Independent Film Reviews

Flight of the Living Dead

Posted on 05. Oct, 2007 by Tom in New Release DVD

Take one digital versatile disc, one very versatile director and one plane. Fill it with every feasible over the top character stereotype under the sun, drown from tip-to-toe in blood and await they’re outlandish exit. It sounds like any other zombie cult classic (possibly swapping the plane for a mall) and to begin with, I was almost quite excited.

We have the old pilot who’s on his last day on the job. The brave good-looking police officer who was born to save the day. The quick witted (camp?) criminal. The arguing horny teenagers, even the scornful nun made an appearance. After this initial inspiring few minutes the film turned into a lack-lustre blend of Con-air and Final Destination, minus the blood or tattoo’s. It really grinds my gears when films do this… Especially b-movie inspired zombie flicks. People are clearly watching for the blood and guts, half the film needn’t be “setting the scene”. The title of the film sets the scene plenty in my books, or a quick 2 minute introduction would have done. Not nearly an hour of toe tapping action where I can count the number of zombie encounters on one finger. There was no b-movie hilarity, no tongue-in-cheek, just pure boredom.

Luckily however the pace of the film did eventually pick up in a style remarkably similar to snakes on a plane, even if pre-production started prior to that film.
If you are one of the lucky few to have enough stamina to make it through the first hour you may catch glimpse of some of the spectacularly gruesome deaths the film has to offer, zombies being impaled on un-open umbrellas, or having their heads knocked off by a professional golfer and his 9 iron, each accompanied by a suitable one-liner. The type of gore every self-respecting zombie fan loves to see.
If like me, you feel the need to chuckle maybe even cry at the site of this completely brilliant over the top gore then don’t leave me hanging. Just me?

Kevin J O’Conners role as Frank Lee Strathmore, the criminal everybody suspected to begin with acts somewhat as a highlight of film. Delivering every line with that 60’s b-movie campness which some of the other actors could have learned from. He also gave the plot a slight twist that I found refreshing, however small.

If your thinking the only original thing about Flight of The Dead is the fact the zombies are now on a plane then you couldn’t be more right. Don’t watch this expecting greater things. This film harks back to the days of Evil Dead when zombies screamed for 20 minutes before they died, and if that’s what you enjoy give this a look.

Overall it gets 5/10; I doubt I’ll remember it tomorrow.

Tags: B-Movie, Horror, Zombie