Warm Bodies

Throughout decades of portrayals as villainous movie monsters, it turns out zombies have developed a bad reputation. Deep down, within the walls of their undead hearts, they have feelings and desires just like the living, or at least that’s what Warm Bodies would have us believe.

This big-screen adaptation of the young-adult novel by Isaac Marion takes zombies out of their horror-movie comfort zone and into the world of romantic comedy, and the result is a sincere yet subversive tale with Shakespearean roots and surprising heartfelt humor.

Credit belongs to director Jonathan Levine (50/50), a versatile young talent who also adapted the script, and to a cast that appears in sync with material that could have easily turned cheesy or sentimental.

The post-apocalyptic story takes place in a major city that has been ravaged by a zombie epidemic. It’s a world in which the few surviving humans are fighting against not only zombies but a more vicious race of skeletons, and have constructed a wall through the city to increase their chances of survival.

Enter an unnamed zombie who calls himself R (Nicholas Hoult) and meets a human girl named Julie (Teresa Palmer). But instead of eating her brains, R develops feelings for her and offers her shelter in his abandoned airplane.

Julie senses that R might be different, and uses that to try and persuade her father (John Malkovich), the no-nonsense mayor who wants to eradicate the zombies, that perhaps they can live harmoniously.

Levine navigates several potentially tricky areas in Warm Bodies, mostly with success. He tells a story of acceptance and tolerance without becoming heavy-handed, and he doesn’t overplay the film’s obvious homage to “Romeo and Juliet” (except for an awkward balcony scene that’s too warm and fuzzy).

Perhaps the biggest challenge in transferring the material from page to screen comes with a main character that must convey emotion while communicating mostly in monosyllabic grunts. But the narration is delightfully self-deprecating as it pokes fun at zombie posture and complexion, among other neuroses.

The film playfully manipulates zombie conventions, but at least offers explanations for the evolution of the characters to satisfy aficionados of the undead.

Most of all, that’s why the film succeeds. Warm Bodies is breezy and lightweight, but it offers a non-traditional combination of zombie thriller and love story that should satisfy fans of both genres.

Rated PG-13, 97 minutes.