Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		3.5

Undead Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf January 31, 2023

To make a quick impression, writer/directors Peter and Michael Spierig elected to make a zombie film to help break into the movie industry, using the tried and true method of genre storytelling to kickstart their careers. 2003’s “Undead” is a homegrown production from Australia, with the siblings working with small sets and their own digital effects to create a bloodbath, and one with a distinct sci-fi angle to help increase onscreen chaos. The Spierigs remain ambitious with their plans for the general mayhem of “Undead,” but this production spirit doesn’t translate to a ripping good time with deadly enemies and community hellraising. The endeavor tuckers out quickly, with the Spierigs unable to sustain elements of horror and sci-fi in a feature that doesn’t have much to offer viewers after the opening act.

In the small town of Berkeley, Rene (Felicity Mason) struggles to maintain her family farm, preparing to leave the locals, with many of them resenting her for her recent victory at a beauty pageant. However, such an exit is blocked by the appearance of falling meteorites, which turns the locals into zombies, generating a major undead outbreak. Rene looks to escape, soon meeting Marion (Mungo McKay), a heavily armed mystery man who knows a little more about what’s going on, and he’s willing to help the stranger survive the day with his home defense skills. Soon joined by Sallyanne (Lisa Cunningham), Wayne (Rob Jenkins), and two cops, Marion and Rene hope to break out of Berkeley, which is swarmed with zombies, only to come up against an even stranger threat as alien life makes its presence understood, complicating everything for the survivors.

“Undead” is certainly an active movie, and most of this momentum is contained to the opening half of the picture. The town of Berkeley is introduced, with Rene facing a dire future, making plans to move on, facing constant reminders of her pageant victory, which was simply a way for her to make some much-needed money. Falling out of the sky are meteorites, which trigger a zombie uprising in the town, as Rene experiences such horror firsthand when her sleazy boyfriend is bitten, quickly transformed into a monster. The helmers establish danger in a hurry, and they escalate the nightmare with the arrival of Marion, a man of few words brandishing a supergun (three shotguns welded together), also holding some experience when it comes to clearing the area of any threats.

Confusion is immediate, but a mission becomes clear, with early scenes keeping close to Marion, who’s a bit of a superhero in “Undead.” The Spierigs play into Sam Raimi superfandom with the character, who’s quick with violent action against the evil (un)dead, mastering flips and massive amounts of gunplay as problems increase for the superman and those he’s electing to help. Visually, “Undead” is quite showy, and that’s how the helmers want it, delivering heavy action as survival plans end up in Marion’s house, which becomes an arena for gory events, with most trying to play up a comedic take on the situation, with exaggerated bodily harm.

Additional characters join the action in “Undead,” which offers the Spierigs a chance to increase panic and add to the suffering, including the presence of acidic rain and a massive wall meant to block access to any escape. An alien presence soon joins the story, but the writing doesn’t juggle such developments with care, struggling to merge B-movie escapism with a more concentrated understanding of developing dangers. Suddenly, the freewheeling, gun-blasting, skin-shredding picture has to deal with visitors from outer space, newly interested in plot, which brings the endeavor to a full stop. Personalities presented here are too cartoonish to really care about, and the manic approach from the Spierigs wears thin in a hurry. “Undead” tries to provide a mystery worth following, as Marion has experienced alien activity while fishing, but intrigue is missing from the effort, which always tends to go for noise instead.

Undead Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation for "Undead" deals with the feature's two distinct moods. There's the almost sepia-toned look at community happenings before the alien visitation, and there's the blueish appearance of the world gone mad. Colors remain intact throughout the viewing experience, also doing okay with red blood, which is a common sight here. Detail is soft with this low-budget, heavily processed picture, securing a basic understanding of make-up designs and wear and tear on the characters. Distances are only mildly dimensional. Delineation is satisfactory. Source is in good condition. Grain looks processed and slightly blocky at times. Some mild banding is detected.

Undead Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix delivers clear dialogue exchanges, managing accents and attitudes satisfactorily. Scoring supports with an inherently thin synth sound, which offers comfortable suspense emphasis and some surround placement. Atmospherics are appreciable, capturing meteorite activity, and such intergalactic threat brings some low-end response to the track. Sound effects are sharp.

Undead Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• CD Soundtrack is included.

• Booklet (10 pages) contains an essay by B.J. Colangelo, and Director's Notes from Peter and Michael Spierig.

• Commentary features writer/directors Peter and Michael Spierig and cinematographer Andy Strahorn.

• "On the Set of 'Undead'" (47:22, HD) is a fly-on-the-wall look at the making of the film, with cameras covering daily life on the set. Cast and crew camaraderie is highlighted, along with technical challenges, watching the professional figure out shots, performances, and violent events.

• "Attack of the Undead" (37:25, HD) is a 1995 short film from director Peter Spierig.

• "The Making of 'Undead'" (37:28, HD) takes a comprehensive look at the production process for the horror picture, featuring interview help from writer/directors Michael and Peter Spierig, special make-up effects artist Steve Boyle, production designer Matthew Putland, cinematographer Andy Strahorn, costume designer Chintamani Aked, armorer Bob Parsons, first assistant director Rob Doran, sound recordist Grant Marshall, creature F/X animator Bevan Lynch, and actors Felicity Mason, Mungo McKay, Rob Jenkins, Emma Randall, Dirk Hunter, and Steve Grieg.

• "Home Made Dolly Construction" (2:09, HD) examines the creation and the use of a special piece of camera equipment.

• Camera and Make-Up Tests (1:45, HD) are offered.

• Image Galley (11:37) collects BTS snaps and publicity shots.

• And a Trailer (2:32, SD) is included.

Undead Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Undead" gives off the initial impression it wants to be a bloody, zombie-squashing romp, but the mystery of alien life and intent for humankind pulls the film away from such focus. It wants to be a jokey endeavor but also serious about character sacrifices and concerns. The feature ends up a muddled offering of cult cinema, with the Spierigs so eager to show off their love of movies, they don't really make one here, as "Undead" gradually becomes a director's reel for the siblings. The brothers would go on to make a few interesting pictures ("Daybreakers," "Predestination") and some duds ("Winchester," "Jigsaw"), but their first effort is perhaps their most confused, presenting a blast of tones, tempers, and ghastly events without paying attention to dramatic consistency and personality. It's more of a graphic novel than a film, and one that peaks after the first chapter.