Last of the Living (2007)

Last of the Living is often described as "New Zealand's Shaun of the Dead, which is understandable since the movie has zombies and is a comedy, and was made in New Zealand. However, whereas Shaun of the Dead was more of a romantic comedy mixed with zombies, Last of the Living is a little less ambitious, preferring to just have fun within the genre. For most of its 88 minutes, it succeeds.

What separates Last of the Living from other zombie films is that it finds its three main characters - Morgan, Ash, and Johnny - not at the beginning of a zombie outbreak, but in the middle of one and enjoying every minute of it. It's not the most unique set-up for an apocalyptic film, but it's not bogged down in loneliness or mired in "what are we going to do now" arguments either. I guess when it comes to a zombie apocalypse, New Zealand's having a hell of a lot more fun than other countries.

The three guys go from house to house, driving the best cars they can find and, best of all, talk about things unrelated to the zombies that surround them. In fact, Johnny (Robert Faith) never stops talking about how good his band is and how they might make it one day, never mentioning that the zombie apocalypse may have eclipsed his quest for rock and roll fame.

It's not until the boys meet Stef, a girl who may hold the cure that can save humanity, that the boys find any direction, even if their willingness to help Stef comes from their own desire to end up with one of the last girls on Earth.

Last of the Living isn't the funniest zombie comedy ever made, nor is it the goriest or the scariest, but considering its low budget, the movie is surprisingly successful in its attempts at the genre conventions. There are a few zombie kills that look pretty good, and a few moments that contain legitimate and earned laughter. The cast also does a fine job, which often can't be said of a low budget zombie movie. And despite the dry humor of the movie, writer/director/producer/editor Logan McMillan doesn't end his debut film with any Shaun-like happiness. Instead, McMillan quickly introduces the characters to the realities of the zombie apocalypse - the very realities they were trying to avoid all along.