Pontypool

I love zombies! But I realized I don't have many movies that can be watched on Zombday, as I've seen most of the ones I actually have an interest in seeing. As is such, I have had this one on my list for a long time.

Most zombie movies have a overlying story of how the virus spreads. Most commonly, through blood and saliva. But what if the virus was transferred some other way? What if it was transferred through words, and particularly through our own language? That is what the idea is in Pontypool. Adapted by Tony Burgess from his novel Pontypool Changes Everything and directed by Bruce McDonald, this little indie film is worth a watch.

It's Valentine's Day in Pontypool - a small town in Ontario, Canada where nothing big ever really happens. Especially for Grant Mazzy, ex-big time shock jock and now radio host of Pontypool's local radio station. His boss Sydney Briar doesn't want him pushing peoples buttons on the radio. She just wants him to run the school closures for the day and leave well enough alone. But soon things start happening in the town and our characters find themselves trapped, yet trying to understand what is occurring in their sleepy little town, meanwhile continuing their broadcast.

Mazzy needs a little liquid encouragement to do the weather report

Totally unlike all other films of its genre, Pontypool, creates suspense and fear out of not seeing most of the action. The whole time the actors are trapped in this building, and you only know what is going on through the phone calls and interactions in this small setting. Which I really like when a movie can do it well. This one, did it pretty well. It at times was a little difficult to follow, but I feel when you bend the rules and take a twist that people aren't expecting, your audience will be a little stunned at first. At least it was in a good way. As more develops through the story, it's discovered that the "zombies" are infected by a virus within certain words. Everyone is infected by different words, and through a broadcast it is learned that terms of endearment and phrases of conflict are especially dangerous. Oh, and it is only in English that these words are infectious. If the person begins to repeat a certain word, it is a sign they are infected. I thought this idea was really interesting, since there are words that people get hung up on, or words used so negatively that they are more damaging to a person than physical violence. I also really enjoyed that you don't really see the infected but a few times in the film.

My rating: