reasonably good time, but nothing more.
I am not a fan of musicals, and the ones I do enjoy tend to have a thick coat of irony on top; Anna and the Apocalypse does not have such a coat, it is fully committed to what it is.
All of that being said, I really enjoy this movie, and it is a must watch for me every Christmas.
The movie has a lot on its plate with being a Christmas movie, a zombie movie, and a musical. Within that juggling act, Christmas is the least relevant part to the movie - but it does provide us with “It’s That Time of Year,” which deserves to be a heavily-played song every December. Seeing as how the zombie/musical levels are in check, I could have used more Yule in there. Oh well.
Another part that seems weird to me is how this got an R... I would put this in a very safe PG-13 lane, even by zombie-Christmas-musical standards.
I think anyone who liked Shaun of the Dead (in terms of zomcom) or Stage Fright (2014 - in terms of horror musical), would like this - though it is not as good as either of those movies.
What A&tA excels at are the songs: “Hollywood Ending,” and “Turning My Life Around” are fucking bangers! If you’re not singing and moving around during those songs, something is wrong with you, and that’s coming from me.
I LOVE this movie. Starts out like a Christmas high school musical movie. Then there are zombies. It’s perfect. I mean, it’s flawed and silly, but it’s in my top 3 favorite Christmas movies, HANDS DOWN.
Glee meets Shaun of the Dead in this fun and unique zombie Christmas musical. I'm not usually a fan of musicals but the songs were all good and catchy. Some great zombie kills. The humor is hit and miss and it felt a bit overlong.
I did not see that coming! yes i was pleasantly surprised. "Shaun of the dead" finally found a decent alternative (zombieland is close but different approach). The musical thing ? genius! perfectly executed, not at all annoying (and i do not like musicals) and nice zombie kills.
I would love a sequel.
We interrupt this program to bring you an important news bulletin. The Center for Disease Control has recategorized the pandemic, first thought to be a super virus strain of the flu. It has now been determined to be a lethal pathogen...
After this prophetic first line, the film begins its inexorable descent into the miasma of disappointment.
Horror School Musical... Anna and the Apoca-lipsyncing. No one warned me this was a musical! There are more songs than zombies, and that kills me.
As a zombie film it's very poor and as a musical it's very musical, so it's really not a film for me.
(I'm also deducting a full point for the infuriating "lesbian only until she meets the right man for her" trope.)
The overall idea of the movie is a bit interesting, but it is so boring a lot of times to make me quit the movie by the half
'Anna and the Apocalypse', a zombie musical mash-up, kicks off strongly but ultimately falls flat in pretty much every area. Admittedly, I am not a big fan of musicals.
Ella Hunt is definitely the best part of this film, it would've been nice to actually have more of her onscreen to take a deeper dive into Anna. Aside from Hunt, there isn't much to note about the performances or characters of her co-stars; Marli Siu (Lisa) and Paul Kaye (Savage) are perhaps the most standout.
As I've already mentioned, I was actually quite entertained during the opening 20-30 minutes. It seemed like it was building up the protagonists properly and showed off a good song in "Break Away". However, it just turns into a clichéd, predictable bore when the zombies arrive with basic effects.
I'm sure my lack of musical interest hampers my enjoyment, but this production dragged quite a bit; thankfully it isn't a long film.
The musicals totally surpass me. I grant it the merit that I have been able to see it whole
This was a really good movie. Unfortunately, it is set at Christmas which limits the time it can be viewed. However, the setting isn't significant to the story, nor does it distract from the plot - if you're a veteran of the zombie-verse give it a go any time of year. The acting is fun and the songs are a welcome surprise. Ella Hunt is a cute girl from school caught in the middle of a zombie apocalypse, there is love, loss and resolve. One of my favourite zombie movies I've seen and it's appeared to fly under the radar. Worth taking a look at!
We need more of that!!!
Little Haven, Christmas, a zombie virus is slowly sweeping the country and those that don’t prepare and fight back will end up zombies themselves. Only singing and dancing can save the day..sort of.
This is the best zombie-song-and-dance film I’ve ever seen. Okay, it’s the only zombie song-and-dance film that I’ve seen but it is still not a bad movie.
With a small-town setting, so all of the action is localised and personal, no wider world building here apart from some quick radio updates, and mainly in and around a school this film perfectly allows the cast to be young, full of energy and verve. This is clearly what you need for the song and dance routines and I have to say as no big fan of hoofing and jazz-hands, it works.
This type of film must rely on it’s cast and in this case, the delightful Ella Hunt and Malcolm Cumming absolutely smash the chemistry test as they interact on screen and rather pleasantly are just friends in the story, no romance. Ably supported by the wacky Sarah Swire as Steph North and other ‘friends’ from school the film sets out is stall early and you either quickly buy into it or it will leave you cold. For me, it worked. I laughed and enjoyed the song and dance numbers that were full of energy and fun. The young cast is helped along by long-time British stalwarts Mark Benton and Paul Kaye who also give their pipes a working out over the course of the story, Benton I did not know about by I have seen former Dennis Pennis Kaye taking centre stage in the musical production of Matilda at the RSC a few years ago.
The zombie side of the story is the what the makers hoped would be the catch and I understand this and applaud it as a brave move, I’m guessing the famous episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer would have been an early influence, where horror and song and dance could surely not mix but do.
The zombie plot, in all honesty, is slight and to my mind seems incidental, its not, and also what actually bogs down the movie as it goes on – people die, which some see as good point and others might not as it takes away from the comedy but the more the zombie plot plays out the more it holds back the film like a big undead anchor. The film starts to slow down at the midway and before the nihilistic open end, it had started to outlive its welcome. I just about held in there to end but may attention wandered.
The location’s in Scotland give the film an authentic real feel for UK viewers in particular and is another plus point for this odd film. The acting and performing from everyone is top notch and fun and overall this is a great interesting film to be added to the zombie pantheon.
Yet the nagging feeling I get overall is that this would have made a better hour-long special movie on say Channel 4 than a full-length feature film.
Overall its a winner though and it’ll be interesting to see what director John McPhail and writers Alan McDonald and Ryan McHenry come up with next. I’ll be looking out for it for sure.
Fun gory time, and the music worked well I thought up until the hour mark when the focus turned to the headmaster.... and then it kind of all turned to rubbish and felt like the ideas ran dry. Still fun once through, but I see no reason to watch it in the future.
The camera barely moves and it's making the movie very dull. The songs are pretty good but they definitely didn't see enough musicals to make the singing scenes looks interesting visually. The idea of a horror musical is nothing new but zombie musical's a good take well worth the try. I think we can even expect some more zombie musicals from Hollywood later on.
On the face of it, a movie described as Sean of the Dead set in the Whedonverse should be a home run. In reality, a so-so soundtrack and trope ignorance make this movie forgettable. Which is a shame because the movie crackles with youthful energy and it's too fun to truly be bad.
Shout by freinharVIP 10BlockedParent2019-02-15T13:55:39Z
One of those movies that's almost too unique to really be good, but maybe that's ok. It's still plenty entertaining. There's some fun, gory, zombie kills and the musical numbers are generally pretty great. It's got a weird, good, off-kilter energy. I wasn't particularly satisfied by the time I finished it, but I didn't regret my time with it either. It's certainly unique - unlike anything else I've ever watched.