DVD Review: 2012 ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE (2011)

  
 
2012 ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE
Directed by:  Nick Lyon
Distributed by The Asylum

I am always happy to watch a new zombie film.  Zombie movies are my favorite sub-genre of horror films by far, so I was super excited when 2012 ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE showed up in my mailbox.  I knew nothing about this film so I was excited to check it out.  Now I have seen some pretty bad zombie movies, so I was hoping to not be disappointed, and I am happy to say that not only was I not disappointed, but I was pleasantly surprised!  I thoroughly enjoyed this one.   Here is the basic plot synopsis from The Asylum website:
Months after a zombie plague has wiped out 90 percent of the American population, a small group of survivors fight their way cross-country to a rumored refuge on the island of Catalina.

Now it wouldn't be fair to compare this with the bigger budget theatrical zombie films.   Take this film for what it is and that is a low budget zombie film which hopes to entertain, and I think it accomplished that for sure.   While a lot of films from The Asylum can be either hit or miss, I think they did a great job with this one. 

The acting in the film is pretty good, Ving Rhames certainly helps the cast, but I admit cringed at some of his corny one-liners, ha!  But that was all in part of the fun.  Cheesy dialog and low budget films go hand in hand!   I was also impressed with the sets and cinematography of this film.   The empty streets were impressive, and looked really cool when being filled up with hordes of zombies! 

The most impressive part of this film, for me though, was the zombies themselves.  So many straight to DVD zombie films have really crappy zombie make up and effects.  The zombies from 2012 ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE actually looked really good.   The filmmakers did a great job of mixing both practical effects and CG effects, with most of the CG being pretty unnoticeable.   Well...that is until we get to the scene of the survivors fighting off the zombie tiger.   Yes, that's right...there is a scene where Ving Rhames battles a zombie tiger.   The tiger is obviously all CG and it shows.   Aside from that, most all of the other zombie effects are very well done.

If you are a fan of zombie films like I am, check this one out for sure.  The DVD is available now and includes the following special features:

*  The Making of ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE
*  Gag Reel
*  Trailers


CLICK HERE to watch the trailer and purchase the DVD