Anna and the Apocalypse (2017)

I hate the attitude that most modern creatives and their audiences have, where everything has supposedly been done before and thus hackery is totally natural and not shameful at all and normal for growing boys and girls everywhere yada yada yada. A pox on you, I say! That kind of attitude has never gotten us anywhere. Sure, it's nice to tell yourself that there are no new original concepts left when turning in some pedestrian genre flick, but I think films like Anna and the Apocalypse prove that new takes on an old story can be pulled off easily by those with any talent or even ambition to create something that has heart and soul behind it... is what I would be saying if it weren't for how predictable and formulaic it becomes by the end. Indeed, it's more than a little forgettable, but what I can remember sticks out as particularly strong and worth the hour and a half of my life that I spent watching it. Three stars, a handsome and witty film. 

Damn, only one paragraph so far? Um... oh! Oh yeah, okay, this review is pretty much writing itself: the music! It is the central conceit after all, and what makes it unique. This is a real musical, with plenty of infectious, slick pop songs scattered throughout at regular intervals. It has a very irreverent sense of humor that's strongest in its best song: the one where our heroine sings about a beautiful morning and perfect day all while zombies are murdering fools in the background of every shot. It's wonderfully loony, and kind of reminds me of any number of bizarre Adult Swim shorts that might would play around midnight just to fuck with somebody's head. The way the film switches between a horror-comedy and something between a music video and theatrical performance was reliably entertaining and masterfully done, and it just warms my shriveled black heart to see something so genuine, so earnest and so lovingly crafted. And did I mention it's a great choice for holiday movie nights with the folks?

Where I think the film fumbles a bit is in its serious moments, as the characters feel a little broad and don't work as well when things are less quirky and more tragic. Still, it has enough heart underneath its comedic stylings and stylish presentation to make you root for it, but it's far from perfect. Young teens would likely identify with and enjoy these characters thoroughly, except that this is an R-rated film with lots of cursing in its dialogue and lyrics. Wise young 'uns with an appreciation of both musicals and zombie films could theoretically enjoy it under supervision without fear of harm being done of course, but there will be awkward moments between the parent and child nonetheless when the f-bomb gets dropped and sexual references are made.

But enough blabbering! I really enjoyed this film, though I must say the tale it weaves for us is a tad forgettable and I can feel it fading slowly from my memory as we speak, but yet I also feel that its pluckiness makes up for a lot, and perhaps it will stick with me a bit more after the next time I watch it, which I just might, when the holidays roll around again. It's slight, but in the way a good b-movie should be, and its puppy-dog purity is also kind of adorable.