In a post-apocalyptic world divided between the living and the walking dead, a soulful zombie named "R" rescues a living girl named Julie instead of eating her. As they bond in secret, R begins to regain his humanity, sparking a chain reaction that could transform the entire undead population and heal the broken world—if the remaining humans don't kill them first.
Information |
|
|---|---|
Language |
English |
Country |
United States |
Premiere date |
February 01, 2013 |
Running time |
98 minutes |
Genre |
Comedy Horror Romance |
Budget |
$35,000,000 |
Box Office |
$116,980,662 |
Crew |
|
Directed by |
Jonathan Levine |
Produced by |
David Hoberman Todd Lieberman |
Written by |
Jonathan Levine |
Music by |
Marco Beltrami |
Cinematography |
Javier Aguirresarobe |
Edited by |
Nancy Richardson |
Production Co. |
Summit Entertainment |
Distributed by |
Lionsgate |
Official Trailer
The Plot
The Lonely Undead
Approximately eight years after a zombie apocalypse has decimated civilization, R, a member of the walking dead, inhabits an abandoned airport filled with hordes of his fellow corpses. Though his memory is shattered, he retains a vague recollection that his name once began with the letter "R." Unlike the mindless monsters typical of his kind, R possesses an internal monologue and a deep sense of longing. He spends his days wandering the terminals and attempting rudimentary communication with his best friend, M, exchanging grunts, moans, and the occasional near-word to bridge the silence.
Biologically, R is dead; he has no heartbeat and is driven by an insatiable hunger for human flesh. However, this craving is more than just sustenance. R specifically targets the brains of his victims because consuming them allows him to experience their memories and emotions, providing him with a fleeting, narcotic sense of feeling alive again.
The Ambush and the Spark
While R and a pack of zombies venture into the city to hunt for food, they converge on an abandoned building where a group of human survivors is scavenging for medical supplies. These humans, led by Julie Grigio, have been sent from a heavily fortified, walled-off enclave governed by her father, Colonel Grigio. During the ensuing chaos of the ambush, R locks eyes with Julie. In that instant, something unprecedented happens: R's heart beats for the first time in years, and he feels an immediate, inexplicable pull toward her.
Amidst the violence, Julie's boyfriend, Perry, shoots R in the chest. Acting on instinct and hunger, R kills Perry and eats his brain. As he consumes the tissue, he is flooded with Perry’s memories and intense love for Julie, which only amplifies R's growing attraction to her. Desperate to protect her from the feeding frenzy of the other zombies, R wipes some of his own necrotic blood onto Julie's face to mask her living scent. He then guides her out of the combat zone, taking her back to the airport and hiding her within the abandoned airplane he calls home.
Vinyl Records and Reviving Hearts
Initially, Julie is terrified of her captor and suspicious of his motives. However, her fear begins to ebb after R rescues her during a failed escape attempt and later brings her food. Realizing he means her no harm, she begins to trust him. R insists that she remain with him for a few days until the other zombies lose interest and it is safe for her to depart. During this confinement, an unlikely bond forms. They pass the time listening to LP records and playing games, and this connection triggers a physiological change in R. His heart begins to beat more regularly, and he slowly regains the ability to speak in short phrases.
After a few days, Julie becomes restless and attempts to return home on her own, but she inadvertently attracts a swarm of zombies. R rushes to her aid, fending off the attackers, including his friend M, who is visibly confused by R’s defense of a living human. Realizing he can no longer keep her at the airport, R decides to drive Julie back to the human enclave himself.
The Confession
During the drive back to the city, the rapport between them is shattered when R confesses that he was the one who killed Perry. Horrified by the revelation, Julie abandons R and makes the rest of the journey to the walled city alone. Heartbroken, R begins the long walk back to the airport. Upon his return, however, he discovers that a profound shift is occurring: M and many other zombies are also showing signs of life, seemingly triggered by the change they witnessed in R.
This awakening makes the "cured" zombies targets for the Boneys—skeletal, advanced-stage zombies who have shed their flesh and lost every trace of humanity. The Boneys prey on anything with a heartbeat, including the reviving corpses. Realizing they are no longer safe at the airport, R and M lead a group of the changing zombies toward the human enclave for sanctuary.
Infiltrating the Enclave
R sneaks inside the massive wall surrounding the human city to find Julie. He locates her and is introduced to her friend Nora, who is initially shocked to see a corpse within their territory. Nora quickly notices R's growing humanity, observing his improved complexion and speech. When R reveals that the other corpses outside are also coming back to life and seeking help, Julie and Nora agree to bring him before Colonel Grigio.
The meeting with Julie's father goes poorly. Colonel Grigio, a hardened military leader, refuses to believe that zombies can change. He dismisses their claims and threatens to execute R on the spot. He is stopped only when Nora draws a gun on him, creating a standoff that allows Julie and R to escape. They flee to a nearby baseball stadium where R’s group of reviving zombies has gathered, only to find the stadium under siege by a massive horde of Boneys.
The Battle at the Stadium
While M and his gang of reviving zombies engage in a brutal melee against the skeletal Boneys, Julie and R attempt to flee but find themselves trapped on a high ledge. With no other escape route available, R grabs Julie and jumps into a pool far below, deliberately positioning himself to shield her from the impact. Under the water, Julie pulls R from the bottom, and as they surface, they share a kiss, cementing their connection.
Colonel Grigio arrives at the scene and, seeing the zombie with his daughter, shoots R in the shoulder without warning. Julie screams at her father to stop, insisting that R has changed. Her words are proven true when she points out that R is bleeding red blood from his wound—an impossibility for the walking dead. This revelation proves that R has completely revived and is fully human once more.
The Cure
Witnessing this miracle, the humans lower their weapons and join forces with the reviving zombies to combat the common enemy. Together, they decimate the Boney army; those skeletal creatures that aren't destroyed eventually perish from starvation as their food source unites against them. In the aftermath, the remaining zombies slowly regain their humanity and assimilate back into society.
Sometime later, the world has begun to heal. A fully human R and Julie sit together, watching from a distance as the massive wall surrounding the city is demolished. The destruction of the barrier signifies the end of the apocalypse and the beginning of a new, unified future for the survivors.
Top Cast
- Nicholas Hoult as R
- Teresa Palmer as Julie Grigio
- John Malkovich as Colonel Grigio
- Analeigh Tipton as Nora
- Rob Corddry as M
- Dave Franco as Perry Kelvin
- Cory Hardrict as Kevin
- Vincent Leclerc as Perry's Dad
