World Ends at Camp Z

Well, I have to admit that when I stumbled upon this 2021 movie here in 2022, and seeing that it was a zombie movie, then of course I needed no persuasion to sit down and watch it. Sure, I had not even heard about this movie from writer Diane Janna and director Ding Wang, but it being a zombie movie was all that I needed to know.

The movie's cover/poster seemed interesting, but it was actually overselling the movie, because the movie itself was rather mundane and generic. But hey, I managed to get through it on the account of it being a zombie movie. However, if you are a zombie aficionado like me, then this is hardly an outstanding foray into the zombie genre.

The storyline in "World Ends at Camp Z" is pretty straight forward. In fact, the storyline is rather simplistic and doesn't bring anything new to the zombie genre. Of course it is a spin-off on the worldwide pandemic that we are still struggling with in real life, just made into a tale of the reanimated dead. So you're not exactly in for a grand cinematic experience here.

The acting performances in "World Ends at Camp Z" were a bit wooden for the most parts. There were some performances that stood out and helped to make the movie watchable. But you're not in for an award-winning performance here.

With "World Ends at Camp Z" being a zombie movie, then you might be disappointed with the zombies in the movie being fast, agile runners with their faces painted gray - but forgetting to paint the exposed skin on the neck down - and bleeding from their eyes. A strange type of zombie in my opinion. Then again, I am not a fan of running zombies, nor of subpar make-up just limited to the face. Nor am I a fan of zombies that stop dead in their track when they come before a body of water.

For me then "World Ends at Camp Z" came and went without as much as a groan or a bite. And if you are a fan of the zombie genre, then this is not really a movie that I would recommend you spend your time on.

My rating of director Ding Wang's 2021 zombie movie "World Ends at Camp Z" lands on a generous four out of ten stars.

I could barely make it through this movie because despite the plot (middling), the actors were SO BAD. I'm literally typing in other words just so that IMDB will let me tell you how bad the acting was.

Arriving at the facility one last time, the owners of a summer camp preparing to sell it to a local businessman which is soon revealed to be harboring evil intentions towards the camp, but their loyalties are divided further when a zombie outbreak in the community spreads forcing them to get away alive.

Overall, there's a lot to like with this one. Among the better features on display is the somewhat simple-minded storyline here that's far more detailed and effective than what should be the case for this kind of film. Given that there's far more going on beyond just the whole concept of cleaning up the camp but also managing to work together into several solid side-stories involving the love triangle that the majority of this one focuses on, the first half to this one comes across with a lot more heart and emotional attachment to their plight which goes directly alongside their whole quest to save the camp from the investor once his plans are revealed. It makes the series of intentional sabotage attempts once the out-of-place guests arrive feel far more earned than they should with this background in place. This leads the films' selling point in the rather fun and over-the-top zombie outbreak that arrives at the camp. While nothing new in the grand scheme of the genre, the outbreak scenes of the infected running wild in the camp and ripping people to pieces while forcing the survivors into an appropriate and believable state of panic and chaos. The action involved here isn't bad and really drives this one along, especially once the incumbent military help arrives to further the idea of futility present which goes a long way to making this one likable, much like the early scenes involving the release of the virus and how it parallels the modern world. It's a clever enough tactic that is eerily topical and relevant and added on top of the fantastic practical gore and make-up effects here really makes this stand out nicely. That said, there are a few minor issues with the film. The main drawback is the films' reliance in the first half on characters over action, detailing the exploits of the workers at the camp trying to ensure the new owner doesn't overtake the facility and turn it into a hotspot for city-dwellers that the camp was set up as an escape from. While all of this effectively sets up the characters and their motivations, hardly any of these features any kind of zombie action makes it feel slightly too long to get to the creatures when they finally make their way to the area. That's the other small issue here in that the zombies feel more like an afterthought at the expense of an indie drama about the workers at this campsite ting to prevent it from being sold since they come out of nowhere and feel at odds with the rest of the storyline previously like this was several films edited together such is the rapid shift from indie drama to genre thrills. It's not deal-breaking but it is a factor.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language and Graphic Violence.

Yes, there is a lot of things they could have tried better. I'm gonna talk about the good stuff, yes it is a Zombie Flick. LOVE THAT. I see what they were trying to do on such a low budget. I am guessing they used a lot of their friends and friend's stuff. Really liked the area they did the filming in, very beautiful indeed. If I was stuck in the middle of a Zombie Apoc, some where like there would have been great. The real real real bad criticism I have to state upon, is that it took a realllllll long time to get to anything.

With all the constraints that this movie has it could have been a lot worse.

The acting and direction is bad. However, the basic story and set up is done quite well. There are some good drone shots and effective lighting. The zombie slo mo is overdone thesedays.