Generally, I am all zombied out. Countless (blank) of the Dead films, the Walking Dead television series, the Walking Dead prequel series and enough undead brain and flesh eaters in my Netflix queue to fill an entire year's worth of free time, zombies have become somewhat of a recurring redundant joke in daily life.
In an effort to bring something new and fresh to the genre, Hollywood has trotted out zombie films heavy on drama (Maggie), zombie films that are comedies (Life After Beth) and even zombie films that extend to other species of the animal kingdom (Zombeavers).
The latest experiment on expanding the zombie universe is Waterbourne, an Australian short from writer/director Ryan Coonan that involves zombies of the marsupial kind.
The premise is as simple as a less than 10-minute short can provide – a local ranger addressing an unidentified algae in the local waters is eventually confronted with a wait for it .wait for it .zombie kangaroo. The cute and usually harmless creature of the Animalia Kingdom shows signs of intense aggression. Aggression that catapults the final minutes of the film into a memorable experience.
Running approximately 8:31 before the end credits roll, Waterbourne rises above the mediocrity of other independent film shorts due to its clear focus and direction. The picture is incredibly sharp and the tracking shots and scene framings are spot on perfect. The effects are relatively passable. Because no one would know what a zombie kangaroo would actually look like, who are we to judge on its authenticity? Waterbourne has played the festival circuit and word-of-mouth has generated enough buzz and crowdfunding support that the short will act as a prequel to a full featured film presently in development.
So the proverbial 'hats off' to Coonan and his team. I didn't think kangazombies would have caught my attention. Now I will never look at those hopping manic animals in my local zoo the same ever again.
www.killerreviews.com
In an effort to bring something new and fresh to the genre, Hollywood has trotted out zombie films heavy on drama (Maggie), zombie films that are comedies (Life After Beth) and even zombie films that extend to other species of the animal kingdom (Zombeavers).
The latest experiment on expanding the zombie universe is Waterbourne, an Australian short from writer/director Ryan Coonan that involves zombies of the marsupial kind.
The premise is as simple as a less than 10-minute short can provide – a local ranger addressing an unidentified algae in the local waters is eventually confronted with a wait for it .wait for it .zombie kangaroo. The cute and usually harmless creature of the Animalia Kingdom shows signs of intense aggression. Aggression that catapults the final minutes of the film into a memorable experience.
Running approximately 8:31 before the end credits roll, Waterbourne rises above the mediocrity of other independent film shorts due to its clear focus and direction. The picture is incredibly sharp and the tracking shots and scene framings are spot on perfect. The effects are relatively passable. Because no one would know what a zombie kangaroo would actually look like, who are we to judge on its authenticity? Waterbourne has played the festival circuit and word-of-mouth has generated enough buzz and crowdfunding support that the short will act as a prequel to a full featured film presently in development.
So the proverbial 'hats off' to Coonan and his team. I didn't think kangazombies would have caught my attention. Now I will never look at those hopping manic animals in my local zoo the same ever again.
www.killerreviews.com
