Having an original take on a zombie film is really hard to come by these days. It’s not always that we get movies like 28 Years Later that take such a visceral approach to the subgenre. Never did I think there would be a zombie movie that is as subversive as it is, but here comes We Bury the Dead not even a year later to prove me wrong. Blending an intimate drama within a horror genre, the film delivers an unique experience that is impossible to compare to, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a good thing.

We Bury the Dead follows Ava Newman, played by Daisy Ridley, as a woman in search of her husband after a military experiment leads to the death of thousands in the Australian area where her husband was located. Entering the region as a “body retrieval unit,” Ava ditches her crew to see if her husband is still alive, and on her journey, the corpses begin the rise from the dead, leading her on a much more dangerous adventure than she was anticipating.

Easily the highlight of We Bury the Dead is its concept. Some of the best horror films in recent years have used scares to present themes. From Sinners using vampires as a physical representation of black exploitation to The Babadook using the titular demon as the embodiment of trauma, horror excells when the scares cut deeper than surface level, and We Bury the Dead falls into that category. Similar to The Babadook, the zombies represent a part of Ava that is unwilling to let go of her past and move forward with her life, particularly with her husband. Her memories are a rotting corpse ready to die, and seeing it physically represented through the zombies made for a shockingly emotional experience at times.

Daisy Ridley has never phoned in a performance, and that is once again seen in We Bury the Dead. Although her character is far quieter than the typical protagonist, she conveys such weight and emotional distress, showing the power grief can have over people. She also brings a lot to the character physically, expressing her drive to find her husband by harming those who dare to test her. She may not be the major box office draw like she was in the Star Wars sequels, but her work in this shows that she still has the talent of an A-list movie star.

Although the film has its fair share of horror moments, it plays out like a drama. While it is appreciated that the film focuses heavily on the character drama, sadly, the drama is nowhere near as compelling as it should be. The film immediately jumps into Ana searching for her husband, doing very little to build their relationship. Other than the fact that they are a married couple, the film does nothing to make the viewer care about their relationship. This wouldn’t normally be a problem, but because the entire crux of the film is the relationship between Ana and her husband, it makes for an extremely frustrating watch. For someone who is literally fighting zombies in order to reunite with her husband, it is bizarre how little I cared about their relationship.

Because so much of the film is focused on a thin character drama, it moves at a dreadfully slow pace. The movie is littered with dialogue scenes with very little action. While a zombie film doesn’t have to be action-packed to be deemed a well-made movie, when the drama is this poorly done, scenes of tension are necessary to bring gravitas to the film, and We Bury the Dead doesn’t include nearly enough of it. Although it’s only 95 minutes, the pace moved slower than most films with double its runtime.

Once the film reveals its central plot and themes, it is extremely easy to tell where it is going. Outside of its zombie environment, nothing is surprising or innovative about its structure, which tells a derivative story of grief that leads the character on a catharsis that can be paralleled to numerous other grief dramas. For a film attempting to be as subversive as it is, it is a shame that it doesn’t make any daring choices; playing it safe at nearly every turn.

On the outside, We Bury the Dead may appear to be a film with a unique story to tell, but inside, it is as hollow as a balloon. With a shallow screenplay and a sluggish pace, what could’ve been an invigorating new zombie flick is instead a meandering bore. Some may enjoy the film’s different take, but I needed a lot more substance to be on board with this new direction.

We Bury the Dead will be released in theaters nationwide on January 2nd.

Rating: 4/10

Oscar Prospects:

None