'Zombie Killers - Elephant's Graveyard'
(Billy Zane, Dee Wallace, Brian Anthony Wilson, et al / Blu ray / NR / 2015 / Anchor Bay Entertainment)
Overview: The rural town of Elwood has become a "bubble" against the backdrop of a global infection where humans don't die, but instead roam the land looking to spread the sickness, in a grisly, horrific way. The "Zombie Killers," a small band of young adults, trained by military vet, Seiler (Billy Zane); have sworn to protect the town and aim for the head if anything threatens Elwood's last survivors."
Blu ray Verdict: OK, let's all be very honest here for a minute - haven't we all watched what seems like a zillion zombie TV shows and movies over the past couple of three years now? A seemingly endless amount of them have been continually shown to us in various mediums and so now, just close to Valentine's Day and not Halloween, for some strange reason, we get yet another one: 'Zombie Killers - Elephant's Graveyard.'
Now, don't get me wrong, as I honestly doappreciate the genre, the question of how people face the apocalypse, how far human survival will drive us in the face of hopelessness, the depiction of zombie gore, etc. But to see listed as its main actor the one, the only, the forgotten man of movies, Billy Zane, well, it made my hopes sink.
In truth, it isn't Zane's fault totally that he is back working with director Harrison Smith, as the man continues to bring former actors and crew back to his productions in an attempt to emulate the "John Carpenter Formula" of working with tried and tested talent.
As for the movie, I've seen far worse for the zombie offerings, so that was a good lead in for me. Indeed, the cinematography was rather decent and the make-up and low budget CGI were also acceptable. There was a twist on what caused the Zombie epidemic which was interesting also, but underplayed, i truth be told.
However, that didn't really save the film from weak writing and mixed acting talent. Although there were a few bright moments from the cast for a good portion of the actors had talent. Zane turned out to be ok, which I was thankful for, and even he delivered his sometimes cheesy lines with a straight enough face that I wanted to believe him! The mother dying of cancer (Dee Wallace), several of the young Zombie Killer teens (Michael Kean), Nikki (Gabrielle Stone), Kennedy (Ashley Sumner) and surprisingly, the old guy Rory (Brian Gallagher) were all fairly entertaining to watch also.
However, the experienced and should-know-better Mischa Barton as Toni was a bit disappointing, because her character just wasn't given much to work with. Sure her acting was fine, but she was simply just stuck in a one-dimensional role. FYI - The teaser art for the poster was designed by "Monster" Mark Kosobucki who also designed the artwork for "6 Degrees of Hell" and "Dead.TV" This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:
Bloodbath & Beyond
The Look of Zombie Killers: Elephant's Graveyard
Zombie Killers: Elephant's Graveyard - Behind The Scenes
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