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Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated The Dead Don't Die (2019) in Movies
Oct 29, 2019
The Acting Wasn't My Issue
On paper, you look at the cast of The Dead Don’t Die and you think, “This has gotta be a hit!” Adam Driver. The great Bill Murray. Tilda Swinton. Count me in. Sadly, I was extremely disappointed in the finished product. The film centers around what happens when a zombie outbreak hits a sleepy town.
Acting: 10
Just because I didn’t enjoy the film doesn’t mean it didn’t harbor strong performances from the cast. The aforementioned names above were all phenomenal in their respective roles. When the setting is “quiet town”, sometimes actors have a tendency to go overboard with their bumpkin pretenses, but this crew play to their parts perfectly. They made the movie somewhat bearable.
Beginning: 1
The movie really takes awhile to build up. I kept waiting for the engine to turn over, but I was left in a cold car for at least the first twenty minutes. Here’s the thing: I don’t hate slow starts if they serve a greater purpose. I’ll use a direct example from the same genre: Shaun of the Dead takes a bit to get going, but you can feel it actually building to something. Every few minutes you’re getting hints to the things happening around Shaun and his friend and you know it’s only a matter of time before they realize shit has hit the fan. With The Dead Don’t Die, the beginning feels more like a slow lull that doesn’t exactly get you excited to watch the rest of the movie.
Characters: 10
Not only were each of the characters hilarious, but I love how they surprised me by breaking the fourth wall. They made you feel like you were somehow in on the joke. Officer Mindy Morrison (Chloe Sevigny) was one of my favorites. It was hilarious watching how she handled certain situations, particularly when we finally know it’s zombies. Her and Ronnie Peterson (Adam Driver) onscreen definitely gave me a couple laughs.
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
Conflict: 9
You can always expect some semblance of a good time when zombies are involved. After a slow start, the action picks up enough to at least keep things interesting. There were a number of cool action sequences that I thoroughly enjoyed. I wish it was enough to save the movie as a whole.
Entertainment Value: 10
Memorability: 6
One of the areas where the movie fell short for me. I don’t know quite how to explain it except to say there wasn’t enough meat in it for me. It’s been a few weeks since I last saw the film and, even now, I’m struggling to remember anything substantial. For me, it doesn’t come off as a complete film.
Pace: 5
Plot: 1
Resolution: 1
Overall: 63
Much like a lot of movies that fall into this range, I really wanted to like The Dead Don’t Die more. Had it tweaked a few areas and punched up the script with more laughs, I think we would be looking at a hit. Oh well. Can’t win ‘em all.
Acting: 10
Just because I didn’t enjoy the film doesn’t mean it didn’t harbor strong performances from the cast. The aforementioned names above were all phenomenal in their respective roles. When the setting is “quiet town”, sometimes actors have a tendency to go overboard with their bumpkin pretenses, but this crew play to their parts perfectly. They made the movie somewhat bearable.
Beginning: 1
The movie really takes awhile to build up. I kept waiting for the engine to turn over, but I was left in a cold car for at least the first twenty minutes. Here’s the thing: I don’t hate slow starts if they serve a greater purpose. I’ll use a direct example from the same genre: Shaun of the Dead takes a bit to get going, but you can feel it actually building to something. Every few minutes you’re getting hints to the things happening around Shaun and his friend and you know it’s only a matter of time before they realize shit has hit the fan. With The Dead Don’t Die, the beginning feels more like a slow lull that doesn’t exactly get you excited to watch the rest of the movie.
Characters: 10
Not only were each of the characters hilarious, but I love how they surprised me by breaking the fourth wall. They made you feel like you were somehow in on the joke. Officer Mindy Morrison (Chloe Sevigny) was one of my favorites. It was hilarious watching how she handled certain situations, particularly when we finally know it’s zombies. Her and Ronnie Peterson (Adam Driver) onscreen definitely gave me a couple laughs.
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
Conflict: 9
You can always expect some semblance of a good time when zombies are involved. After a slow start, the action picks up enough to at least keep things interesting. There were a number of cool action sequences that I thoroughly enjoyed. I wish it was enough to save the movie as a whole.
Entertainment Value: 10
Memorability: 6
One of the areas where the movie fell short for me. I don’t know quite how to explain it except to say there wasn’t enough meat in it for me. It’s been a few weeks since I last saw the film and, even now, I’m struggling to remember anything substantial. For me, it doesn’t come off as a complete film.
Pace: 5
Plot: 1
Resolution: 1
Overall: 63
Much like a lot of movies that fall into this range, I really wanted to like The Dead Don’t Die more. Had it tweaked a few areas and punched up the script with more laughs, I think we would be looking at a hit. Oh well. Can’t win ‘em all.