Warm Bodies (film)

Last updated

Warm Bodies
Warm Bodies Theatrical Poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Jonathan Levine
Screenplay byJonathan Levine
Based on Warm Bodies
by Isaac Marion
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Javier Aguirresarobe
Edited byNancy Richardson
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed by Summit Entertainment [1] (through Lionsgate [2] )
Release dates
  • January 16, 2013 (2013-01-16)(Rome premiere)
  • February 1, 2013 (2013-02-01)
Running time
98 minutes [3]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$35 million [4]
Box office$117 million [2]

Warm Bodies is a 2013 American paranormal romantic [5] [6] zombie comedy film written and directed by Jonathan Levine and based on Isaac Marion's 2010 novel of the same name, which in turn is inspired by Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet . [7] The film stars Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, Rob Corddry, Dave Franco, Lio Tipton, [a] Cory Hardrict, and John Malkovich. [7]

Contents

The film focuses on the development of the relationship between Julie (Palmer), a young woman, and R (Hoult), a zombie, and their eventual romance, causing R to slowly return to human form. The film is noted for displaying human characteristics in zombie characters and for being told from a zombie's perspective. [8] [9]

Plot

About eight years after a zombie apocalypse, R, a zombie who cannot recall his name but believes it began with an "R", spends his days wandering around an airport which is now filled with his fellow undead, including M, who is his best friend. R and M achieve rudimentary communication with grunts and moans and occasional near-words. As a zombie, R does not have a heartbeat and constantly craves human flesh, especially brains, because he is able to "feel alive" through experiencing the victims' memories when he eats them.

While R and a pack of zombies are hunting for food, they encounter Julie Grigio and a group of her friends, who were sent by Julie's father from a walled-off human enclave to recover medical supplies. R sees Julie and is drawn to her; his heart beats for the first time. After being shot in the chest by Julie's boyfriend, Perry, R kills him and eats his brain while Julie is distracted. Perry's memories increase R's attraction to Julie. He rescues her from the rest of the pack by wiping some zombie blood on her face, masking her scent, and takes her to an airplane he resides in to keep her safe.

Julie is terrified of R and suspicious of his intentions. She starts trusting him after he rescues her during a failed escape attempt and finds food for her. R insists that Julie stay with him for a few days, until he deems it safe enough for her to leave. The two bond, listening to LP records and playing games to kill time, causing R to begin to come to life; his heart starts beating, and he is slowly able to communicate with more words. [10] After a few days, Julie gets restless, and tries to return home, yet attracts swarms of zombies. After fending off a group including M, who is confused by R's actions, R decides to return her to the human enclave.

On the way, R reveals to Julie that he killed Perry, prompting her to abandon him and return home alone. R begins making his way back to the airport, heartbroken. He discovers that M and other zombies are also showing signs of life, making them targets for the Boneys – skeletal zombies who, having lost their humanity, have shed their flesh and prey on anything with a heartbeat. R and M lead a group to the human enclave, where R sneaks inside the wall.

R finds Julie and meets her friend Nora, who is shocked to see R in the territory and notices R's growing humanity. When R reveals that the other corpses are also coming back to life, the three of them attempt to tell Colonel Grigio, Julie's father and the leader of the survivors. Colonel Grigio dismisses them and threatens to kill R, stopping only when Nora pulls a gun on him. Julie and R escape to a baseball stadium where the rest of R's group is waiting but find themselves under attack by Boneys.

While M and his gang of zombies square off against the Boneys, Julie and R run but find themselves trapped. Taking the only escape route, R jumps with Julie into a pool far below, shielding her from the impact. After Julie pulls R from the bottom of the pool, they kiss. Colonel Grigio arrives and shoots R in the shoulder without warning. Julie attempts to persuade him that R has changed when she notices that he is bleeding from his wound – revealing that he has completely revived and is human once more. The humans and zombies combine forces and kill most of the Boneys while the rest perish from starvation, as the zombies slowly come back to life and assimilate into human society. Later, a fully human R and Julie watch the wall surrounding the city being demolished, signifying the end of the apocalypse.

Cast

Production

The studio Summit Entertainment backed the film, [11] which was produced by Bruna Papanadrea, David Hoberman, and Todd Lieberman and executive produced by Laurie Webb and Cori Shepherd Stern. [12] The zombies can barely talk in the film, so extensive voice-overs were used to express their thoughts. [13]

Writer and director Jonathan Levine said even though this is a love story that involves zombies, he hoped people would not try to put the film into one category and zombie enthusiasts would be open to a new twist on the genre. "I think this movie takes the mythology in a different direction, and I think there is a lot there for die-hard zombie fans," he explained. "We're encouraging people to be open-minded, because it does take some liberties with the mythology, but at the same time, it's very grounded in the science of zombie-ism and uses that as a springboard for a more fantastical story. It may be divisive, but I think there's a lot there for zombie fans if they're open-minded to a new take on it, and I hope they can." [14] Actress Teresa Palmer said, "For me, the core of the story is that love breathes life back into people. That human connection saves us. People who have had those lights dimmed inside them, when they fall in love they get brighter." [15]

Warm Bodies began shooting in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in September 2011 with its airport scenes being shot at Montreal-Mirabel International Airport. [16]

Levine told USA Today that R attempts "to do a lot of things to varying degrees of success. Driving, for instance. Let's just say his hand–eye coordination is not what it needs to be." [17] Nicholas Hoult and other zombie actors practiced with circus performers to achieve the right body moves. [8] [18] Hoult explained, "There were some days with the Cirque du Soleil people and we would take our shoes off in a dance studio and we would kind of grow out of the wall and make our bodies feel very heavy. It's one of those things where you think about it a lot but you just have to try it out and see what works. Then Jonathan [Levine] would say either 'too much or little less', we didn't want to go over the top with it." [18] Hoult told another reviewer that he "drew a lot of his inspiration from Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands ," saying he thought of that movie "as a zombie film, whether it was or not. Because you had to feel sorry for Edward... I was thinking of Edward when I did R." [19]

Release

Warm Bodies was released on January 31, 2013, in the Philippines, Greece, and Russia. It was released on February 1, 2013, in the United States and on February 8, 2013, in the United Kingdom. In its opening weekend it collected $20.3 million. [20] It has returned a box office of $66.4 million within the US and an additional $50.6 million internationally. [2]

Reception

Critical response

Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an 81% rating, based on reviews from 209 critics, with an average score of 6.8/10. The site's consensus reads: "Warm Bodies offers a sweet, well-acted spin on a genre that all too often lives down to its brain-dead protagonists." [21] At Metacritic it has a score of 60 out of 100, based on reviews from 39 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. [22] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of B+ on an A+ to F scale. [23]

Richard Larson of Slant Magazine wrote "The ubiquity of Shakespeare's original template [of Romeo and Juliet ] allows Warm Bodies some leeway in terms of believability, where otherwise it sometimes strains against its own logic. But the film's persistent charm encourages us to look past a few festering surface wounds and see the human heart beating inside, which is really what love is all about." Larson awarded the film three out of four stars. [24] Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times deemed the film "a well-paced, nicely directed, post-apocalyptic love story with a terrific sense of humor and the, um, guts to be unabashedly romantic and unapologetically optimistic." He added that the movie "isn't perfect. It's a shame those Bonies are mediocre special-effects creations that run with a herky-jerky style... But those are minor drawbacks..." [9] Mary Pols of Time called it "an inventive charmer that visits all the typical movie scenarios of young love amid chaos and disaster... There are so many clever lines and bits of physical comedy worth revisiting that the movie seems like a likely cult classic." [25]

Stella Papamichael at Digital Spy gave it three out of five stars and called it "a truly deadpan romantic comedy" and "a witty reinvention of the genre like Shaun of the Dead before it, drawing parallels between the apathy of youth and the zombie masses," adding, "Hoult gets to deliver a wickedly dry voiceover." [26] Chris Packham of The Village Voice said in a negative review that "The film's intentions are way too good for its own good, producing bloodless romance and more shamefully bloodless carnage. Nobody kisses anyone else until it becomes clear that both parties have pulses, and everyone gets to keep all their limbs." [27]

Michael O'Sullivan said in his one-and-a-half star review for The Washington Post that the film is "Cute without being especially clever, it's as pallid and as brain-dead as its zombie antihero ... It's less funny and self-aware than Shaun of the Dead , less swooningly romantic than Twilight and less scary than pretty much anything else out there with zombies in it." [28]

Home media

Warm Bodies was released on DVD and Blu-ray on June 4, 2013. [29] In celebration of the film's tenth anniversary, Lionsgate released an Ultra HD Blu-ray Steelbook on February 7, 2023. [30]

Accolades

AwardCategoryRecipientResult
Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie: Comedy Warm BodiesNominated
Choice Movie: Romance Warm BodiesNominated
Choice Movie Actor: Comedy Nicholas Hoult Nominated
Choice Movie Actor: RomanceNicholas HoultNominated
Choice Movie BreakoutNicholas HoultWon
40th Saturn Awards Saturn Award for Best Horror Film Warm BodiesNominated

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Credited as Analeigh Tipton

Related Research Articles

<i>Braindead</i> (film) 1992 film by Peter Jackson

Braindead is a 1992 New Zealand zombie comedy splatter film directed by Peter Jackson, produced by Jim Booth, and written by Stephen Sinclair, Fran Walsh, and Jackson based on an original story idea by Sinclair. It stars Timothy Balme, Diana Peñalver, Elizabeth Moody and Ian Watkin. The plot follows Lionel, a young man living in South Wellington with his strict mother Vera. After Lionel becomes romantically entangled with a girl named Paquita, Vera is bitten by a hybrid rat-monkey creature and begins to transform into a zombie, while also infecting swathes of the city's populace.

<i>28 Days Later</i> 2002 film by Danny Boyle

28 Days Later is a 2002 British post-apocalyptic horror film directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland. It stars Cillian Murphy as a bicycle courier who awakens from a coma to discover the accidental release of a highly contagious, aggression-inducing virus has caused the breakdown of society. Naomie Harris, Christopher Eccleston, Megan Burns, and Brendan Gleeson appear in supporting roles.

Return of the Living Dead is a zombie comedy film series that consists of five films beginning with the 1985 film The Return of the Living Dead.

<i>House of 1000 Corpses</i> 2003 American comedy horror film by Rob Zombie

House of 1000 Corpses is a 2003 American black comedy horror film written, co-scored, and directed by Rob Zombie in his directorial debut, and the first film in the Firefly film series. It stars Sid Haig, Bill Moseley, Sheri Moon, Karen Black, Rainn Wilson, Chris Hardwick, Tom Towles, Erin Daniels, Jennifer Jostyn, Walton Goggins, and Dennis Fimple in his final role. The plot centers on a group of teenagers who are kidnapped and tortured by a psychopathic family during Halloween after traveling across the country to write a book.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rob Corddry</span> American actor and comedian

Robert William Corddry is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his work as a correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (2002–2006) and for his starring role in the film Hot Tub Time Machine. He is the creator and star of Adult Swim's Childrens Hospital and has been awarded four Primetime Emmy Awards. He previously starred in the HBO series Ballers and the CBS comedy The Unicorn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juliet</span> Character in Romeo and Juliet

Juliet Capulet is the female protagonist in William Shakespeare's romantic tragedy Romeo and Juliet. A 13-year-old girl, Juliet is the only daughter of the patriarch of the House of Capulet. She falls in love with the male protagonist Romeo, a member of the House of Montague, with which the Capulets have a blood feud. The story has a long history that precedes Shakespeare himself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sridevi</span> Indian actress (1963–2018)

Sridevi Kapoor, known mononymously as Sridevi, was an Indian actress who worked in Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, and Kannada language films. Cited as the "first female superstar" of Indian cinema, she was the recipient of various accolades, including a National Film Award, five Filmfare Awards, two Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, a Kerala State Film Award, and a Nandi Award. Sridevi's career spanned over 50 years in a wide range of genres. She was known for her reticent and introverted off-screen personality, but headstrong and outspoken on-screen persona, often playing strong-willed women. In 2013, Sridevi was honoured with the Padma Shri, the country's fourth highest civilian honour. In a 2013 national poll conducted by CNN-IBN on the occasion of the centenary of Indian cinema, Sridevi was voted "India's Greatest Actress in 100 Years",

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicholas Hoult</span> English actor (born 1989)

Nicholas Caradoc Hoult is an English actor. His filmography includes supporting work in big-budget mainstream productions and starring roles in independent projects in American and British films. He has received several accolades, including nominations for a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award. He was included in Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teresa Palmer</span> Australian actress (born 1986)

Teresa Mary Palmer is an Australian actress. A prominent scream queen, she is known for her roles in horror films, as well as projects of other genres in both Australia and the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zombie apocalypse</span> Subgenre of apocalyptic fiction

Zombie apocalypse is a subgenre of apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction in which society collapses due to overwhelming swarms of zombies. Typically only a few individuals or small bands of human survivors are left living. In some versions, the reason the dead rise and attack humans is unknown, in others, a parasite or infection is the cause, framing events much like a plague. Some stories have every corpse zombify, regardless of the cause of death, whereas others require exposure to the infection, most commonly in the form of a bite.

<i>Khiladi</i> (1992 film) 1992 Indian Hindi-language murder mystery film

Khiladi (transl. Player) is a 1992 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Abbas–Mustan. The film was produced by Girish Jain and Champak Jain under the banner of Venus Records and Tapes. The film was Akshay Kumar's breakthrough role and also stars Ayesha Jhulka, Deepak Tijori and Sabeeha, while Prem Chopra, Shakti Kapoor, Anant Mahadevan and Johnny Lever played supporting roles.

Jonathan A. Levine is an American film director and screenwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zombie film</span> Subgenre of horror film featuring zombies

A zombie film is a film genre. Zombies are fictional creatures usually portrayed as reanimated corpses or virally infected human beings. They are commonly portrayed as cannibalistic in nature. While zombie films generally fall into the horror genre, some cross over into other genres, such as action, comedy, science fiction, thriller, or romance. Distinct subgenres have evolved, such as the "zombie comedy" or the "zombie apocalypse". Zombies are distinct from ghosts, ghouls, mummies, Frankenstein's monsters or vampires, so this article does not include films devoted to these types of undead. I am Legend and World War Z are the highest grossing zombies movies of all time.

<i>Return of the Living Dead 3</i> 1993 film by Brian Yuzna

Return of the Living Dead 3 is a 1993 romantic horror film directed by Brian Yuzna and written by John Penney. It is the third film in the Return of the Living Dead film series, following Return of the Living Dead Part II (1988).

<i>Warm Bodies</i> 2010 novel by Isaac Marion

Warm Bodies is a novel by author Isaac Marion. Described as a "zombie romance", it makes allusions to William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. The author, based in Seattle, originally wrote a short story titled "I Am a Zombie Filled with Love". Atria Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, acquired the publishing rights to the full novel in early 2010.

<i>Parts per Billion</i> 2014 American romantic drama

Parts per Billion is a 2013 American romantic drama written and directed by Brian Horiuchi. It stars an ensemble cast comprising Frank Langella, Gena Rowlands, Rosario Dawson, Penn Badgley, Teresa Palmer, and Josh Hartnett as three loosely connected couples who must deal with a looming biological attack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isaac Marion</span> American writer (born 1981)

Isaac Marion is an American writer. He is best known as the best-selling author of the "zombie romance" novel Warm Bodies and its series.

<i>Zombies</i> (2018 film) American musical television film

Zombies is an American musical and zombie Disney Channel Original Movie that premiered on Disney Channel on February 16, 2018. The film is based on the unaired pilot Zombies & Cheerleaders by David Light and Joseph Raso, and stars Milo Manheim and Meg Donnelly, playing zombie football player Zed and human cheerleader Addison who meet and fall in love, and who must lead their respective groups to coexist with each other.

<i>Zombies 2</i> 2020 Disney Channel film directed by Paul Hoen

Zombies 2 is a 2020 American musical and dance Disney Channel Original Movie that premiered on Disney Channel on February 14, 2020. A sequel to the 2018 Disney Channel Original Movie Zombies, the film stars Milo Manheim and Meg Donnelly, and features Trevor Tordjman, Kylee Russell, and Carla Jeffery reprising their roles from the first movie, with Chandler Kinney, Pearce Joza, and Baby Ariel joining the cast. The film shows the zombies and cheerleaders, who have mostly since reconciled from the events of the first film, attempting to coexist and assimilate werewolves into the town of Seabrook.

References

  1. 1 2 "Warm Bodies (2013)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films . Archived from the original on May 6, 2022. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 "Warm Bodies (2013)". Box Office Mojo . Archived from the original on May 7, 2013. Retrieved May 7, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Warm Bodies (12A)". British Board of Film Classification . November 30, 2012. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved November 30, 2012.
  4. ↑ Kaufman, Amy (January 31, 2013). "Ticket sales to slow as Americans stay home for Super Bowl". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on February 1, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  5. ↑ "Warm Bodies". /Film . Archived from the original on February 9, 2013. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
  6. ↑ Busis, Hillary (December 3, 2012). "'Warm Bodies' trailer 2: The lighter side of a zombie apocalypse". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 26, 2013. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
  7. 1 2 Chitwood, Adam. "8 New Images from WARM BODIES Featuring Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, and Rob Corddry". Collider . Archived from the original on January 6, 2013. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
  8. 1 2 Costanza Ashley, Justine (January 31, 2013). "Warm Bodies: 5 Things To Know About The Zombie Love Story". International Business Times . Archived from the original on October 31, 2013. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
  9. 1 2 Roeper, Richard (January 31, 2013). "Warm Bodies". Chicago Sun-Times . Archived from the original on March 26, 2013. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
  10. ↑ "Warm Bodies". tikkview.com. February 6, 2013. Archived from the original on February 12, 2013. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
  11. ↑ Kit, Borys (May 2, 2011). "UK actor Nicholas Hoult starring in zombie romance". The Hollywood Reporter . Reuters. Archived from the original on February 9, 2016. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
  12. ↑ Kit, Borys (September 7, 2011). "John Malkovich Joining Zombie Movie 'Warm Bodies'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 11, 2012. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
  13. ↑ Weintraub, Steve (November 5, 2011). "Producers David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman Talk THE FIGHTER Sequel, WARM BODIES, and the Live-Action/Animation PHINEAS AND FERB Movie". Collider. Archived from the original on November 8, 2011. Retrieved November 6, 2011.
  14. ↑ Warner, Kara (October 19, 2012). "Exclusive First Look: 'Warm Bodies' Poster Plays It Cool". MTV . Archived from the original on January 21, 2013. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
  15. ↑ Schaefer, Stephen (January 23, 2013). "A 'Warm' reception – Aussie actress Teresa Palmer a star to watch in Hollywood". Boston Herald .
  16. ↑ Warner, Kara (September 29, 2011). "'Warm Bodies' Director Says Shoot Is 'Going Awesome'". MTV. Archived from the original on October 25, 2011. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
  17. ↑ Alexander, Bryan (January 9, 2012). "Finally, a zombie you can live with – This undead guy is kind of hunky". USA Today . Tysons Corner, Virginia: Gannett Company.
  18. 1 2 Esquivel, Fernando (January 31, 2013). "Talking with Jonathan Levine and the Cast of Warm Bodies". Latino Review. Archived from the original on February 4, 2013. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
  19. ↑ Vincent, Mal (February 1, 2013). "Warm Bodies, a zombie Romeo and Juliet". HamptonRoads.com. Archived from the original on February 6, 2013. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
  20. ↑ Subers, Ray (February 4, 2013). "Weekend Report: 'Warm Bodies' Tops Gloomy Super Bowl Weekend". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on June 2, 2013. Retrieved June 7, 2013.
  21. ↑ "Warm Bodies". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango. Archived from the original on October 28, 2016. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  22. ↑ "Warm Bodies Reviews". Metacritic.com . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on June 17, 2018. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  23. ↑ McClintock, Pamela (February 2, 2013). "Box Office Report: 'Warm Bodies' Tops Friday With $8.1 Mil; Stallone's 'Bullet to the Head' DOA". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on January 25, 2023. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  24. ↑ Larson, Richard (January 31, 2013). "Warm Bodies – Film Review". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on February 6, 2013. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
  25. ↑ Pols, Mary (February 1, 2013). "Warm Bodies: A Hot-Zom Rom-Com". Time . Archived from the original on February 4, 2013. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
  26. ↑ Papamichael, Stella (February 5, 2013). "Warm Bodies review: Nicholas Hoult stars in warm-hearted zombie rom-com". Digital Spy . Archived from the original on February 7, 2013. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
  27. ↑ Packham, Chris (January 30, 2013). "Warm Bodies: Bloodless Romance and Bloodless Carnage". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on March 7, 2013. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
  28. ↑ O'Sullivan, Michael (February 1, 2013). "This love story needs more bite". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on February 2, 2013. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
  29. ↑ Gallagher, Brian (March 26, 2013). "Warm Bodies Blu-ray and DVD Arrive June 4th". MovieWeb . Archived from the original on December 17, 2022. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
  30. ↑ Mantilla, Ryan Louis (December 17, 2022). "'Warm Bodies' Sets 4K Ultra HD Steelbook Release for 10th Anniversary". Collider . Archived from the original on December 17, 2022. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.