Ebola Zombies

aka Sars Zombies

Director - Samuel Leong

Starring - Anna Chan, Jack Chan, and Cash Lee (New Police Story)

Release Date - 2015

Genre - Horror

Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Zombies are so ingrained into pop culture right now that it was only a matter of time before it started colliding with other pop culture phenomenons.  Several months ago the world was freaking out over the recent ebola outbreaks that plagued West Africa.  Though the news has died now from lack of interest, the danger of ebola is still going strong with deaths still on the rise in Africa.  Anyway, zombies are on a roll right now and it was just a matter of time before it collided with something else in pop culture so it was only fitting that it hit the ebola epidemic head on.  Wild Eye recently released the zombie film Sars Zombies with the title getting a change once the ebola outbreak hit the news.  Being the sucker for Wild Eye flicks and zombies, I had to check it out.  I reached out to Wild Eye and they were kind enough to hook me up with a review copy.  Thanks!

     The film follows three thieves who decide to break into a building for a big score.  They are able to get inside and quickly discover a secret room housing a scientist and a small girl.  The scientist tells the three thieves that the little girl is the carrier of a mutated strain of the ebola virus.  The little girl then bites one of the thieves and he immediately falls ill.  The scientist then tells them that he has been working closely with the ebola virus and reveals that this mutated strain can bring the dead back to life and those that has been bitten will return from the dead.  One of the thieves, obviously a martial arts master, kills the scientist but it is too late.  His friend has been bitten and goes on a bloody rampage turning everyone in the building into ebola zombies.  The two remaining thieves must then fight their way out, floor by floor.
     I love zombies films regardless of what my reviews may make you think.  I grew up on zombie flicks and I continue to watch them even though the sub-genre is in a bit of a slump right now and we have AMC's The Walking Dead to thank for that.  Since the release of the show the zombie sub-genre has been diluted with films full of stories following a disoriented group of survivors fighting the undead but they have a hard time dealing with themselves.  Lucky for us, EZ does not follow that same story and for that we are thankful.  The acting in this one is overly dramatic even for an Asian horror flick.  The characters, especially the thieves, try way too hard to be bad asses in the lines of Van Damme and Norris but they just come off as silly.   With that being said, the martial arts action in this one is incredible and not something I am used to when I watch and review an indie flick (which this most certainly is not).  The story for this one is action packed but does feel like The Raid and Resident Evil may have been on repeat during the filming.  The story may be lacking originality but kudos to them for making the ebola angle fit in when it was originall sars.  This added some camp to the film which I am a fan.  Finally, the film is full of gore and on screen kills that may not be original but they are gruesome and fun to watch.  The practical effects for the kills are great and work very well but the effects on the zombies look half-assed which almost ruins the zombie appeal.  The film was a lot of fun but my biggest complaint about the film was the over-use of slow motion.  This got old real quick and should not have went on for as long as it did.  Overall, Ebola Zombies is an action packed horror film which is something the horror community has been lacking recently.  If you grew up on the Cannon action films of the 80s then you will enjoy this one!