Cockneys vs Zombies (2012) : Let the British Zombie Invasion begin

On the heels of "Doghouse", I decided to keep the Anglo-Zombie trend alive by checking out "Cockneys vs Zombies".  I haven't seen a bad Zombie film in awhile, so I was afraid that I was due a flop. Thankfully my streak of good luck continues.............

Much like "Snakes on a Plane" or "Alien vs. Predator", the title tells you more or less what to expect. So don't get your hopes up for something that's going to win an Academy Award, or even a lesser-valued Screen Actors Guild award. But People's Choice award? Maybe...........if there was a category of "Wildly Entertaining".




They could have called this film "Lock, Stock and Two Headless Zombies" because it had a total Guy Ritchie feel to it: the filming style, angles, the non-stop action, and Cockney accents so bad they made me wonder what language they were speaking. It all works, and works well. I shouldn't be surprised that a Brit Zombie film emulated his style as he has spawned many copycats over the years.

The Plot Summary from IMDB:

"This British movie is about a group of inept criminals who decide to rob a bank so they can save their grandfather's retirement home from being demolished by developers. Meanwhile on another building site some workers dig up an old graveyard and they get bitten by the "undead" which sets off a chain reaction. Then the bank robbers are cornered by the police while in the process of the robbery, but when they exit they find that they are all dead as a result of the horde of zombies. They have to get to the retirement home before the zombies do! "

Zombies and septuagenarians and bank robbers?! Please take my money now!

The script was done by James Moran. You might not know that name, but if you are a Sci-Fi fan you definitely know some of his work: Doctor Who, Torchwood, and Primevil. The story is fast-paced and pretty much keeps you on the edge of your seat most of the time. The intertwining of the different plots into one works very well. I especially loved the scenes where the retirees were fighting off or running walking away from the Zombies.


There are a few actors in this movie that you will recognize if you are a fan of British films and programming: Alan Ford ("Snatch"), Honor Blackman (the original "Avengers" series and "Goldfinger"), Michelle Ryan ("Dr Who", "Merlin", "Bionic Woman", and "Jeckyll"), and Georgia King ("The New Normal").

My verdict? On a "Zombie Movie Scale of 1-10" I'd give this one a solid 7.5

I had a great time watching this movie! Even if I couldn't understand half of what they were saying at times due to the Cockney accents, I still loved it. I can't recall the last time I laughed and cheered so much during a movie.

WATCH IT IF: You liked both "Shaun of the Dead" and "Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels", can't wait to see septuagenarians kicking some Zombie butt, or are just looking for a good, entertaining action film.

DON'T WATCH IT IF: you have something against thick British accents, don't like the elderly, or don't like being entertained: in otherwords, if you are a prude.

Althought it was released in August in the UK, "Cockneys vs Zombies" is not yet available for viewing in the USA. It is slated for US DVD and download release sometime in early 2013. When I have more info on the release date I'll post it up here. Don't miss this one!

More info can be found on IMDB here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1362058/

Up next week: The post-apocalypic flick "The Day".