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# Only threat posed by ‘Undead’ is its empty one to entertain us
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/only-threat-posed-by-undead-is-its-empty-one-to-entertain-us/
- Published: 2005-07-01T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T07:22:02.000Z
- Author: Dan Dunn
- Tags: Entertainment, Santa Monica, #archive-import

There’s been a glut of formulaic zombie movies in recent years and most of them, frankly, have been dead on arrival in theaters. Even George A. Romero — the guy who invented the formula — failed to explore any uncharted territory in his latest, “Land of the Dead,” which opened last Friday. Zombies hunger for human flesh, and will lumber to the ends of the earth in search of a warm meal. The only way to stop them is a bullet to the head. That’s always how it goes in the genre, and “Undead” is no exception. But really, did it have to go so badly? Written and directed by Aussie brothers Peter and Michael Spierig, “Undead” is a shamefully derivative, very low budget gore-fest that never threatens to entertain. The production value is crummy, the characters one-dimensional and poorly acted, with a third act “twist” so absurd it feels as though a couple of fanboys made it up after a few too many bong hits.

The action plays out in the quaint fishing town of Berkeley, home to reluctant beauty queen Rene (Felicity Mason), who is on her way out of town having lost her home in a bank foreclosure. She doesn’t get very far before a bizarre meteor shower turns much of the citizenry into bloodthirsty zombies. Hellbent on survival, Rene holes up in a fortified farmhouse with a group of clichés — a pregnant whiner and her doting husband, two bungling cops, and a heavily-armed cowboy who grunts and smokes cheroots. From there it’s blast, blast, blast away, and the body count rises while blood flows as heavily as insipid dialogue. The Spierigs go overboard with CGI and stylized slow-mo action shots of the sort we’ve seen ad nauseam since the first “Matrix” film. Sitting through 10 minutes, let alone 100, is unbearable really, and by the time the preposterous ending rolls around audiences may find themselves in envy of the zombies … the ones who’ve already been taken out, that is. (Rated R for strong violence and gore, and for language. Running time: 100 minutes)

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 1, 2005.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/070105.pdf?ref=smdp.com)