The Dead Don't Die (2019)

Director: Jim Jarmusch
Stars: Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Tom Waits
Runtime: 104 minutes

Synopsis: The peaceful town of Centerville finds itself battling a zombie horde as the dead start rising from their graves.

Performances: 4/5
Screenplay: 3/5
Costumes/Makeup: 3/5
Editing: 4/5
Cinematography: 3/5
Score/Soundtrack: 3/5
Entertainment Factor: 4/5

Verdict: Unlike many of Jim Jarmusch's movies, "The Dead Don't Die" has been met with mixed reactions. Some people enjoyed it, but a lot of moviegoers were disappointed by the end product as its 38% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes suggests. And I completely understand why. I wouldn't really call the movie a zombie comedy similar to say "Zombieland" or "Shaun of the Dead", but rather a Jim Jarnusch comedy with zombies in it, and this is probably why a lot of people were thrown off by it. I personally had a blast with the movie, but wouldn't really call it a groundbreaking feature. Most of the characters are a lot of fun to watch, the acting, as expected, was fantastic (especially Bill Murray's and Adam Driver's, whose chemistry also added a lot to my enjoyment of the flick), and the humor was very self-aware, which led to some really funny moments. Other than that, the film doesn't really offer anything new on a technical level. The makeup for the zombies was okay but in my opinion ultimately pretty uninteresting, and the cinematography, while obviously not disastrous, did feel a little dull. The narrative also felt a little surfaced, and I couldn't wrap my head around the inclusion of some characters.

I certainly didn't hate "The Dead Don't Die" as much as a lot of people did, and even had a lot of fun with it, but it's definitely no masterpiece. Most of the jokes, combined with stellar acting from a cast that includes names such as Adam Driver, Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Steve Buscemi, Danny Glover, Chloe Sevigny, and Selena Gomez, made the watch worth it for me.

FINAL GRADE: 6/10