Burying the Ex

Director - Joe Dante (Gremlins, The Howling)
Starring - Anton Yelchin (Star Trek, Fright Night), Ashley Greene (Twilight, Summer's Moon), and Alexandra Daddario (Texas Chainsaw 3D, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters)
Release Date - 2014
Genre - Horror/Comedy
Tagline - "Some relationships just won't die"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     If you love horror and grew up in the 80s then Joe Dante was apart of it.  Dante was a big name in the 80s and 90s with his work in horror, as well as, outside of the genre.  Dante is responsible for the horror classics Gremlins, Gremlins 2, The Howling, Piranha, a segment in The Twilight Zone: The Movie, and The 'Burbs.  Dante is also responsible for classics outside of the genre with films like Rock 'n' Roll High School, Explorers, Innerspace, and Small Soldiers.  Dante is a man who has had an amazing career and a man I admire greatly.  I try to watch any and everything he has been apart of and when I heard he had a new horror comedy out titled Burying the Ex I had to see it.  I reached out for a review copy and they were nice enough to hook my fat ass up.  Thanks!

     The film follows young couple Max (Yelchin) and Evelyn (Greene) who are getting very serious.  Evelyn just moved in with Max and has started showing Max how controlling she can really be after remodeling his apartment without his acknowledgement.  He starts to regret his decision to move her in but is afraid of what she will do if he dumps her.  He then meets an ice cream shop owner who he starts to fall for which puts him in an awkward spot.  One day Evelyn is meeting Max at the dog park but something goes wrong.  Evelyn is hit by a bus when crossing the street and dies.  Max has a hard time getting over her but starts spending time with Olivia (Daddario) and soon forgets about her.  That is until Evelyn returns from the grave and wants to pick up where the two left off.  Not wanting to upset the two girls, he tries to juggle them but is unable to do so when Evelyn starts decomposing.  She catches Max cheating and kidnaps Olivia forcing Max to stand up to her once and for all.
     Dante is known for making quirky horror comedies that are more comedy than horror.  It is because of this knack for film making that we have the classics Gremlins, Gremlins 2, and The 'Burbs.  All three are amazing films that are still watched by millions of fans to this day.  I knew Dante would try to capture these moments on film again but deep down something told me he would not be able to pull it off and I was right.  The acting in this one is fucking fantastic.  Anton Yelchin is an actor that I have come to respect with his amazing performances in Star Trek, Star Trek: Into Darkness, Fright Night, and Odd Thomas.  He is an amazing actor and this film is another solid performance from the young star.  Ashley Greene does an amazing job as well and proves once and for all that she should not be judged by her participation in the Twilight Saga film but by her talent.  She is an amazing actress and easy to hate in this film.  Last, but far from being least, we get another amazing performance from Alexandra Daddario.  I would be lying if I said I don't have a crush on this young starlet.  I enjoyed her in the Percy Jackson films and she does a great job in Texas Chainsaw 3D with this film being no exception.  From the moment she is first introduced on camera, the viewer instantly falls in love with her.  The story for this one is My Boyfriend's Back but with the gender roles reversed.  I'm fine with this but the film is unable to reach the comedy level that MBB does resulting it a lot of missed opportunities story wise.  The film flows, at first, like a romantic comedy but the comedy is very light.  We then get the horror which is light as well but the love story still continues.  For a film to be aimed at horror fans the horror is very light.  I don't mind more comedy than horror but it needs to have comedy to be a horror comedy.  Finally, the film does have a few gruesome deaths that are not that original but Dante throws his spin on it and the viewer forgets that it is just another zombie bite.  The practical effects are great as well which is something Dante is known for but he uses a great deal of cheaply done CGI that ruins several scenes.  One would assume Dante would have hire more special effects artists instead of using CGI.  That is one of the reasons so many great artists are retiring because they can no longer find work.  Overall, Burying the Ex is not the film fans want from Dante.  The film is fun but will be easily forgot and could by lumped in with what I call Wal-Mart horror.  Don't get me wrong, the film is enjoyable but is still flawed and extremely mediocre.