~Spoiler~
I remember being shocked with Joe Dante's first Masters of Horror entry entitled Homecoming. It was a zombie movie with a very political slant and unlike the fun, lighthearted films Dante is usually associated with. Fido is the zombie movie I thought Joe Dante would make. It's a cheery romp that mixes Dante's Matinée and The Burbs with Romero's zombie lore. Writer/director Andrew Currie has captured that Dante/Spielbergian feel in Fido. He also manages to breathe new life in a sub-genre that has seen tireless repetition. I have to admit, I thought a film about a boy and his pet zombie was going to be a one-trick pony. It was a nice concept, but I didn't feel it lent itself to a feature length film. I'm glad I was wrong. Fido takes place in an alternate version of the 1950's where a zombie war was fought and won thanks in part to a special collar that allows the zombies to be domesticated. That is the world we're introduced to in a fantastic educational video indicative of those famous "duck and cover" programs. Zombies are a modern-day convenience equivalent to a microwave or dishwasher. In order to keep up with the Jones', you must have a zombie. I don't really want to say anymore about the story itself because the fun is in the details. I will say that the cast is outstanding. Carrie-Anne Moss, Tim Blake Nelson, and Henry Czerny are good and Dylan Baker just plain looks like he stepped out of a 1950's movie. But the stars of the show are K'Sun Ray and Billy Connelly as the boy and his zombie. With these two, you are seeing a veteran at the top of his game and a child actor who is pitch-perfect. If you are tired of watching talentless hacks tackle the zombie film and fail, give Fido a chance. Sometimes different is good.
I remember being shocked with Joe Dante's first Masters of Horror entry entitled Homecoming. It was a zombie movie with a very political slant and unlike the fun, lighthearted films Dante is usually associated with. Fido is the zombie movie I thought Joe Dante would make. It's a cheery romp that mixes Dante's Matinée and The Burbs with Romero's zombie lore. Writer/director Andrew Currie has captured that Dante/Spielbergian feel in Fido. He also manages to breathe new life in a sub-genre that has seen tireless repetition. I have to admit, I thought a film about a boy and his pet zombie was going to be a one-trick pony. It was a nice concept, but I didn't feel it lent itself to a feature length film. I'm glad I was wrong. Fido takes place in an alternate version of the 1950's where a zombie war was fought and won thanks in part to a special collar that allows the zombies to be domesticated. That is the world we're introduced to in a fantastic educational video indicative of those famous "duck and cover" programs. Zombies are a modern-day convenience equivalent to a microwave or dishwasher. In order to keep up with the Jones', you must have a zombie. I don't really want to say anymore about the story itself because the fun is in the details. I will say that the cast is outstanding. Carrie-Anne Moss, Tim Blake Nelson, and Henry Czerny are good and Dylan Baker just plain looks like he stepped out of a 1950's movie. But the stars of the show are K'Sun Ray and Billy Connelly as the boy and his zombie. With these two, you are seeing a veteran at the top of his game and a child actor who is pitch-perfect. If you are tired of watching talentless hacks tackle the zombie film and fail, give Fido a chance. Sometimes different is good.