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==Reception== |
==Reception== |
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The film has received positive reviews from critics. It holds a 78% certified "fresh" rating on [[Rotten Tomatoes]] based on 134 reviews, with the consensus stating: "It may not take full advantage of its quirky, possibility-rich premise, but ''Warm Bodies'' offers a sweet, well-acted spin on a genre that all too often lives down to its brain-dead protagonists." During its debut weekend, it earned US[[Dollar sign|$]]20.4 million.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=171106992 |date= February 4, 2013 |title= ''Warm Bodies'' Tops Box Office With $20.4 Million |publisher= [[NPR]] |accessdate= February 5, 2013}}</ref> |
The film has received mixed to positive reviews from critics. It holds a 78% certified "fresh" rating on [[Rotten Tomatoes]] based on 134 reviews, with the consensus stating: "It may not take full advantage of its quirky, possibility-rich premise, but ''Warm Bodies'' offers a sweet, well-acted spin on a genre that all too often lives down to its brain-dead protagonists." During its debut weekend, it earned US[[Dollar sign|$]]20.4 million.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=171106992 |date= February 4, 2013 |title= ''Warm Bodies'' Tops Box Office With $20.4 Million |publisher= [[NPR]] |accessdate= February 5, 2013}}</ref> |
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[[Metacritic]] gave the film 58/100 based on 35 critics, which evaluates as mixed or average reviews.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/warm-bodies|title=Warm Bodies review|publisher=Metacritic.com|accessdate=2013-02-07}}</ref> |
[[Metacritic]] gave the film 58/100 based on 35 critics, which evaluates as mixed or average reviews.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/warm-bodies|title=Warm Bodies review|publisher=Metacritic.com|accessdate=2013-02-07}}</ref> |
Revision as of 22:24, 10 February 2013
Warm Bodies | |
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Directed by | Jonathan Levine |
Screenplay by | Jonathan Levine |
Produced by | David Hoberman Todd Lieberman Bruna Papandrea |
Starring | Nicholas Hoult Teresa Palmer Rob Corddry Dave Franco Analeigh Tipton Cory Hardrict John Malkovich |
Cinematography | Javier Aguirresarobe |
Edited by | Nancy Richardson |
Music by | Marco Beltrami Buck Sanders |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Summit Entertainment |
Release date |
|
Running time | 97 minutes[1] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $30 million[2] |
Box office | $45,352,000[3] |
Warm Bodies is a 2013 American paranormal romantic[4][5] zombie comedy film based on Isaac Marion's popular 2011 novel of the same name. Directed and written by Jonathan Levine,[6] the film stars Nicholas Hoult and Teresa Palmer.[6]
The film focuses on the development of the relationship between Julie, a young woman, and "R", a zombie, and how their eventual romance developed throughout. The film is rare for its human characteristics in zombie characters. It is also unusual in such stories because it is told from the point of view of a zombie.[7][8][9]
Plot
After a zombie apocalypse, R, a zombie, wanders around an airport which is now filled with abandoned buildings, broken-down vehicles, and hordes of his fellow undead, including his friend M. R and M achieve rudimentary communication with grunts and moans and "Eh's" and occasional near-words. As a zombie, R constantly craves human flesh, especially brains, as he is able to "feel alive" on the memories of their former owners. Julie Grigio and a group of her friends are sent out by Julie's father from a heavily-fortified, walled-off human enclave in the city to recover medical supplies from abandoned buildings. R and a pack of zombies attack the group, R sees Julie and falls in love with her. After shortly being shot in the chest by Julie's boyfriend, R kills Julie's boyfriend and eats his brain, giving R his thoughts and memories making his love for Julie becomes even stronger. He rescues Julie from the rest of the pack and takes her back to an airplane he lives in at an airport to keep her safe. The two bond, causing R to slowly begin to come to life.[10]
Eventually, Julie gets restless and convinces R to take her home. On the way, R reveals to her that he killed her boyfriend, causing her to abandon R and return alone to the human enclave. R returns to the airport, heartbroken, but when he sees that M and other zombies are also beginning to show signs of life, he and M lead a group to the human enclave, where R sneaks inside the wall. There he meets Julie's friend Nora and eventually her father Colonel Grigio, leader of the human group, who refuses to believe corpses can change and threatens to kill R. Julie and R escape to a baseball stadium where the rest of R's group is waiting, but find themselves under attack by a horde of skeletal zombies (also known as "bonies") who have irretrievably lost all traces of humanity, and are set on killing and eating anything with a heartbeat, which now includes R and his friends.
Julie and R run from the "bonies", finding themselves trapped. Taking the only escape route, R jumps with Julie into a pool far below, and shielding her from the impact, and both of them survive the fall. However, Colonel Grigio shoots R, causing him to bleed; this proves that he has become human again. The humans and zombies combine forces and kill the "bonies", and the zombies slowly assimilate into human society. The human population destroys the walls surrounding the human society after the annihilation of the "bonie" population, creating a life for both humans and reanimated corpses much like the days before the apocalypse. The film ends with now-human R and Julie overlooking the city. Julie tells R to rename himself, but he decides to keep his name R, making it an unsolved mystery.
Cast
- Nicholas Hoult as R
- Teresa Palmer as Julie Grigio
- Rob Corddry as M / Marcus
- Dave Franco as Perry Kelvin
- Analeigh Tipton as Nora
- Cory Hardrict as Kevin
- John Malkovich as Colonel Grigio
- Patrick Sabongui as Hunting zombie
- Justin Bradley as Unknown
- Tod Fennell as Armed Patrol
Production
Actor Nicholas Hoult plays the zombie R in the feature film, written and directed by Jonathan Levine. The film also starred Teresa Palmer as Julie Grigio, Rob Corddry as M, and John Malkovich as General Grigio. Dave Franco, Analeigh Tipton, and Cory Hardrict also appear.[11]
The studio Summit Entertainment backed the film,[12] which was produced by Bruna Papanadrea, David Hoberman, and Todd Lieberman and executive produced by Laurie Webb and Cori Shepherd Stern.[13] The zombies can barely talk in the film, so extensive voice-overs were used to express their thoughts.[14]
Levine said even though this is a love story that involves zombies, he hoped people wouldn't try to put the film into one category and zombie enthusiasts would be open to a new twist on the genre. "I think this movie takes the mythology in a different direction, and I think there is a lot there for die-hard zombie fans," he explained. "We're encouraging people to be open-minded, because it does take some liberties with the mythology, but at the same time, it's very grounded in the science of zombie-ism and uses that as a springboard for a more fantastical story. It may be divisive, but I think there's a lot there for zombie fans if they're open-minded to a new take on it, and I hope they can."[15] Actress Palmer said, "For me, the core of the story is that love breeds life back into people. That human connection saves us. People who have had those lights dimmed inside them, when they fall in love they get brighter."[16]
Warm Bodies began shooting in Montréal, Québec, Canada in September 2011, and was released in the U.S. on February 1, 2013.[17][18]
Levine told USA Today that R attempts "to do a lot of things to varying degrees of success. Driving, for instance. Let's just say his hand-eye coordination is not what it needs to be."[19] Nicholas Hoult and other zombie actors practiced with circus performers to achieve the right body moves.[7][20] Hoult explained, "There were some days with the Cirque du Soleil people and we would take our shoes off in a dance studio and we would kind of grow out of the wall and make our bodies feel very heavy. It's one of those things where you think about it a lot but you just have to try it out and see what works. Then Jonathan [Levine] would say either 'too much or little less', we didn't want to go over the top with it."[20] Hoult told another reviewer that he "he drew a lot of his inspiration from Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands," saying he thought of that movie "as a zombie film, whether it was or not. Because you had to feel sorry for Edward... I was thinking of Edward when I did R."[21]
Release
Warm Bodies was released on January 31, 2013 in the Philippines, Greece, and Russia. It was released on February 1, 2013 in the United States, on February 7, 2013 in Italy and on February 8, 2013 in the United Kingdom. Warm Bodies' international release spans from January 31-April 11, 2013.[22]
IMDb's Keith Simanton predicted Warm Bodies would win the weekend box office with US$17.4 million, despite competing with that weekend's Sunday Super Bowl XLVII.[23]
Reception
The film has received mixed to positive reviews from critics. It holds a 78% certified "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 134 reviews, with the consensus stating: "It may not take full advantage of its quirky, possibility-rich premise, but Warm Bodies offers a sweet, well-acted spin on a genre that all too often lives down to its brain-dead protagonists." During its debut weekend, it earned US$20.4 million.[24]
Metacritic gave the film 58/100 based on 35 critics, which evaluates as mixed or average reviews.[25]
Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times deemed the film "a well-paced, nicely directed, post-apocalyptic love story with a terrific sense of humor and the, um, guts to be unabashedly romantic and unapologetically optimistic." He added that the movie "isn't perfect. It's a shame those Bonies are mediocre special-effects creations that run with a herky-jerky style... But those are minor drawbacks... Warm Bodies is terrific entertainment."[8]
Marshall Fine wrote, "Jonathan Levine's Warm Bodies won the weekend box-office race for a couple of reasons. It's a romantic comedy that works, for one thing. For another, it's a smart reworking of Romeo and Juliet. And, finally, it takes the zombie genre someplace it hasn't been before..."[26]
Ron Hogan wrote a mostly positive review for website Den of Geek: "The script isn't perfect, but it's clever. Very clever, in fact. ... The opening meet cute is pretty brilliant, all things considered... It's as corny as Iowa in spring, but it's also something other zombie movies are not: cheerful." He called it "a little heavy-handed."[27]
The IGN reviewer (on the other hand) said, "On the surface Warm Bodies may seem like another Twilight-esque film about the love between a human and a monster, but to the credit of author Isaac Marion and writer/director Jonathan Levine (50/50), the story has much more to it. At it's [sic] "heart", Warm Bodies is a teen film. It borrows a bit from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, though thankfully, apart from one scene, it doesn't do so heavy-handily [i.e., heavy-handedly]."[28]
Mary Pols of TIME called it "an inventive charmer that visits all the typical movie scenarios of young love amid chaos and disaster... There are so many clever lines and bits of physical comedy worth revisiting that the movie seems like a likely cult classic."[29]
MTV News.co.uk rated the film 6 out of 10 and said, "Despite a rather thin story, a few huge plot holes and some occasionally shonky CGI (particularly for the bonies) Warm Bodies is still an enjoyable romp with some very funny moments."[30] Digital Spy granted it 3 out of 5 stars and called it "a truly deadpan romantic comedy" and "a witty reinvention of the genre like Shaun of the Dead before it, drawing parallels between the apathy of youth and the zombie masses," adding, "Hoult gets to deliver a wickedly dry voiceover."[31]
Rene Lynch of The Los Angeles Times wrote humorously, "As for any concern about a zombie as a romantic lead, that was likely a media-made myth. A quick scan of Twitter turned up all the evidence needed to prove that women (especially those in the biz) would like to get busy with a zombie. [23] Singer Rydel Lynch tweeted, 'Warm bodies is seriously amazing! I'm marrying a zombie.'"
References
- ^ "WARM BODIES (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. 2012-11-30. Retrieved 2012-11-30.
- ^ http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-super-bowl-box-office-warm-bodies-20130131,0,1001806.story
- ^ "Warm Bodies (2013)". Internet Movie Database. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
- ^ http://www.slashfilm.com/tag/warm-bodies/
- ^ http://insidemovies.ew.com/2012/12/03/warm-bodies-trailer-2/#more-88967
- ^ a b Chitwood, Adam. "8 New Images from WARM BODIES Featuring Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, and Rob Corddry". Collider.Com. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
- ^ a b Costanza, Justine Ashley (January 31, 2013). "Warm Bodies: 5 Things To Know About The Zombie Love Story". International Business Times. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
{{cite web}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ a b Roeper, Richard (January 31, 2013). "Warm Bodies". Chicago Sun-Times. Chicago: Sun-Times Media Group. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
- ^ "Warm Bodies movie gets a release date". Hattiesburg Examiner. Hattiesburg, Mississippi. October 27, 2011.
Sure, it chronicles the hypothetical zombie apocalypse of which so many writers today talk. But this one is from the perspective of one of the zombies themselves...
- ^ http://www.tikkview.com/movies/3360-warm-bodies
- ^ Pellegrini, Michael (September 12, 2011). "Geek Gossip: 300 Battle of Artemisia, Warm Bodies, Robopocalypse". Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
- ^ Kit, Borys (May 2, 2011). "UK actor Nicholas Hoult starring in zombie romance". The Hollywood Reporter. Reuters. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
- ^ Kit, Borys (September 7, 2011). "John Malkovich Joining Zombie Movie 'Warm Bodies'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
- ^ Weintraub, Steve (November 5, 2011). "Producers David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman Talk THE FIGHTER Sequel, WARM BODIES, and the Live-Action/Animation PHINEAS AND FERB Movie". collider.com. Retrieved November 6, 2011.
- ^ http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1695811/warm-bodies-poster.jhtml
- ^ Schaefer, Stephen (January 23, 2013). "A 'Warm' reception - Aussie actress Teresa Palmer a star to watch in Hollywood". Boston Herald.
- ^ Warner, Kara (September 29, 2011). "'Warm Bodies' Director Says Shoot Is 'Going Awesome'". MTV. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
- ^ McNary, Dave (February 10, 2012). "Summit pushes back 'Warm Bodies': Zombie romancer moved from summer to Feb. 1". Variety. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 11, 2012.
{{cite news}}
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(help) - ^ Alexander, Bryan (January 9, 2012). "Finally, a zombie you can live with - This undead guy is kind of hunky". USA Today. Tysons Corner, Virginia: Gannett Company.
- ^ a b Esquivel, Fernando (January 31, 2013). "Talking with Jonathan Levine and the Cast of Warm Bodies". Latino Review. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ Vincent, Mal (February 1, 2013). "Warm Bodies, a zombie Romeo and Juliet". HamptonRoads.com.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ Release Info at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ a b Lynch, Rene (February 4, 2013). "Warm Bodies has hot weekend: $20 million". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles: Eddy Hartenstein. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
- ^ "Warm Bodies Tops Box Office With $20.4 Million". NPR. February 4, 2013. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
- ^ "Warm Bodies review". Metacritic.com. Retrieved 2013-02-07.
- ^ Fine, Marshall (February 4, 2013). "Movie Review: Warm Bodies". The Huffington Post. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
{{cite web}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ Hogan, Ron (February 5, 2013). "Warm Bodies review". Den of Geek. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
- ^ Malone, Alicia (February 1, 2013). "Romeo and Juliet... and Zombies". IGN. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
- ^ Pols, Mary (Feb. 1, 2013). "Warm Bodies: A Hot-Zom Rom-Com". Time. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ Cullen, Gavin (4 February 2013). "Warm Bodies - Review: Nicholas Hoult provides the heart in this undead zom-rom-com". MTV (UK and Ireland). Retrieved February 5, 2013.
- ^ Papamichael, Stella (February 5, 2013). "Warm Bodies review: Nicholas Hoult stars in warm-hearted zombie rom-com". Digital Spy. Retrieved February 5, 2013.