The Dead Don't Die (2019) User Reviews

This non-event should be buried alive

[FrenchEddieFelson · 5/10 · 17 May 2019]

All the ingredients to produce a masterpiece are present: 1) A director I love, Jim Jarmusch, due to the excellent Paterson (2016) and Broken Flowers (2005). 2) A to-die-for cast, with Bill Murray in particular. 3) A sens of humor that regularly flirts with the absurd, including wacky and irreverent dialogues like « a black coffee please, but not too black » for instance. 4) The mesmerizing voice of Tom Waits. 5) A slight criticism of our society, especially the progressive global warming because of a strong procrastination with regard to the respect of our environment, and, albeit to a lesser extent, consumerism. 6) Zombies! I may confess that I have a crush on zombies. 7) ...

So, all the ingredients are lumped together but, it's quite strange and even weird, the recipe is rather unsuccessful: the atmosphere is sometimes cutesy or even insipid, the characters are usually devoid of enthusiasm and quite often apathetic, and the final scene rhymes with bitterness and bewilderment.

Although the film is not completely lousy thanks to a few successful scenes, I was globally bored and disappointed. In my humble opinion, this movie is a non-event and, as an echo with itself, should be buried alive, from now on until the end of the world. And even longer!

Typical Jarmusch

[Breumaster · 6/10 · 6 February 2020]

It's his dry and sober way of filming. But on the other hand, it was funny at several points. There were scenes, I did really laugh out hard and for quiete some time. If there weren't so many traces between the funny or laughing moments, it would have get a higher rating by me. A very ironical view on the zombie genre. Well, I was entertained and even though this movie is no real burner, I think it's still ok to watch. Bill Murray is great as ever. In my opinion the movie is better than most people rated.

I wanted to like it

[edwinmontano-77376 · 3/10 · 18 September 2019]

I saw the trailer and all the great actors, so I was naturally excited. Then I saw the whole thing and was extremely disappointed. Such wasted talent. The acting of course was phenomenal but the writing was just dead.

It is what it is

[kazikp · 7/10 · 16 August 2020]

Typical Jarmush. Is it slow paced? Check. Is it dialogue heavy? Check. Is it absurd at times? Check. To the people that complain it's not action packed enough I would reply it's as action packed as Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai.

Also I think because this movie has zombies in it people give it lots of low reviews, because it's a case of missed expectations.

There's a simple filter you can use to decide whether to watch it. If you enjoyed any of the previous Jarmush movies you won't be heavily disappointed. While not an instant classic it's true to his style. If not, maybe start with one of his earlier movies (Broken Flowers, Night on Earth, Ghost Dog, Dead Man) to get a taste of Jarmush first.

Jim Jarmusch Quirkiness

[swordsnare · 7/10 · 12 October 2019]

Such a quirky little ditty, but not for everyone mind you. Brimming with irony, stilted yet hammed up dialogue and the usual casting choices you would come to expect from Jarmusch.

This is a comical, almost parody-like Zombie film with a social commentary that comes more apparent further into the runtime. Quite liked it and found it quite humorous, but I am a fan of Jarmusch's previous work and much of the cast.

Deadest Horse-Beating-est Movie of All Time

[johndoe_13 · 3/10 · 17 June 2019]

I hate this movie. I saw it for free and still want my money back. It is an absolutely pointless, meandering vanity project that attempts to trick you into thinking it's cleverer than it is. According to the director himself, it was designed to be a dumb movie comprised of dumb bits as a way to make money hanging out with his friends. And what's worse is that the trailer tricks you into thinking it is an entirely different movie - the worst kind of lie you can tell in an effort to lure people away from their hard-earned money and precious time.

There is literally no point to anything that happens; Jarmusch has no sense of pace or urgency or meaning. And in my opinion, art for the sake of itself alone is condescending towards your audience. I normally like his work, along with all of the actors, the subject matter and tone - this should have been right in my wheelhouse. But I left feeling like the director had a contemptuous view of the people watching his film (in EVERY regard) and that just doesn't sit well with me. Not everything has to matter in a movie, but SOMETHING should.

Ultimately, it felt like a third-rate SNL skit that was allowed to drag on for two hours.

The auteur don't care

[lor_ · 3 October 2021]

Jim Jarmusch is an accomplished filmmaker, but has clearly been listening overmuch to sycophantic praise over the years. That old saw about someone so talented you could listen to them reading the phone book aloud doesn't pertain to JJ, who has consciously made a lousy horror film akin to the license pornographers use when making "porn-parody".

Rounding up famous, big-name talent to walk through nothing roles, and then execute, rather than actualiy satirize horror movie cliches is of zero interest, and why a top tier storyteller would waste the considerable effort it takes to make a real feature film on worthless material like this is beyond comprehension.

If "fake hipness" is what Jarmusch wants to be remembered for rather than an original talent, this is certainly a proper nail in his coffin. I'd also be interested in the formula of the kool-aid he served this cast to get them to sign up for such menial roles.

So very Bill Murray

[gray-beard · 7/10 · 2 October 2019]

Very much the dry humor of Bill Murray. Check out the other works of Jim Jarmusch and Bill Murray and maybe you will appreciate this movie better. It must have been fun to make. I hope they make an out take video for youtube. I think it would be fun to watch

A low-key gem, full of charm and an affection for its characters.

[maddox-richard · 7/10 · 20 May 2019]

Saw this film on opening week in Paris.

It should be enjoyed by everyone who loves the particular style of comedy Jim honed early on with Stranger Than Paradise, Down By Law, Mystery Train, Night on Earth and Coffee and Cigarettes. Knowing, deadpan, meta-comedies.

It's pretty much Jim's Mars Attacks outing but tonally the opposite - gentle rather than rabidly cynical, chuckle-along-funny rather than laugh-out-loud-outrageous.

In the same way that Tim Burton's sci-fi comedy works best for those enthralled to see Annette Bening and Pierce Brosnan in an absurd b-movie pastiche. The Dead Don't Die should work a treat if you're simply excited to see Tom Waits, Tilda Swinton and Iggy Pop in a zombie comedy.

Admittedly not to everyone's taste. Liking the film will more than usually depend on how much you like the characters. I loved every single character and would have happily spent more time in their company.

Maybe next up for an unexpected horror comedy could be Wes Anderson...

I Wish the Dead did die...

[marklehew · 3/10 · 30 August 2019]

...because this movie was so slow and uneventful it was painful. With a cast like this, it should have been good, but it's just not. Only a couple scenes and interesting cinematography save this from being a 1.

Zombie Art Film

[jacksodacoffee · 7/10 · 13 August 2020]

The bad reviews here discount two things: Jim Jarmisch's prior films, and zombie/monster movies I'd the 1950s and 1960s. Without these reference points I'm not sure why you'd even watch this film.

If you didn't like it, you probably fell asleep

[kennbr · 3/10 · 30 August 2019]

Yeah I get that this is a big satirical commentary on zombie movie tropes, blended in with a big metaphorical commentary on society, and capped with a little diatribe from Tom Waits as the "outward observer", but the entire thing is just SO slow that it's utterly boring. I literally fell asleep in the middle of it and had to start it over again. The jokes aren't funny and the story elements go nowhere.

Maybe if they hadn't spent so much money on the rock-star cast of A-list celebrities they would have had more left over in the budget for a story with jokes. Honestly I think the reason the whole thing moved so dreadfully slow is because they had to find a way to fill 90 minutes. Watch the thing at 1.5x normal playback speed, and maybe the high-pitched voices and better pacing will make it salvageable.

Cliches reanimated

[sjogro · 7/10 · 12 January 2020]

The plot is undead in this one. Everything reeks of dead genre. Jim killed zombie comedy but the dead don't die.

Total waste of money and talent - and your time

[petercarlsson-92297 · 1/10 · 31 August 2019]

I find it hard to believe how bad this movie was. Had all the ingredients to be good, but ended up as a total waste of time. No story, no acting, no fun, no scares, no nothing. Don't waste any time on this crap.

Jarmusch's Zombie flick is dead on arrival

[spriggs-lee · 8 June 2019]

First off I gave this movie 6/10 because the cast is great, as is the overall production value. The movie also has a plot that begins and ends (something a shocking number of movies don't have). That alone warrants 6/10 in my book.

After Only Lovers Left Alive (2013) and Paterson (2016), both films I absolutely LOVE, Jarmusch seems to want to move in a less philosophical and goofier direction. Both those films are quiet, thought-provoking, and uneventful but not in a bad way.

The Dead Don't Die feels like Jarmusch trying to make an event film, as well as a statement on American sociopolitical culture today, on Hollywood today, as well as pay homage to classic zombie films. With so many characters and so much disconnect between them, as well as so little attention given to the themes, the film ultimately is... a mess. There is a meta framing device that doesn't really work too.

In trying to touch on all these things and their great complexities, Jarmusch winds up effectively analyzing none of them. Themes are lightly addressed before quickly being swept away and replaced with something else. Same could be said for the characters and subplots. There is fun to be had if you enjoy weird and offbeat movies, but this is sadly a weak outing for Jarmusch. I'd much sooner recommend other zombie comedies such as Zombieland, Shaun of the Dead, and Return of the Living Dead before this one.

Inspired

[pixelcrash3 · 7/10 · 7 February 2021]

The Dead Don't Die is four movies in one. The first is a typical Jim Jarmusch-ian slice-of-life drama where the characters wander through their everyday existence at a slow and meditative pace. The second is a standard zombie apocalypse where everybody's life turns upside down and they have to fight for survival. The third is a meta-movie that ridicules itself and cinema in general by having Bill Murray and Adam Driver talk about the script, and then proceeding with a ludicrous finale that involves aliens. The fourth is a Jean-Luc Godard-esque sermon on environmentalism and materialism. None of the parts excels in itself, but taken together they make for an appealing whole.

The zombies don't like this movie.

[foxesandmagpies · 8/10 · 25 November 2019]

A clever, onion-skinned movie that reflects back on the audience the true horror of zombies.

We're all addicted to something, lost in a world of thought, each finding ourselves outside of ourselves while the world falls apart around us. And, on top of this we're all reading off a different script, all on different pages, a mess of half-opinions and echoed sentiment we're really not thinking through. We're sloppy and entitled, lost and confused, zombies one and all.

So, it makes sense that this movie would be lost on us.

A good movie. Whimsical, boring, strange, funny. Great characters that don't go quite where you want them to. Plot-lines and arcs you expect to manifest but don't. But... That's the point. Our expectations are what drive us, make us zombies... Our expectation of coffee or chardonnay, Wi-Fi and guitars.

Prepare to have your expectations woefully and beautifully trashed then. What else could us zombies hope for?

Totally nuts

[okpilak · 6/10 · 16 October 2023]

There are scenes so totally unexpected, it adds a little something extra to the movie. When Adam Driver comes roaring up to the diner in his tiny Smart car. Or his Star Wars ship token on his car keys. And using a dull machete. And there is Zelda, walking to the police station, make sharp ninety degree turns, and her Scottish accent. And her sword play. Then there is the colored aura around the moon. But it is the total dead pan delivery of the dialogue that adds a lot of humor to the scenes. No matter what was happening, it was discussed in such a matter of fact manner. The town having an expert on zombies was useful, as he has seen almost every zombie movie out there. No, it is not a great movie and nothing really new, but if you like dead pan humor, this movie will be enjoyable.

Messy, Slow and Confused

[Neon_Gold · 3/10 · 19 June 2020]

I think this movies tries to have it all. The director/writer threw everything possible at this movie and i think sometimes it just doesn't work.

The metaphor that is used is very on the nose but i think it is an important metaphor. However this is not the only one, they then start piling more metaphors on about greed and i think it starts to loose value when you can't commit to one thing. Also just because a movie is metaphorical doesn't make it good. I have seen people comment "You just didn't get it". Yeah i did, it was still messy.

It is also painfully slow. Nothing happens for a very very large chunk of this movie. It just has cameos dotted in through it so that people will be like "Oh cool i love _____". I think the case is a huge issue as well.

Now i love a lot of the people in this cast. It is such a good cast but that is where the studio or someone let the movie down. They pushed so hard about the cast that they made it all rest on them. A lot of the promotion for the movie just talked about the cast, even the poster on IMBd literally talks about the cast. I don't know if they did this because they knew they couldn't market it any other way, i don't know.

Talking of marketing i went into this thinking it was a comedy and then about 30-40 minutes in i thought i needed to check to see if it actually was a comedy so i googled it. I can't even say the jokes were unfunny because i feel it had a lack of jokes and I'm not just talking about really obvious jokes it just wasn't humorous. There were moments, more so later on that i was like "Hm that's a bit funny" but i think that's why people also don't like it because it was marketed as the "Funniest all-Star cast" and it just wasn't.

I have never watched any of this directors other films and i do want to as i think he could make interesting films like there were ideas like the dust coming from zombies and not blood. I really liked that and thought it was a bit different.

So if you like this directors movies you might like this one but i don't know, it was just so slow and stagnant.

Pretty boring for a zombie film

[Gordon-11 · 14 September 2019]

For a zombie film, it is pretty boring. The pace is really slow, and there is very little suspense or thrills. It doesn't have gore to appeal to horror fans; and doesn't have humour to appeal to comedy fans either. In fact, I watched it at double speed and it was just about bearable.

Zombies In Paradise

[bondscammer · 7/10 · 7 June 2019]

Hilarious! There are deadpan laughs (pun intended) throughout with a few scares but it's the cast, led by Bill Murray, that keeps your interest in this low-budget oddball zombie film!

This film, as a drink, would be served as a dry martini, so sip slowly and enjoy!

And Eszter Balint (of Jarmusch's classic 1985 comedy 'Stranger Than Paradise') is back! Awesome!

Painfully unfunny

[paulwattriley · 2/10 · 31 August 2019]

I am not sure what they were trying to achieve with this movie. Its stupid but not in a good way, extremely boring. Not sure how this movie is voted above 5

Downbeat, atmospheric, and wry take on the zombie genre

[drownsoda90 · 7/10 · 14 June 2019]

In "The Dead Don't Die", a trio of small-town police officers (Bill Murray, Adam Driver, and Chloë Sevigny) attempt to battle a zombie plague of dubious origins. Along with them for this end-of-the-world party are a cast of odd characters, including a nerdy shop proprietor (Caleb Landry Jones), a backward farmer (Steve Buscemi), a kindly hardware store owner (Danny Glover), an unearthly eccentric funeral parlor director (Tilda Swinton), and a group of out-of-town teens led by none other than Selena Gomez.

Inarguably Jim Jarmusch's most mainstream effort to date, "The Dead Don't Die" is unfortunately not going to appeal to mainstream audiences. Fans of "The Walking Dead" will be bored into zombiedom themselves. However, audiences who have the palate for Jarmusch's unique brand of wry humor, and/or are students/fans of the zombie genre at large, will have some mild fun here.

Note the qualifier "mild"; this is not a fast-paced film, nor is it an action flick. It is downbeat, and the thrills and spills here are of an unflashy nature. As I watched it, I felt that perhaps its greatest success was that it managed to perfectly evoke the atmospheric trappings of the zombie films of the '60s and '70s. It goes without saying that "Night of the Living Dead" is the chief influence here, but there are moments that recall the feel of lesser-known zombie films such as "Let Sleeping Corpses Lie." Jarmusch wears his influences on his sleeve, and there are in-jokes everywhere, ranging from cheeky nods to George Romero, to headstones bearing the likes of Samuel Fuller. The film is self-reflexive and silly, playing with the diegesis in audacious ways.

While there is humor in Jarmusch's self-aware cheekiness, a great portion of the laughs come from the offbeat dialogue and the performances from his large and impressive cast. Murray essentially does his signature impression of himself, while Adam Driver matches him with deadpan delivery; and Chloë Sevigny is the anxiety-ridden voice of reason who isn't quite as "in on the joke" as her male counterparts. Without a doubt, though, Tilda Swinton wrings more humor out of her scenes than anyone else here, and hers are really the funniest moments of the film. Gomez plays her dream girl part aptly, and we get splashes of Buscemi's signature humor as well as an understated nice-guy performance from Danny Glover. The likes of Carol Kane and Iggy Pop make cameos, and Tom Waits portrays the town hermit who delivers a grim (albeit philosophically overwrought) soliloquy in the finale.

In the end, this is a film that is sure to alienate much of its audience, but film nerds and appreciators of Jarmusch's sandpapery humor and/or the zombie genre as an artistic enterprise will find slight but effective amusements. 7/10.

Snoozefest with only a few laughs and an infantile script

[enigma-947-339467 · 3/10 · 30 August 2019]

How this got even a 6 astounds me. A teenager could have written this script. Every actor talks like they're slow. A few laughs here and there but the rest of the time you just wait for something to happen. When something does happen, you're neither surprised, scared, or satisfied. What a waste of this cast's talents.

Not as good as it looked like it would be

[spmact · 6/10 · 12 September 2019]

This had so much potential and from the trailer looked like it would be a great little indie zombie comedy, but it didn't live up to expectations. The story, of which there wasn't much, wasn't compelling, and the cast felt wasted. It's as if there were just a series of cameos that go nowhere. There were a number of lines and meta moments that made me laugh, but they were few and far between. A random twist that goes nowhere and an anti climactic ending ultimately left me disappointed. The best part was Bill Murray but not even he could redeem the movie overall. I didn't hate it, but I didn't like it nearly as much as I thought (or hoped) I would - which is a shame.