The British like parkour so much, even their zombies are doing it.
Released: 2010
Genre(s): Horror, Action
Zombie movies are a dime a dozen, flooding the film industry with straight-to-DVD-caliber slop, and rarely managing to stand out in a crowd of copycats: yes, the zombie genre has become a horrible caricature, an unfortunate parody, of the very subject matter it addresses. At first, British zombie entry "Devil's Playground" feels fairly run-of-the-mill, with a misguided medical corporation accidentally unleashing a biochemical that causes a fatal epidemic (see: "Resident Evil"), which causes super-powered zombies to ravage London (see: "28 Days Later"), and leaves humanity's last hope resting in the genetics of a single person who shows immunity to the disease (see: "I Am Legend"). While this film definitely draws heavy inspiration from the movies that came before it, the high-quality execution of "Devil's Playground" allows it to transcend the typical, ripped-off mash-ups that saturate the market. The action here is fast-paced and brutal, and the unbearable hopelessness of the survivors is almost palpable at times, as they are seldom offered a reprieve from the onslaught of zombie attackers. The acting is above-par as well, so supporting the survivors' efforts is made much easier, despite characters falling into the typical zombie survivor group archetypes (i.e. badass zombie slayer, too-scared-to-do-anything-but-scream girl, only-out-for-himself guy, etc.). The story isn't anything to write home about, with a simplistic script and minor plot developments serving as basic connectors between scenes of zombie action, which honestly is absolutely fine: the writing doesn't try too hard to be something it's not, and as such, never gets in its own way. This doesn't mean "Devil's Playground" isn't without emotion, as I actually found myself caring more about the fate of these characters than I typically do during a zombie flick, which shows that the meager, backstory drama this film addresses was adequate enough to get me involved without feeling too forced. If there was one major thing I disliked about "Devil's Playground" it's this: why the hell do the zombies do parkour stunts while chasing after their victims? It's unintentionally ridiculous to watch, and I almost laughed out loud a number of times during some very brutal action sequences because of it. Regardless, "Devil's Playground" is tense enough and wild enough to be worth at least a single viewing by any zombie movie fan looking for at least a faint glimmer of light in a sludge-drenched genre.
Rating (out of 5): 3.5
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