Dead Rising: Watchtower (2015)

Dir: Zach Lipovsky

A zombie film based on a video game series? What was I thinking renting this? Zombies are one of my favourite monsters but even I'm starting to think that perhaps, and I do mean perhaps, the zombie genre is a bit over saturated and it is time for film makers who aren't going to bring anything new to the genre to do something else instead. And has there ever been a good film based on a video game?

Chase and Jordan interview Crystal

When a third outbreak of zombiesm hits the town of East Mission Oregon, Internet reporter Chase Carter (Jesse Metcalfe THE TORTURED) and his camera woman Jordan (Keegan Connor Tracy FINAL DESTINATION 2) are on the scene at the quarantine zone run by F.E.Z.A. (Federal Emergency Zombie Agency). It's up to F.E.Z.A. to evacuate the city safely and administer the daily dosage of Zombrex, a drug that staves off zombiesm in people infected during the previous outbreaks. Chase is secretly recording footage in a medical tent, because he is a bit of a jerk and doesn't mind trampling on the privacy of others to get a good story, when the just treated get all bitey and attack the medical staff and other evacuees. In the ensuing chaos of zombies munching away on the not too fleet of foot, Chase and Jordan are separated.

Frank West, celebrity zombie survivor

Jordan makes it to a military check point just before the exits are sealed and the soldiers light up anyone who comes close to the barricades. Word has gotten out about the failure of Zombrex to prevent zombiesm and it is suspected that a new strain of the virus is the cause; a new strain that may now be air borne. General Lyons (Dennis Haysbert 24) arrives on scene with back up to prevent anyone else from escaping the quarantine zone. Orders have been given to fire bomb the city in 48 hours. Why the military needs to wait 48 hours considering they are shooting families who get too close to the check point is beyond me.

Meanwhile, Chase has hooked up with tough girl Crystal (Meghan Ory DARK HOUSE) who knows a thing or two about surviving a zombie apocalypse and Maggie (Virginia Madsen CANDYMAN) a mother who had to kill her own daughter with a Swiss army knife when the dosage of Zombrex failed. Chase isn't as dumb as he acts and starts putting the pieces together as to what is really happening with the aid of Jordan and a newscaster at UBN he had a one night stand with years ago. It's up the the trio inside the quarantine zone to dodge the biker gang looting anything and everything in the now zombie infested city while collecting the evidence they need to prove to the world the truth about this outbreak and be allowed to exit the quarantine zone before the city is turned to ash.

I admit that I did squeal like a little girl during this scene

Competently directed by Zach Lipovsky (LEPRECHAUN:ORIGINS) this zom com does not have much to offer other than the same old same old done to undeath. The banter between the uptight UBN anchor woman and guest Frank West, who survived the first zombie outbreak and used his experience to become a celebrity, is amusing with Frank keepin' it real and telling the kids in the audience to collect as many weapons as possible to safely take out the rest of the family once they turn. The practical FX on display are kept to a minimum, due to the low budget and tight shooting schedule, consist mostly of zombies spitting fake blood from their mouths and splashes of the red, red kroovy here and there. Virgina Madsen is the only member of the cast that sold me on her character (Dennis Haysbert is given only a few lines of dialogue and I'd be surprised to find out if he was on set longer than a day).

Not much comedy. Not much gore. Not much to anything to recommend it.

* 1/2 out of ****