Colin – Movie Review – Frightfest 2009
Colin is a zombie movie with a difference. Told almost entirely from Colin’s point of view we see the trials and tribulations of modern undead life. Beginning with a, still human, Colin entering his apartment and slamming the door shut on the chaos behind him; we find out that he’s been bitten and will soon become one of the walking dead.
As the zombie virus slowly changes him he emerges from his stupor as a fully fledged member of the undead; although it’s never clear if you actually have to die to become a zombie, Marc makes a clear distinction between Romero zombies and 28 Days Later not-zombies, so it’s safe to assume so. After struggling to get out of his house Colin eventually finds himself wandering the streets and, like Dawn of the Dead’s zombies going to the mall, finds his existence is driven by a vague memory of his former life.
Preferring to snack on the go (taking body parts with him), we follow the trials and tribulations of zombie life as Colin is attacked, trapped, saved and captured. Dodging robbers, psychos and death squads we see a more sympathetic view of zombies and (while they still need to be killed) you’re reminded that they used to be people once.
The first thing to note is that this film was not shot on £45. That claim is like saying you got a free meal simply because the ingredients were lying around your kitchen. While it is very much no budget; with the actors not getting paid, most tapes acquired for free and wardrobe all actors own, the actual cost (even for boiling the kettle for all those cups of tea!) would have been well above the £45 in cold hard cash that was spent.
The other thing to note is that, while the film is feature length, it’s not cinema sized. The 4:3 picture was a bit of a surprise when it eventually came on the screen. The budget limitations most clearly show through when watching the grainy picture on a big screen but, given enough time with it, these limitations disappear and eventually become part of the charm of the movie.
In spite of (or perhaps because) of these factors Colin is very deserving of the praise that’s been lavished upon it. Unique and accomplished Price’s debut emerges as an enjoyable film, just as Zombie Colin emerges from his jacket cocoon. Touching, different and punctuated with a couple of punchlines such as zombies eating their own innards (@marawitch considered this to be akin to smelling your own farts and wondered if they tasted better) the only areas this film is let down is by the conventions that it plays up to.
The more complicated scenes in Colin, The House Assault and The Death Squad, don’t match up with the rest of the film in terms of quality; primarily because these are the sorts of scenarios audiences are used to and with much higher production values. Seeing these sort of scenes from the zombies perspective though is a clever twist and one that carries the movie through the slower points.
The lead up to the end as well is a bit of a let down, tying itself back to the start in the form of flashbacks. Personally I see no reason these scenes couldn’t have played chronologically to add some humanity to alive Colin before we see his undead self.
Something that may put off fans of Romero zombies is that, rather than being unstoppable killing machines, zombies will happily wander past you unless they’re hungry. The zombies are played almost as retarded and perhaps this is intentionally, adding an element of sympathy as if they don’t know what they’re doing. While Alastair does stop short of putting his tongue in his bottom lip, one of the zombie extras can be seen doing that very thing.
A highlight of Colin is the sound. Sound plays a very important part in setting the tone; with much of the chaos appearing off screen the audience can only guess as to what horrors every gun shot and scream punctuate. As zombie movies are an established genre, Price must’ve realised that with no budget he’d never be able to recreate the visual effects that we’ve come to expect but understanding that realised that the audience could be primed to remember those images through clever use of sound.
Against the odds Colin has earned a limited cinema release next month and if you can’t get to see it then it’s highly recommended that you get the DVD coming out on the 26th October.
To find out more visit the official site Nowhere Fast.
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