Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Zoombies’

Written by Scott Edwards

​I am always on the lookout for a diamond in the rough when it comes to a fun zombie film. Now I cannot take credit for finding Zoombies, it was on my recommended viewing list and I am extremely happy that it popped up there. You always get to see people turning into zombies, but for some reason in movies today, you never get to see what would happen if animals are the infected. I know that one of my favorite video games did this in Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare, but the animals were still the same and the ones that did want to eat you, were ones that you did not expect. Well, all bets are off when our animal friends are changed into flesh cravers, so let us jump right into Zoombies. 
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While Doctor Ellen Rogers is starting her tour of Eden for her new interns, she has no idea what is happening in her park when it comes to animals on the endangered species list. Doctor Gordon is trying to save one of his monkeys from certain death by using a treatment that has never been approved for zoo animals. Upon injecting the monkey with a new serum, Dr. Gordon sees the side effects that are not listed on the bottle come to life and while the monkey is reanimated, it is not the docile animal that he has come to know. But matters only get worse since shortly after his only patient comes to back life in angry fashion, all of the other monkeys in the lab become very aggressive and take to a fight response that not even a human can comprehend.

Ellen is trying to get her interns excited for the day ahead and even though some of them think that this may be a waste of time, they are all still allowing her to give her spiel. As each intern is dropped off at their assigned area, Gage is remaining with her for the rest of the day. Seeing Ellen’s workspace and meeting her daughter Thea, Gage finds out how a zoo really works. But not everything is as it seems when Ellen hears the alarm that is coming from the Dr. Gordon’s lab. Sending her security team to check it out, along with new recruit Lizzy, Eden is about to go under a facelift that will change everyone’s outlook on a zoo experience forever. Seeing that the monkeys are the carrier of a new virus that makes them blood thirsty, the security team tries to stop them, but when they fail, an alert is sent out to the police and CDC, but with how quick the virus is moving, the greater concern is to keep anyone and anything from escaping the zoo limits, especially if it is infected.

Not knowing what I was stepping into when this movie popped up on my recommended list, I am beyond happy that I watched it. It is like a zombie outbreak in Jurassic Park and there is no escape for the weak, much less any hope. I really liked Ellen and her daughter’s interaction throughout the movie as they both know each other’s strengths, but Thea seems to know her mother much better than she knows herself. Gage and Lizzy do steal the show as they are both able to play well off of each other, as well as learn what they are good at. If you ever wonder why you have not gone to the zoo since you were a kid, this movie might just give you the reason why, or the reason why you don’t want to take your kids. As every animal is able to get infected, you don't know what herbivore is going to be walking by that suddenly wants to take a bite out of you. I must admit that seeing monkeys throwing something other than poo was one of the brightest parts of this movie for me, as since I have had some bad experiences, but when you see a giraffe taking a bite out of an intern, you may want to think twice about what animals you want your kids to meet. Stay Scared.  

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