Review: Zombie Apocalypse Redemption (2011)

Review by Disgruntled Monkey

Director: Ryan Thompson

Starring: Johnny Gel, Fred Williamson, Joseph Scott Anthony

Writers: Ryan Lieske, Matthew O'Day

There was a point when I was a kid that I had borrowed almost all of the well known action/horror films and had to start delving into the less know and cheaper movies. These are the bad 80’s flicks that many cult movie watchers remember, nearly all were bad but there was an enjoyment to find in some of them. Zombie Apocalypse Redemption seems to be a nostalgic blast from the past even though it was made only recently.

Right from the get go the film is shot on some pretty old stock - it legitimately looks like it came from the 80’s. Quickly we are introduced to a movie that mixes zombies and Mad Max and given a hard-nosed hero, Knox, whom is trying to gain redemption. Things are pretty by the numbers and you know it’s leading up to the final confrontation with the villain, Rome.

And what a villain. Jerry Lynch eats up the scenery with some acting choices that completely baffle but still entertain. There is also Fred Williamson as Moses who lends some much needed badassness as the mentor reforming Knox. Unfortunately other than these two the acting is pretty atrocious with people desperately mugging for the camera or seemingly misunderstanding what human emotions are.

Really, thinking back on this film I’m not sure exactly why I liked it as much as I did. It’s a bad movie; every aspect of the movie is bad. Yet I was into it. The story is pretty simple and moves at a brisk pace and with the post apocalyptic take on zombies, it probably didn’t hang around enough for me to really hate it.

I think for cult film viewers there might be something to watch here. It does have a nostalgic quality to it - it also has a villain who is fun to watch. Fred Williamson completionists will also want to check it out. But for everyone else, it’s probably best to just leave it alone. There is no redemption to be found within.