Undead (2003)

Directors: Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig

Writers: Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig

Composer: Cliff Bradley

Starring: Felicity Mason, Mungo McKay, Rob Jenkins, Lisa Cunningham, Dirk Hunter, Emma Randall, Steve Greig, Noel Sheridan, Gaynor Wensley, Eleanor Stillman, Robyn Moore, Robert Jozinovic, Peter Mensforth, Jacob Andriolo, Michele Steel

More info: IMDb

Tagline: Prepare Yourself

Plot: A quaint Australian fishing village is overcome by meteorites that turn its residents into the ravenous undead, leaving a small group of those unharmed to find a way out.

My rating: 5.5/10

Will I watch it again? No.

I hate it when there's a lot to like about a film but it also bores the piss out of you.  There are some outrageously funny bits that had me laughing out loud and hard.  Most of it had to do with the shit that happens to Marion (McKay) and what he does.  Stuff like Marion somersaulting to catch his spurs in an overhang (kind of like the top of a doorway) so he can swing upside down, back and forth, while firing two pistols at the zombies.  Hilarious.  Also funny as shit is the scene where he's on his boat the the fish he caught are flying across the boat to attack him.  That's just two examples of many.  The special effects went from dodgy to fantastic.  I'm all about the storytelling so I can forgive effects when the budget is to blame.

Then there's the sci-fi element that finally gets resolved in the final twenty minutes.  That's some great shit...and funny. All of those things I really dug but they weren't enough to save it from the slow parts and they are abundant.  Some shots hung on a second or two too long or there was repetition in the trying to stay alive bits.  It was refreshing as hell when that last twenty minute thing happens.  These two cats that wrote and directed this (their first film) went on to do DAYBREAKERS (2009).  That's impressive.  They sure take their time in between making movies.  6 years between those and 5 from the last one to their newest,  PREDESTINATION (2014).  I'll see it.  The Lionsgate DVD has a few extras - 7 brief behind the scenes featurettes, 3 trailers for this film, 5 extended/alternate scenes, 5 deleted scenes, artwork and design sketches and, sit down for this one, a preview for SAW II (2005).  I'm surprised there's no commentary by the brothers but at least they gave us a good amount of extras to play with.