Rammbock, Berlin Dead, Movie Review

Well, it's time for another Zombie film review, thanks to Netflix Instant Watch.  As one might guess, from the title, "Rammbock: Berlin Undead" is a German undead flick, complete with English subtitles and all.

Synopsis

Micheal, who comes off looking very weak and whiny, goes to Berlin to plead for his ex-girlfriend Gabi to come back.  He arrives at her apartment just in time to A) find out she just left on some unknown errand and B) encounter the first undead in Berlin.  Quickly, the entire city is under siege from the rampaging undead, and Micheal finds himself hole up in Gabi's apartment building, with the other tenants.  Harper, a teenage plumbers assistant is safely ensconced in Gabi's apartment with Micheal, as well.  Micheal and Harper have their hands full as the building is attacked by the rampaging undead.  While staying alive, they run across Gabi, and interact with the other inhabitants of the apartment building.  In the end, Micheal isn't as weak and whiny as he first appeared.

My Thoughts

I'll admit, this isn't your typical zombie flick, in that it comes across as rather thoughtful.  It is by no means a mindless action romp, with heads exploding and bodies being torn to shreds, left and right. A lot of the interaction in the first half of the movie takes place across a court yard, as the neighbors are each holed up in their own apartments, and they yell out the windows to each other.  Each one has their own character, even if they are a little formulaic.  It's as if Micheal and Harper are watching TV, as the drama of the undead rising unfolds in each of the windows along the courtyard.



Once Micheal and Harper realize that they can no longer stay put, they effect a rather ingenious way to escape the apartment, whose front door is besieged by zombies.  As they make their way through he building, they encounter more resident alive and dead, and even run into Gabi.  There is a point where you can actually see Micheal transform from the whiny ex-boyfriend into what could be described as a heroic figure; even if that heroism is fatalistic in nature.  This is one of those movies that you have to see, so I won't ruin it by going into further detail.

 One thing that struck me, though, was that no one in the apartment building had any guns.   I understand the strict gun laws in Germany; it's just weird to have a zombie flick without heroes that are blasting zombies away when need be.  Another thing that I noticed was that the male characters, for the most part, seemed kind of metro-sexual.  I mean there were no characters like Ving Raimes "Dawn of the Dead" and such.  One would expect at least someone to step forth like that in a country that is so prone to knocking off its neighbors the way Germany has been over the last century, or so.  Oh well, times change, I guess.  Don't get me wrong, the movie has its share of tense moments, and gory zombie encounters.  That part of the movie won't leave the zombie fan wanting, by a long shot.

In the end, this movie is not the greatest zombie movie ever made.  I would put it in the top half, at the very least, if not top quarter.  The zombies are well executed, the acting, action and dialogue are solid. All of it comes together for an enjoyable move that I would definitely recommend to any zombie aficionado.

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Here is the link to the German Trailer for the movie: Rammbock Trailer