By J.B.Browne

To The Lake (2019)

1 Season

To The Lake is likely the best Russian-produced show to resonate with western audiences so far, and it's easy to see why. The script, direction, pacing, and acting are excellent, with believable characters who undergo decent development arcs throughout the show's addictive single season. Based on the debut novel of the Russian writer Yana Vagner, Vongozero (2011), To The Lake sees residents of Moscow infected with a deadly virus where blank irises and fatal coughing followed by actual death 3-4 days later. In sub-zero Russian temperatures that we could only dream of surviving in, To The Lake connects because it's more concerned with how inhuman we can all become when our humanity is at stake, fuelled by desperation more potent than the outbreak itself. Well-written characters and a non-zombie premise make this a standout in the broad apocalyptic genre. Can you handle another pandemic? Course you can. Stream it now.

Verdict: Stream

Trailer:

 

Cargo (2017)

Indie flick Cargo stars original Hobbit Martin Freeman as a father who searches the barren wilds of a post-apocalyptic Australia carrying his "cargo" infant daughter Rosie for food and shelter. Cargo opens on a world ravaged by a virus. The film shares the same tonal DNA as The Walking Dead. Still, it is infused with a Mad-Maxian desolation of desert and swamp only Australian films can convey. And time is ticking. Andy (Freeman) must find permanent safety for Rosie within the allotted time before he succumbs to whatever it is, making the film a personal moral tale of what YOU would do given the unfavorable circumstances. How far would you go to make sure your loved ones were safe and protected? Cargo is the metaphorical weight of a left-behind world, and Rosie the emotional weight on Andy's shoulder. A horror pandemic set in the Australian outback? Outback of the Dead? Yes, please.

Verdict: Stream

Trailer:

 

Alive (2020)

The lightning quick spread of an unknown infection has left Seoul in pandemonium. Still, one survivor remains, Jun-u, a tech-savvy PC gamer who lives with his parents in an apartment complex in Seoul. He's in isolation alone, and that's where the movie maintains relatability. At its heart, #Alive is a good ol' zombie thriller gorefest done right the Korean way. Themes of modern isolation connect with younger audiences. With a deadly virus and cadaver-clad zombies knocking on your door, it's easy to imagine this happening to you right now in an alternate universe. At just over 90 minutes, #Alive is a nifty horror-thriller in the virus-zombie genre, finding a pulse where most are dead.

Verdict: Slow in parts, but worth a stream

Trailer:

 

World War Z (2013)

World War Z is positively a zzz fest, if not for how everything seems to be on autopilot, including lead Brad Pitt, but because it's just a boring summer action flick. Ok, there are zombies, and the movie focuses on the pandemic angle averting accusations of zombie genre bandwagoning. Still, the end product is bland and forgettable. Though based on a best-selling novel of the same name, World War Z is one of those movies that makes you mutter under your breath or scream at the screen for how stupid the characters can be. Each character makes the same cliched mistakes as their zombie movie history predecessors.

On top of that, director Marc Forster delivers a way too serious demeanor to a zombie movie that was ripe for laughs and cinematic hijinks. It's not even scary. Skip it, yeah?

Verdict: Skip

Trailer:

 

Z Nation (2014)

5 Seasons

Z Nation is like a comedy companion to The Walking Dead. On steroids. Landing somewhere between parody, rip-off, and absolute trite, Z Nation is so good it's bad or the other way around, whatever the saying is. It's the story of a group of survivors escorting a man – who goes by just Murphy – who is the only known human immune to the virus to a lab in California. Z Nation's secret weapon is that it doesn't take itself seriously and is more or less an absurd addition to an overcrowded genre. Where others opt for the actual portrayal of reality in a virus-created zombie apocalypse, Z Nation opts for humor and is fun to be around. Although the first season received mixed reviews, the show has established a dedicated fanbase over subsequent seasons. Stream or skip? Well, that depends on you and what you're looking for.

Verdict: Stream it if you can spare the time.

Trailer:

As he would refer himself, J.B. Browne is a half "foreign devil" living with anxiety relieved by purchase. HK-born Writer/Musician/Tinkerer.

 

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