Cockneys vs. Zombies (2012)

            To say that zombies have re-awakened and infested pop culture during the recent years would be an understatement. With series like The Walking Dead and films like Warm Bodies and World War Z, there's been no shortage of the nefarious horde in entertainment. Although this plethora has given zombie lovers plenty of fan service, it's consequentially made the popular horror subgenre over-saturated and stale. When I first heard of Cockneys vs. Zombies I was reluctant, merely passing it off as cookie-cutter effort meant to cash in on the current zombie craze. After actually watching it, however, I can say that the film caught me off guard.

            In a nutshell, Cockneys vs. Zombies centers around two brothers and their small band thieves as they attempt a robbery in order to save their grandfather's retirement home. Of course things rarely go as planned,  and the simple heist is complicated after two bumbling construction workers uncover a sealed crypt containing teething, infectious skeletons. Even with "Zombies" in the title, the main focus of the film is ultimately on family and sticking together as the two brothers eventually lead a rescue mission to save their grandfather, and the remaining denizens of the Bow Bells Care Home.

            Unlike many of the older films featuring the insatiable dead, Cockneys vs. Zombies abandons the straight horror approach and instead opts for a comedic tone. Although the film isn't breaking new ground by incorporating comedy into the mix, the humor itself is actually quite good and, best of all, not strictly zombie related. For instance, early on the grandfather tells the boys, "When I was fifteen, I lied about my age so I could sign up and fight the fuckin' Nazis," at which point the film cuts to a flashback of the grandfather cheerfully killing an entire room of German soldiers. Again, comedy and zombies have met before with films like Return of the Living Dead and Shaun of the Dead. Still, it's this brand of humor that helps to make Cockneys vs. Zombies enjoyable, as well as give the film some stance against its contemporaries.

            Despite how majority of the film follows the two brothers and their crew, the members of the retirement home are the more memorable and entertaining aspect of Cockneys vs. Zombies. The grandfather in particular stands out thanks to his profanity. Apart from keeping the film funny and interesting, the inclusion of the older characters also helps to insinuate in general how distant society has become in relation to our elderly. While the younger central cast isn't boring by any means, the film definitely could have stood out even more if the elderly characters were a greater focal point throughout.

            In general, Cockneys vs. Zombies doesn't set out to rejuvenate zombie films. Instead it presents a fun experience with a few creative and thoughtful ideas mixed in. While it probably won't go down as a classic or cause anyone to jump on the zombie-mania bandwagon, the film is still worth seeing, even if only to see the elderly wielding automatic weapons and yelling obscenities.