Zombie movies have been stuck in a bit of a rut for over a decade. Since 28 Days Later revived the genre back in 2002, there’s been a zombie outbreak in popular culture but not a whole lot of originality. If the early buzz is to be believed, The Girl with All the Gifts, might be the fresh blood we’ve been looking for.
The story focuses on Melanie (Sennia Nanua), a 12-year-old girl being held in a mysterious warehouse with other children who are essentially part-zombies. In this case, they’re called “Hungrys.” Glenn Close plays a scientist that’s studying the Hungrys in hopes of finding a cure. When the facility is attacked by a mob of the infected, Close’s scientist and Melanie have to hit the road with a small team.
Almost across the board, critics are praising the film for its originality and craft. You can see a trailer above and the latest one embedded at bottom. The movie hits DirectTV on January 26th and then rolls out in theaters on February 24th.
Here’s some of the early word:
Eric Kohn, Indiewire
A thrilling zombie movie with brains, “The Girl With All the Gifts” strengthens its traditional qualities a greater element of surprise…
Chilean composer Cristobal Tapia de Veer’s pounding soundtrack creates a constant sense of uneasiness, while the film’s vibrant imagery pairs immersive master shots of the empty landscapes with telling closeups that hint at divided allegiances. In the spectacular finale, the movie takes on the haunting, expressionistic dread of a Bosch painting.
“The Girl With All the Gifts” really does offer up a fleshed-out world rich with eerie implications, saving the biggest one for the memorable finale. As Melanie grows more confident in her understanding of the threat around her, she begins to take control in ways her human peers can’t anticipate, and her defiance creates a complicated moral base for the story.
Helen O’hara, Empire
It’s Nanua who proves the secret weapon. Her Melanie is bright and eager to learn, but more attentive and analytical than the adults sometimes realise. The combination of childlike delight in this brave new world and sometimes violent cunning is brilliantly balanced.
The best zombie-ish apocalypse in years. Sennia Nanua is a major discovery, but it’s the dense social commentary and moral dilemmas that will haunt you.
Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out
Easily the best thing to happen to the undead since 28 Days Later, Colm McCarthy’s The Girl with All the Gifts peps up its tired old zombie blood with fresh ideas, some unusually poetic imagery and a dark end-of-civilization aftertaste. Here the monsters are called “hungries”—jaw-snapping fast things that don’t feel the need to constantly moan or gasp. Most of the time, they’re standing completely still, as if asleep, waiting for the dinner call. It’s an eerie revision to the usual lumbering stroll.
Charles Gant, Screen Daily
One strong suit is the film’s richly imagined and complete universe, delivered on an expansive scale that continues to surprise – for example, when the camera is pulled skywards to offer a wide aerial overview of the first zombie attack. Combat sequences benefit from a bloody intensity that amplifies the dramatic stakes, while in an ambitiously realised final act, visual effects blend seamlessly with production design to suggest an abandoned London cityscape, long ago reclaimed by nature.
Tim Robey, The Telegraph
Propulsive, scary and intelligently bolted together, this inventive British science fiction film guides us into familiar genre territory from a perspective that changes everything.
Germain Lussier, io9
We’ve seen this overrun city before, but there are small tweaks here and there that place it in its own world. There’s a history that’s unique and well-developed. Plus, it’s delightfully off-putting how the dark interiors of this world are portrayed as safe havens, but the sunny, brightly lit exteriors are conversely menacing, partially because of the hundreds and hundreds of zombie walking around the biggest action scenes.
The Girl With All the Gifts is just plain great. It’s captivating, entertaining, provocative, and most of all, it’s the freshest take on the zombie genre we’ve seen in years.
I gotta see this...
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