The Battery

aka Ben and Mickey vs. The Dead

Director - Jeremy Gardner

Starring - Jeremy Gardner (Spring), Adam Cronheim, and Niels Bolle (Late Night with Jimmy Fallon)

Release Date - 2012

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "In a world ravaged by the undead, Ben and Mickey must learn to survive...each other"

Format - DVD (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     Zombie films are everywhere.  I was at Wal-Mart over the weekend and counted 12 zombie films in the new release section.  I picked up a few of them because they had some awesome covers and they all said the same damn thing.  Most of them said something along the lines "in a world overrun by the undead a group of survivors has to learn to fight together if they want to survive."  This is the basis for almost every zombie film released after 2010 with countless more about to be released very soon.  I still enjoy the zombie sub-genre but I don't have much hope for a new zombie film knocking my socks off but I am still interested in checking them out.  Last year Scream Factory released the zombie film The Battery.  The film looked fun and I really wanted to see it.  I tried to order the film on blu but something came up and I was unable to and over time I forgot.  That was until recently when I was checking out Amazon when I found that the DVD was on sale for just $3.99.  I had to jump on it.  Once I got the film I had to check it out and that viewing turned into two viewings and then that one turned into three.  The film is honestly that good.

     The film follows Ben (Gardner) and Mickey (Cronheim) as they wonder the countryside in search of food and supplies to survive.  The two were baseball players before the end of the world hit.  The two are polar opposites and it is hard for them both to get along.  Ben has embraced the end of the world while Mickey struggles to cope and longs for female companionship.  Mickey almost has his chance when the two find some radios and hear news of a group of survivors are nearby.  One of the people on the radio is a young woman and Mickey begins to obsess over her.  Eventually their paths cross and the beautiful, young lady shoots Ben in the leg as a warning to stay away from her and the group she is running with.  She also throws their car keys in the woods forcing them to stay put.  The gunshot draws in the undead and the two are forced to stay in their car with a limited supply of food and water along with a lot of alcohol.  The two get drunk and after partying for a few days they decide that it time to try and get the keys.  Mickey rushes from the car and tries to find them but is bitten on his return to the car.  Ben has to put his friend down and forces himself out of the car to fight the apocalypse on his own.
       It is hard for a filmmaker to make a zombie film that sticks out in today's age where the zombie sub-genre is so saturated.  So many films use the same story and make very little effort to make theirs different than the others.  Most are almost scene for the scene the same as all the others.  However, once in a while I come across a movie that does not try to re-invent the wheel but try to make it better.  That is what director and star Jeremy Gardner did.  Gardner took a story we have seen countless times before but gave it to us in a different manner and one which horror fans are not familiar with.  The acting in this film is phenomenal by the entire cast but the obvious stars of the film are Jeremy Gardner and Adam Cronheim.  Both are amazing in their roles and their on screen chemistry is superb,  Both actors feed off each other and without that the film would have failed easily.  The story for this one is one we have seen so many times before with films like State of Emergency, Dead Season, The Demented, and so many other modern zombie films.  However, none of those films are able to give us two characters that we truly care for or deliver the story in a way that it almost feels new and fresh.  The story unfolds very well and incorporates a lot of music as an integral part of the film.  Even though the story is old it is still very unique coming from the mind of Gardner.  To be honest, the film doesn't even feel like a horror flick.  Instead, it feels like we have an indie drama tossed on the backdrop of a zombie outbreak.  Finally, the film, sadly, skips on the on screen kills and practical effects.  The zombies, which have been dead for months, look like they just recently passed.  They have light grey/green make up applied to their face and thats about it.  This is my only real complaint with the film.  Also, the kills are mostly done off screen and this was a little bit of a let down.  When I watch a zombie flick I want to see some blood and gore.  Overall, The Battery is fucking impressive.  The film shows that the zombie sub-genre still has some life left in it and all it takes is one filmmaker trying to set himself apart from the others.  Check this film out because it will not let you down!