Better Off Zed

Better Off Zed is a fun little black comedy horror that demonstrates the lighter side of a zombie apocalypse, kind of.

It tells the story of a couple living happily in their home as the world is getting taken over by the living dead. The guy especially taking advantage of the free time and living it up the best he can.

I've joked for years about wanting a zombie apocalypse and would likely react to it in similar fashion, don't judge me!

Better Off Zed balances the grim reality of such an event with humor and manages to deliver despite the blatant budget restrictions. The minimal cast do a great job and I found myself chuckling to myself a number of times as well as empathizing with our protagonists.

If you're expecting Shaun of the Dead (2004) you'll likely be disappointed, it's not that it isn't on the same level it's just not the same kind of film. This is claustrophobic, minimalistic with a dry sense of humor that manages to be darker even than the aforementioneds finale.

This will certainly not appeal to everyone but I appreciated it, neat little film.

The Good:

Well constructed

Some real funny moments

Stands out from other zombie films

The Bad:

Could have done with a bit of additional time

At moments I disliked the characters a tad too much

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

There is still life in zombie cinema

The zombie apocalypse IS coming, any day now

Not scary, not funny, just annoying. Skip this one unless you want to torture yourself.

All the zombie movies are very similar. The zombies are dumb and slow, and in every movie they look the same. But, the first thing I asked myself was - why don't the main characters get into a car and drive off somewhere where it is supposed to be safe? The guy ends up enjoying the apocalypse. They have electricity, water, food. No more getting up early, wearing suits, meeting boring clients, paying bills, morgage, etc. Kind of reminded me of the global lockdown during Covid - we all spent a lot of time at home and had a lot more free time than usual... We tried to discover our inner talents, so the guy, for example, wanted to paint. So, while the woman wants to get out, the man seems to enjoy it. Of course, as the electricity and water become unavailable, and as there is less food, it becomes harder to live, and as the number of zombies increases, it makes it harder to leave. I am not going to say how it ends. Compared to all the zombie movies out there, this one at least gives a different approach to the situation. So, I thought it was actually an interesting movie. If you like zombie movies, this one is no better and no worse than the rest of them. But, it gives a different view of how this situation could be handled.

The movie is good and makes you think about life, if you can relate to the movie's characters. I guess it can be more appreciated by people in the appropriate age range, about 25-45 years old, who are at a similar stage in life and going through similar challenges and feelings as the characters in the movie. There is some depth in the movie and it has some messages or even lessons to learn, as it is based on novel.

This is peak lazy character creation: manchild who avoids real world, and harpy wife who constantly nags him. There was nothing comedic about this, and it only barely qualified as horror. I'll give it points for being less "everything about our local infrastructure fell apart immediately" than most other zombie movie I've ever seen, at least.