In a genre currently dominated by the likes of The Walking Dead and The Last of Us, you’d be hard-pressed to find a zombie movie that doesn’t recycle the genre’s more iconic elements in some way, shape or form. Thankfully, with We Bury the Dead, writer-director Zak Hilditch not only shows an awareness of said genre’s tropes but finds a mix that effectively uses said familiarity to ground us in one of the more refreshing and entertaining tales in a while.
Marking Hilditch’s first directorial effort in five years since the Netflix horror-thriller Rattlesnake, We Bury the Dead is set in a world in which the United States President accidentally launches an experimental explosive device on the Australian island state of Tasmania, which results in 500,000 people dead, some from the blast, others from a pulse sent out by the bomb that shuts off their brains. Daisy Ridley plays Ava, a woman searching for her husband in the aftermath in the hopes of finding him alive, though finds her journey marred when many of the bodies begin showing signs of life.
We Bury the Dead Knows Exactly What Genre It’s In & Makes No Qualms About It
Even The Familiar Tropes Feel Largely Fresh
As noted before, the zombie genre has seen all kinds of approaches to stories, whether it’s the fourth wall-breaking Zombieland movies or the emotionally harrowing Arnold Schwarzenegger-led Maggie. For We Bury the Dead, Hilditch takes a route that lands the movie on the latter side of the scale, particularly as we’re given gradual flashbacks of Ava and her husband’s rocky relationship prior to the event. Additionally, he makes sure to hit the genre’s familiar beats, such as running into military forces whose own trauma from the matter has made them a secondary antagonist for the protagonist.
Arguably, one of the things that makes We Bury the Dead feel so fresh when looking at the genre as a whole is how modest its scale feels.
However, Hilditch also makes sure to infuse plenty of energy throughout We Bury the Dead, ensuring it not only feels lively but also isn’t a completely droll experience. Whether it’s a bright pop-rock song layered over chilling imagery of the explosion’s fallout, those in the body retrieval units cutting loose on their off time with hardcore partying, or Brenton Thwaites’ Clay processing the horror he’s seen through a veil of comedy, it never feels quite to the same depressing extent of HBO’s The Last of Us, which also helps it feel unique.
One of the things that makes We Bury the Dead feel so fresh when looking at the genre as a whole is how modest its scale feels. As expected, almost every zombie movie or TV show out there deals with a worldwide pandemic that has left the world on the verge of the Stone Age, and yet even as the film is set across the vast majority of Tasmania, it never becomes a globe-trotting journey or carries world-threatening stakes. Instead, we’re attached to Ava’s hip as the plot progresses, which makes it easier to remain connected to her story.
I Have A Real Love-Hate Relationship With This Movie’s Zombies
The Sound Design Might Be The Most Horrific Choice Made in A Long Time
Though the movie goes by way of Shaun of the Dead and refuses to ever use the z-word, there’s no denying that We Bury the Dead is a zombie movie, even if a more scaled-down one than some might come to expect. It certainly doesn’t take long for the first of Hilditch’s undead creations to appear, though it’s not until the latter third of the film that they begin displaying traditional zombie behaviors, like charging aggressively at the living, even if it’s unclear why.
While the majority of their design isn’t anything new, one tweak Hilditch does make to his zombies that instantly makes them stand out is their mouths, in which their teeth grind to the point of breaking. Visually, it’s not quite as horrific of an effect as it might sound, though it’s the actual audio of this behavior that is absolutely haunting. Any time a zombie was onscreen and the grinding began, I found myself in an interesting middle ground; I loved the decision aesthetically but loathed just how grotesque the sound was.
Daisy Ridley’s Reserved Performance Remains Quite Compelling
Brenton Thwaites Is Also A Reasonably Charming Co-Lead
Since initially departing a galaxy far, far away, it’s been really fascinating to see the direction Ridley has taken in her career, only attaching her saddle to two other action blockbusters while mostly focusing on the indie world. We Bury the Dead is another welcome addition to her repertoire. Ava, if played by certain actors, could risk feeling like a well-worn caricature, yet Ridley deftly brings a more reserved nature to our protagonist, knowing when to let her emotions run, while still pulling back just enough to allude to something bigger going on with her.
While she may be the main focus of the film, Ridley isn’t the only We Bury the Dead cast member to get the spotlight, with Thwaites and Apple Cider Vinegar‘s Mark Coles Smith being the other major figures, though they can never quite reach her acting heights. That’s not to say they don’t turn in solid performances, particularly Smith as the mentally deteriorating military member, while Thwaites is plenty charming as the no-care foil to Ridley’s Ava. But between her larger screentime and general acting prowess, it’s clear Ridley is leading the acting charge on this one.
We Bury the Dead had its premiere at the 2025 SXSW Film & TV Festival, and hits theaters on January 2.
Source: screenrant
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