Mutants (2009)

Two good zombie flicks in a row? Is that even mathematically possible? Leave it to the French to quench my bloodlust. After being pleasantly surprised by "La Horde" I decided to pop in another new French zombie film titled "Mutants." Low and behold, I was surprised once more.

"Mutants" opens with a furious, and bloody escape in an ambulance already in progress. We're introduced to our 2 main characters, Sonia, and Marco, and a french military woman whom I don't believe we are ever given a name for. Sonia, and Marco are paramedics(hence the ambulance) who are somehow put in the position to be on the run from a horde of zombies. Apparently, there's a short film that director David Morlet filmed as a way to sell Mutants as a feature. I personally haven't been able to see it, but I'm told that "Mutants" picks up right where the short leaves off. Low on gas, and injured, our main characters hold up in what appears to be an abandoned hospital, or something similar.

"Mutants" is a different type of film than "The Horde" was. Where the latter was more of an action/horror flick, the former sort of follows the old school romero'esque path of survival/horror. Also, it's titled "Mutants" for a reason. It appears that our zombies actually mutate, instead of just getting up and walking after they have died. If you pay attention, I think you'll notice some extra nostril holes on our undead, among other subtle differences. There is no difference in how the virus is spread, and they don't go into enough details to actually separate the mutants from zombies, so to me, it's still a zombie movie.

Some subtle uses of CG are noticeable, but they did such a good job of blending it in with the practical stuff that unless you're really looking for it, you won't notice. The cinematography in this film is outstanding. The opening scene alone is worth the price of the DVD, and there are several extremely clever camera gags throughout the entire film.

The gore is good, and plentiful in this movie, so if you like your zombie flicks violent, have no fear, Mutants is here! I really wish that mainstream horror directors in the states had half the balls as the directors from over seas. When was the last time you saw a good zombie movie at the theater? Unfortunately, unless you live in one of the 2 major cities in the states, it's almost impossible to catch these french flicks on the big screen. Be thankful for DVD, I guess. If you're starving for a zombie movie like I was after the past several let downs, Give Mutants a shot, I believe there's something to love for every genre fan.

8/10