'The Dead Don't Die' Review

Synopsis: The peaceful town of Centerville finds itself battling a zombie horde as the dead rise from their graves.

Runtime: 105 minutes

MPAA Rating: R (for zombie violence/gore and language)

Who should see it? Adult fans of zombie movies and comedies.

Written and directed by Jim Jarmusch, The Dead Don't Die is an absurdist comedy set at the start of a zombie apocalypse. In Jarmusch's film, there's a discernible degree of self-awareness. Characters frequently break the fourth wall to comment on their surroundings and the recurring use of a single Sturgill Simpson song. The dialogue is hysterical and usually spoken in deadpan, but the undead invasion is surprisingly sluggish. Jarmusch slowly introduces his sprawling, star-studded ensemble of survivalists, and this laidback, deliberate approach wears thin fairly quickly.

Zombie fodder is a necessity, but Jarmusch's divided attention prevents him from meaningfully fleshing out these eccentric personalities. Jarmusch whittles down his cast to narrow his focus on select individuals, but it doesn't amount to much. The town residents are merely vessels to impart Jarmusch's message that our society has become far too fixated on material possessions. These zombies are more concerned with finding the products they enjoyed in their past life than eating brains, and the undead mutter the names of these commodities as they stroll around Centerville.

As the poster's tagline suggests, Jarmusch has amassed a respectable grouping of A-listers to portray this collection of quirky characters. Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Tilda Swinton, Chloë Sevigny, Steve Buscemi, Danny Glover, Caleb Landry Jones, Selena Gomez, and Tom Waits are among those most prominently featured in the film, and each actor lends sufficient personality to their respective role. Murray and Driver carry an amusing rapport as police partners while Swinton's strange Scottish mortician Zelda Winston is a sure-fire scene-stealer on account of an off-kilter attitude.

Though it's a low-energy affair, the film remains enjoyable as celebrities engage in wacky antics and deliver side-splitting lines. Jarmusch succeeded in making a unique zombie comedy, but The Dead Don't Die never comes alive.

Film Assessment: B-