[Dead Air]
Plot:A radioshow staff tries to warn their listeners of a zombie outbreak when after a massive explosion...the undead set upon Los Angeles.

Cast:Bill Moseley, Corbin Bernsen, Pat Tallman, Anthony Ray Parker, David Moscow, Navid Negahban.

My Thoughts:Not bad.

Review:"Dead Air" is the directing debut of one Corbin Bernsen. You may remember him as the title character "The Dentist" in the old ''Dentist" films where a psychopathic dentist dispatched of patients he really didn't like too much. Back in the era that also brought us "Pinnochio's Revenge", "Leprechaun", and "Rumplestiltskin". The 90's, boy were those crazy times eh? Anyways, "Dead Air" follows a radio DJ (Moseley), who is set for a regular, normal day of broadcasting his hard-hitting radio show.

However, when a group of muslim terrorists screw up plans to unleash a deadly toxin upon the populous of the U.S., it creates a full-blown zombie outbreak, which renders the show halted. Now, Logan (Moseley), annoints himself as the one to be there for the people, his listeners, as the outbreak becomes more and more severe. But Logan's own family is in danger, and he must grapple with his newfound radio-related responsibility, keeping his family safe, and also coming face-to-face with the evildoers who started the whole thing.

Evildoers who have their own agenda. ''Dead Air" should get credit for not taking the easy way out when it comes to the typical indie zombie movie. It could've brought in the teenagers and relied heavily on sex, violence, and various other zombie movie cliches. But instead, it choses to be a bit smarter than that with it's material, by creating an interesting character in Logan, a character with a whole slew of different dimensions ranging from offensive, to brave, to very family oriented.

The movie doesn't give Moseley that great of a supporting cast in my opinion, but Moseley does well enough in his role to carry the entire film himself, and do it with charisma and a lot of effort. The zombies in this movie are almost secondary to the banter, dialogue, and confrontations which occur within the refuge of the radio station between Logan, his staff, and his listeners. And the ironic thing about the films sequence of events, is that it takes place on a day where Logan's topic of discussion was paranoia. There is some zombie action though in the movie, and they create some pretty decent moments, but not great in any ways.

The zombie attacks are mostly darkly-shot scenes, and come very few and far between. But at the same time, the films is written to show and suggest that sheer pandemonium is taking place out on the streets as infected people attack and prey on the uninfected. This movie has shades of "Pontypool" in that way, but it's a lot better and more interesting to watch because of Moseley's performance. I found "Pontypool" to be boring myself, mostly because none of the characters intrigued me in the least. And so I couldn't really cheer for any of them.

But in this movie, Logan is a character who's very complex, and yet still easy to cheer for. The movie also goes political with many of the themes which come during the pics final act. While the film doesn't get preachy with it's political views or leanings, it certainly delves into the politics of terrorism, racism, discrimination, and motives for both. As well as exploring the overall human condition and how certain attitudes only lead to more disaster, destruction, and death.

The topics touched upon in the movie are certainly not what you'd expect from an indie zombie movie, and that's exactly what makes it an above average flick. The ending is a bit ambiguous, but it doesn't fully ruin what is a very unique and well-played zombie indie.

Positives:Moseley's performance is very strong, and the script is a lot more mature and well-written than what you'd expect from this kind of fair.

Negatives:The zombie attack moments are too darkly shot, and the supporting cast isn't spectacular.

Overall:Three out of four stars.





( Talk about it in the Forums!)



( Back to the main page)