‘The Dead Don’t Die’ boasts an A-list cast including Bill Murray, Adam Driver and Chloë Sevigny as small-town cops Cliff, Ronnie and Mindy who realise that Centerville is under the threat of zombies as a result of polar fracking causing the earth to spin off its axis. That’s basically the entire plot summed up, and it’s the most that can be said without spoiling it, so I don’t know how I managed to enjoy the film as much as I did when there’s little to no point in the story. It also includes subplots of juvenile delinquents Stella (Maya Delmont), Olivia (Taliyah Whitaker) and Geronimo (Jahi Di’Allo Winston) trying to survive while stuck in a detention centre and Selena Gomez on a road trip through the town with her friends, but there are points where these are completely forgotten about and aren’t necessary as they don’t really add anything to the film.
The beginning takes some time to get going – a lot of time is spent making sure you know that “this is not going to end well”, and that it’s very weird that it’s eight o’clock at night but it’s still not dark. While there’s some humour to be found in the repetition as it adds to the feeling that something’s really not right beyond what you already know about the story, it can go on a bit too long at times. The most enjoyable aspect of the film is without a doubt the cast, who bring charisma to their roles and who clearly aren’t afraid to have fun and be a part of something as ridiculous as this. Having only previously seen Adam Driver as Kylo Ren, I was more than happy to see a comedic and self-aware side of him. Driver is one of the highlights of the film for me, as well as Zelda (Tilda Swinton) who is hilariously strange and out of place as a Scottish mortician armed with a samurai sword.
Overall, this film will definitely be a divisive one as it does have its flaws. It treads the line between being funny and fourth wall breaking to the point where it will annoy some people, but I’m on the side that found it fun and entertaining once it gets past cementing the initial concept of the film into your mind. If you want to see Adam Driver and Bill Murray in a buddy cop scenario or like weird, nonsensical plot twists then this could be the one for you. Good luck getting the titular song by Sturgill Simpson out of your head though, because it gets played a million times throughout and is still catchy and strangely soothing as hell.
The beginning takes some time to get going – a lot of time is spent making sure you know that “this is not going to end well”, and that it’s very weird that it’s eight o’clock at night but it’s still not dark. While there’s some humour to be found in the repetition as it adds to the feeling that something’s really not right beyond what you already know about the story, it can go on a bit too long at times. The most enjoyable aspect of the film is without a doubt the cast, who bring charisma to their roles and who clearly aren’t afraid to have fun and be a part of something as ridiculous as this. Having only previously seen Adam Driver as Kylo Ren, I was more than happy to see a comedic and self-aware side of him. Driver is one of the highlights of the film for me, as well as Zelda (Tilda Swinton) who is hilariously strange and out of place as a Scottish mortician armed with a samurai sword.
Overall, this film will definitely be a divisive one as it does have its flaws. It treads the line between being funny and fourth wall breaking to the point where it will annoy some people, but I’m on the side that found it fun and entertaining once it gets past cementing the initial concept of the film into your mind. If you want to see Adam Driver and Bill Murray in a buddy cop scenario or like weird, nonsensical plot twists then this could be the one for you. Good luck getting the titular song by Sturgill Simpson out of your head though, because it gets played a million times throughout and is still catchy and strangely soothing as hell.
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