Review of Warm Bodies (2013) by Reginthorn — 22 Jan 2019

Warm Bodies isn’t a conventionally faithful adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, nor does it necessarily concern itself with referencing the cinematic legacy of the play; the film features zombies and cuts out all of the established Shakespeare characters.

One character in the film is even named Grigio, which is a tongue in cheek reference to Shakespeare’s Benvolio, as they both share names of common wine types. However, unlike the other “faithful” adaptations, Jonathan Levine’s Warm Bodies understands the nature of the original stage script better than the average Romeo and Juliet film.

Romeo and Juliet is ultimately about youth in forbidden love and that’s still the case in Warm Bodies, only the conflict between the Montagues and Capulets is replaced with the immortal struggle between life and death; specifically in this case, humans and zombies.

Levine additionally removes antiquated soliloquy and replaces them with contemporary dialogue, concepts, and humor. Like the excellent Warm Bodies’ message that love transcends death, Shakespeare is forever rising from the dead, bringing with him new hopes, fears, and possibilities for each generation to come.