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Blu-Ray : Highly Recommended
Ranking:
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Release Date: September 3rd, 2013 Movie Release Year: 2012

Cockneys vs. Zombies

Overview -

Bank-robbers unwittingly let loose a zombie horde onto the streets of London, in this comedy horror from director Matthias Hoene. Andy (Harry Treadaway) and Terry (Rasmus Hardiker) are determined to save their grandad Ray (Alan Ford)'s care home by robbing a bank. But when they break into a 350-year-old underground vault, the gang of robbers realise they've bitten off more than they can chew when they unleash a zombie army. With the undead looking for their next meal, the gang, led by Katy (Michelle Ryan), must rescue the old folks, all the while battling their way to freedom with their hard-earned dosh.

OVERALL:
Highly Recommended
Rating Breakdown
STORY
VIDEO
AUDIO
SPECIAL FEATURES
Tech Specs & Release Details
Technical Specs:
50GB Blu-ray Disc+Digital Copy
Video Resolution/Codec:
"1080p"/AVC MPEG-4
Length:
88
Aspect Ratio(s):
2.35:1
Audio Formats:
English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Subtitles/Captions:
English
Special Features:
Theatrical Trailer
Release Date:
September 3rd, 2013

Storyline: Our Reviewer's Take

Ranking:

Halloween is getting closer, and rest assured there is no shortage of new zombie films wandering to store shelves every week now. It's difficult to find an original zombie film these days, as most scenarios have already been played out. Whether it be a romantic comedy about zombies or nazi zombies on the moon, every possible plot seems to have been made. But every once in a while, something new comes to light and surprises us all, even if the zombie flick didn't make a big theatrical run.

This is the case with the horror/comedy zombie film, 'Cockneys vs. Zombies', which takes place in London. Yes, most people will compare it to Edgar Wright's 'Shaun of the Dead', being that it's a comedy film with zombies that takes place in England, but this one can definitely stand on its own. It's equally hilarious as it is bloody, and it never stops. In fact, the first on-screen death happens within the first minute of the film and it only gets better from there.

This particular zombie outbreak begins when a few construction workers come across a large locked door with an odd inscription on it from King Charles II at one of their work sites. Of course, these construction guys open the door, only to find a mass graveyard inside, but unfortunately for them and the other employees at the worksite, some of the corpses are not dead, but rather undead. Then the domino effect comes into play, and soon enough, there are tons of zombies roaming the streets looking for fresh meat.

Not too far away, two brothers by the names of Terry and Andy have persuaded a couple of their friends and cousin to rob a bank full on with big guns and nasty attitudes, courtesy of their insane friend Mickey, who goes by the nickname Mental, and who has a metal plate in his head from a previous war injury. This comes into play hilariously later on. The reason for these young adults robbing a bank is to secure enough money in order to put a halt to tearing their grandfather, Ray's (Alan Ford, Brick Top from 'Snatch') retirement community down, forcing him and the residents to become homeless.

Ray is a former gangster, much like his character in 'Snatch' and mostly runs the retirement community, and is possibly the reason why his offspring haven't amounted to much either. So as the zombie apocalypse is getting bigger and bigger by the minute, Andy, Terry and their crew are fighting off zombies left and right, as well as Ray and the retirement community full of senior citizens, who are doing the same. Soon enough, the young crew comes to save their grandfather and the rest of the survivors in the old folk's home in a double decker bus. Then they must decide how to spend the rest of their lives in an undead world.

You've probably seen most of these gags, scenarios, and nasty kills before, but it's done well enough with a decent sized budget to still garner laughs and thrills. There are plenty of gruesome zombie deaths. And these characters leave the cricket bats at home and only choose weapons that fire decent enough ammo and are as big as themselves. Needless to say, gory head-shots and exploding limbs happen often.

But the real comedy comes in the form of the elderly dealing with a zombie apocalypse. The old people who survive do not have trouble handling a machine gun or shotgun to take down any undead in their way, even if they can't run fast from them. That brings up a funny gag, where the slow moving zombies are chasing an elderly man with a walker. They move at the same slow speed, and he eventually gets away.

'Cockney's vs. Zombies' is a fun ride with tons of laughs from start to finish. And for you gore fans, there is enough blood and guts for you to become giddy about. This is a solid addition to the zombie genre and would go well with 'Shaun of the Dead'.

Video Review

Ranking:

'Cockney's vs. Zombies' comes with a great 1080p HD transfer presented in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio. The movie's color scheme mostly consists of grays, whites, and pale blues, which definitely revs up the blood red color a lot. But don't expect a very impressive and colorful presentation here. The detail looks good, especially in closeups that define the actors' scars and facial hair.

This well-defined detail really makes the gore effects pop off screen and look very real, with the exception when CG is added to the picture. Then things look a bit softer. Black levels run deep and inky with the flesh tones looking natural and smooth. There is some minor motion blur, but no evidence of banding or aliasing. This is a solid video presentation from Shout! Factory.

Audio Review

Ranking:

This release comes with an amazing lossless DTS-HD 5.1 audio mix. If you want a loud and well balanced audio track for a zombie film, than this is the audio mix you have been wanting. Dialogue is always crystal clear and free of any pops, cracks, and hissing. The characters all speak with a super thick English accent, so maybe the helpful subtitles will help you make out some of what they say.

The surrounds get a good workout here with tons of gunfire, explosions, zombie growls, and human screams. The directionality of the dialogue and sound effects is handled very well and puts you in the center of the action. The dynamic range is wide and the bass kicks into high gear in the heavier action scenes. The score sounds great and adds a good amount of suspense to every scene, while the songs that were added to the film will garner laughs. A great audio presentation.

Special Features

Ranking:
  • Two Commentary Tracks with Director Matthias Hoene and Writer James Moran - There are two separate audio commentary options to choose from here. One is from Matthias Hoene, the director, who discusses a lot of the technical aspects of shooting the film and how much he wanted to make this movie. For you filmmakers out there, you might want to listen to this. On the other hand, we have writer James Moran on the other commentary track who is a lot of fun to listen to. I preferred Moran's track to Hoene's, as Moran makes fun of himself and the film during his commentary and is quite funny. He also discusses some of the decisions that were made with his writing.
  • Behind The Scenes (HD, 30 mins) - You can view this all as one segment or as individual featurettes. This basically covers all aspects of the production of the film. There are cast and crew interviews, stunts, make up effects, and on set footage. If you liked the film, you'll want to see how they made it.
  • Deleted Scenes (HD, 7 mins) - There are nine very short deleted scenes here, which some of them are funny, but really don't add much to the film. You can choose to listen to either Hoene and Moran discuss why they cut these small scenes from the final cut.
  • Theatrical Trailer (HD, 3 mins) - Trailer for the film.

'Cockneys vs. Zombies' is quite a fun and thrilling zombie movie full of laughs and blood. The video and audio presentations are solid with a few quality extras. The gore and zombie deaths look great with some fun characters throughout. If you're a fan of the zombie genre, this is a must own. Highly recommended.