Warm Bodies - a book with brains, a film with heart.

So I read about Warm Bodies, the film, aaaaaages ago and made up my mind to see it because, let's face it, Nicholas Hoult is one of the hottest zombies you've ever seen. Once I realised that it was being adapted from a book I knew I would have to read it before seeing the film. I was a bit wary at first, because, well, Warm Bodies the book is shelved under Horror in bookshops - totally not a genre I usually read. But I was determined. *adopts determined face as seen in many superhero movies*

The book

I started reading the book about... Two weeks before the film was released, to give myself plenty of time to get it finished. 
And I fell in love with it. 
I cannot even describe the beauty of this book. I wasn't expecting so much of to be so profound (good word that, profound.) I mean seriously Isaac Marion, you somehow managed to make me fall in love with a guy whose heart doesn't even beat? Kudos. There are so many life lessons in this book which on the face of it appears to be about death. The character of R, who can't speak to girl he's fallen in love with, is just so... I don't even know, but his evolution from a mouldy suit-and-tie guy to a living, breathing human with spirit and soul and love is so beautiful. 
I haven't read anything quite so exquisite in a long time.

The film

Absolutely hilarious. This "zom-rom-com" as it's been dubbed, is literally so funny, and the main character barely says ten consecutive words. The simplicity of the plot (boy meets girl, they can't be together) combined with the absurd nature of the situation creates a balanced tentative-yet-bold humour rarely seen. There obvious deviations from the book but I think they're done well, so a thumbs-up from me on the translation to screen!
Now, I can't let this review go by without a mention to the soundtrack - the placement of Roy Orbison's Pretty Woman is priceless. And again, reflecting the book so perfectly:

"Music is life! It’s physical emotion - you can touch it! It’s neon ecto-energy sucked out of spirits and switched into sound waves for your ears to swallow."

The soundtrack in many ways gives the film its life as it is through his vast collection of records that R finds a way to communicate with Julie, creating some smiling-in-the-darkness-of-the-cinema moments. Shout-out to the sound guys.

Verdict

Do whatever it takes to watch this film.

Perfection.

A thankyou going out to Isaac Marion, you brilliant guy, what a storyteller you are, and also to Nicholas Hoult and Theresa Palmer for bringing life - or living death? - to these characters.

Rx

So many films...

Okay, so, who else sometimes feels like there are too many amazing films and not enough time to watch them, without seeming totally socially useless?

There must be millions (okay maybe not millions, but a lot) of film geeks a la moi who read about films and the such and have a super-long film bucket list. It makes me really sad sometimes because all these films are out there, unseen pieces of art in the gallery of life just hanging on a wall with no-one to appreciate them. We all need a little art in our lives, so I move to create a Film Appreciation Society of sorts, where all those who are missing that tiny spark of excitement ignited by escapism and adventure can go on and on and on about films they want to/need to/yearn to see.
Good word isn't it, yearn. It sounds like lost love and empty beaches in September.

Rx