Review of Cockneys vs Zombies (2012) by Carlton R — 31 Mar 2013

Those of you that read my stuff regularly have probably figured out that I don't get on too well with comedies. I generally find them annoying to the point of apoplexy but this is a very rare exception. I would even go so far as to say that (for me at least) it's even better than the much vaunted 'Sean of the Dead'!... So now all the SotD fans have left in disgust; here's a very brief summary before I give you my thoughts.

When two cockney brothers, Terry (Rasmus Hardiker) and Andy (Harry Treadaway) hear the care home their granddad, Ray (Alan Ford), lives in is to close, they decide to do something about it. Not being the brightest of lads, they decide to rob a bank with the help of their cousin, Katy (Michelle Ryan), their mate Davey Tuppence (Jack Doolan) and a nut-job called Mental Mickey (Ashley Thomas). All seems to be going well until they try to leave and find a load of coppers (police) outside. After some debate, Mickey grabs a couple of hostages, Emma (Georgia King) and Clive (Tony Gardner) and makes a bid for freedom. On exiting the bank they find all the cops have gone and there are zombies wandering about. Meanwhile, back at the care home, most of the residents, including; Peggy (Honor Blackman), Darryl (Tony Selby), Doreen (Georgina Hale), Eric (Dudley Sutton) and Hamish (the wonderful Richard Briers in his last screen role) find themselves trapped. Can the lads make it to them in time to save them from the zombie hoards?... Guess I'd better leave it there before I could say too much.

There are no fancy CGI effects to speak of, most of the zombie effects rely heavily on make-up; all expertly done by the team. Although it's not the most slick of productions, I still enjoyed it with all of its rough edges. The comedy, both spoken and visual, I found (for the most part) very funny although I do understand if people from other parts of the world might not get it. It is very British and particularly centred on the East end of London. All the performances were very good and I particularly enjoyed seeing the many older actors at the care home. There is an awful lot of 'strong' language and quite a bit of gore so maybe not one for a younger audience. If you liked 'Sean of the Dead' (& you're still reading) I'm certain you'll love this one!

SteelMonster's verdict: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

My score: 8.4/10.