Film Review: The Dead and the Damned 2 (2014)

SYNOPSIS:

After the zombie apocalypse decimates most of the world a solider helps out any survivors he runs across as he makes his way to the ocean to spread the ashes of his dead wife and daughter.

 REVIEW:

I never saw The Dead and the Damned but thought that it sounded interesting due to the fact that it was set in the old west (sort of like Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare). The sequel however (which doesn’t have much to do with the original film aside from a brief mention during a scene that explains the reason zombies are running rampant everywhere) is set in modern times and there are no cowboys to be seen anywhere. At first I didn’t think that I was going to like it because I thought that it was just going to be yet another cookie cutter zombie apocalypse film that I’d already pretty much seen countless times before but once I gave it a chance I actually really liked it.

One of the things that I really liked about the film was the premise. I know, I know, I bitch and moan all the time about there being too many zombie movies out there but it actually worked this time around. One of the cool things about the movie is the fact that they are never referred to as zombies and instead are called mutants (even though they are obviously zombies who love to munch on human prey).

These zombies (or mutants) are a nice combination of the slow Romero zombies and the fast ones from Return of the Living Dead and other similar films. It is explained at one point that they are fast once they turn into zombies but slow down after they start to really decompose or are starving, which I thought was a nice touch. I’m not really the biggest zombie fan in the world but I thought that the ones from this movie worked (even if they all did look pretty much alike and have a preference for wearing striped shirts for some unknown reason).

I dug the fact that The Dead and the Damned 2 left out a lot of the usual things associated with zombie films (such as the roving bands of outlaws and looters) and focused more on how the zombies were the biggest threat that the remaining members of mankind had to face. I’m sick to death of the whole “evil human” thing in zombie movies and I was glad that the people responsible for this film decided to go another route and pretty much ignore this subplot for the most part (aside from the would be rapist toward the beginning).

I really liked the main character as well. He is equipped with this awesome suit of armor kind of outfit that protects him from the zombies and I thought that he kicked ass in general. He is a likeable character (as is most of the rest of the cast, having a deaf character was a nice touch) that reminded me a lot of a video game character thanks to the way that he looks (and sounds) and some of the things that he does (which includes beating the shit out of zombies with a sledgehammer, I’m thinking the writer must be a big fan of the Dead Island games). I thought that he was a total badass and I would definitely want to have him on my side during a zombie outbreak!

I also really liked the whole explanation for why the zombies were running around eating everyone too. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone but I thought that it was pretty interesting and original. As I said earlier it does connect to the original film a bit and I thought that it worked for a number of reasons. It’s getting harder and harder to do something original with zombie flicks nowadays but I thought that The Dead and the Damned 2 did so with flying colors when it came to coming up with a reason for the zombie apocalypse (plus it made me think a little bit as well).

I really enjoyed The Dead and the Damned 2 and thought that it was one of the best zombie movies I’ve seen in a very long time. It’s gory, action-packed, and even a little depressing at times and I dug every minute of it. If you’re a fan of zombies and are looking for an awesome zombie movie then this film is definitely for you. Check it out when you get a chance; I think that you will be pleasantly surprised by how good it is.