Hey gang, Valkor here. Though Halloween is over, there’s never
really a bad time to drum up some scares. And thanks to a wide
selection of past and present films, we’re never in short supply.
Adding on to the ever growing pile we have “Re-Kill” DVD, up on
the TOV chopping block. I love the name and as for the film… well
read on. Oh and minor spoilers ahead.
Re-Kill opens with a young girl looking for her parents and the house all kinds of disheveled. But she stops her search as the television grabs her attention. And as she switches it on, the film truly sets in. To start, Earth’s population is in the midst of a zombie apocalypse, which kicked in 5 years prior; Re-Kill is a mix of narrative, mockumentary and reality TV/found footage type as we follow the crew of R-D unit, which is something like a S.W.A.T. team whose job it is to take out re-ans (re-animated or undead). They’re motto is "kill, kill and re-kill!". Along for the ride is a film crew that documents their efforts for broadcast television. The first R-D unit we’re introduced to is killed in a massive sweep of zombies, which also include the film crew getting caught up in the mess. And now it’s time for a new team to take over, complete with camera crew that’ll follow them around. Their first outing was pretty much routine, but the second mission, where they investigate a truck with possible re-ans on aboard, bears zombie fruit as the truck was loaded – and I mean LOADED with undead. And after interviewing the drivers, they learn that the re-ans would be used as part of an experiment knows as “The Judas Project”. What’s even worse? The re-ans were to be taken to a walled off area of New York and what’s inside this compound could start the second outbreak.
Re-Kill is something like “Battle of the Damned” in that it’s an action/horror, but it does a lot to make it appear as though you’re watching an actual television show – commercials and promos included. It looks and feels sort of cheesy, but there’s definitely more to it. And I’ll tell you all about it in the TOV Breakdown.
The Good:
I have to admit, I really enjoyed Re-Kill – cheesiness and all. I mean watching a film about a S.W.A.T. team tracking and hunting down zombies is a no-brainer and insta-win in my book. It’s not as awesome as Battle of the Damned - I mean that film had Dolph Lundgren and killer robots; still Re-Kill was a whole mess of fun that I enjoyed for its 85 minute run, with lots of explosions, bullets flying and zombie killings all around. It isn’t non-stop, but it’s just enough to keep one invested in the story. The narrative/documentary/reality TV bits were seamless and I loved the cheesy commercials and promos of other shows that reflect upon the current event of surviving the apocalypse, including the commercials that promote sex – because the human race needs to thrive. And yet the commercials are sexy, which makes it funny… and yet fun to watch. The acting all around is passable, with no clear winner, yet there were no losers in the bunch – I thought everyone played their part just right given the character type they portrayed. In the end, I accept Re-Kill for what it is and that’s one heck of a cheesy good time!
The Bad:
Most of what I’d say against the film would be nitpicking if anything. I mean sure the film isn’t “perfect”, but the issues I’d have with the film would be minor to my overall enjoyment.
The Ugly:
Zombie gore.
Re-Kill is available now as part of 2015’s “8 Films to Die For”; it’s a simple story, with a nice chunk of action and an interesting yet fun take on the whole zombie apocalypse genre. If you like a little horror mixed in with your action then definitely give this one a try. And out of TOV 5 stars, Re-Kill gets a 3.5.
