I submit to you what is not only very old, at this point (we're talking July, 2011 for fuck's sake), but also something incredibly relevant that should NOT be forgotten, regardless of how much time goes by.
One of the things we all need to remember is that this is pretty much right at the cusp of the whole outrun/synthwave/futurewave/retrowave/80spop/electro/whatevertheeverluvingFUCK became a whole THING in the zeitgeist of jaded kids yearning for hazy memories the way 30-somethings yearn for the 60's. For that, we of course have to appreciate Mr. Mike Dahlquist (Diva) and his total resolve to bring the weirdness of an era he was barely conscious of to life in the ways only people born closer to 1990 can. The colors, the acting, it's all perfect. This is the stuff my best dreams are made of. Unless of course your'e talking about a typical pizzeria hangout.
From the get-go, we are treated to everything awesome and everything ridiculous. Just look at that absurd weapon up there. It's a goddamn calculator taped to a Casio taped to a guitar. That's her weapon. And the other guy has a boombox with tubes on it. Because the music is what's lethal, here.
In all seriousness though, the infected do look awesome, and the intensely hot pinks and blues are fucking perfectly suited for this. These colors don't exist in real life, and neither does this entire scenario so pushing it as far as possible makes complete sense. It's the ouster limits and beyond of an 11-year-old's imagination who wishes they could be as bad-assed as these people.
Which is why I love, mid-way through when the survivors of this first wave make it to an abandoned outpost in the desert, one of them is discovered to have been injured. The solemn handing of a gun and the girls face, knowing that she's already BEEN dead and will only be facing the kind of suffering she inflicted a few hours ago, is SO STONE DEAD SERIOUS that it's impossible not to fall completely into it. The choice of a film burn to signify the death is almost painfully poetic.
And the finale...the attack on the...mother? Just as ludicrous as the rest of the film. But still beautiful. The only human to successfully kill the queen makes her way out and, in CLASSIC fucking zombie/monster style, she faces more than any of the group had ever imagined would exist.
And this is why I love zombie movies and why George A. Romero (R.I.P.) was a true genius and visionary and artist that should have been celebrated more. The entire concept of zombies and their slowness is a terrifying metaphor for death itself. It's slow, but it's inevitable. We run from it, but it only gets more prevalent (more susceptible to sickness, weaker bones, more doubt and cynicism the more it's dealt with). They are slow and weak but they never stop, and there is literally no way to get away from them. The entire idea is a brilliant visual identity of our mortality, both entertaining and scary.
And this, Mr. Diva's and Kill The Noise's masterpiece, is a beaituflly done alternative take on the entire concept. Wonderful and inventive while honoring and appreciating what brought us here.