First and foremost, Cockneys vs. Zombies is a story about family. Sure, a slightly ill-motivated one, but a family nonetheless. Terry (Rasmus Hardiker) and Andy (Harry Treadaway) are the two brothers MacGuire, raised by their Granddad, Ray (Alan Ford, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels) from a young age after their parents’ untimely demise. When they discover that their Granddad’s nursing home is being bulldozed to make way for a sparkling new development, they come up with a plan to save the old "pensioners" from being uprooted from the place they have always known and loved – the East End. Ok, to be fair, it’s not a good plan. They decide to rob a bank and enlist the help of their plucky cousin Katy (Michelle Ryan), their more experienced friend Davey Tuppence, (Jack Doolan) and the man with the guns, Mental Mickey (Ashley Thomas), a highly volatile brute with a metal plate in his head. Needless to say, things don’t go as planned.
When the bank gets surrounded by the cops, the group ends up taking a couple of hostages, Clive (Tony Gardner) and Emma (Georgia King) and make a run for it, only to discover that a zombie outbreak has just occurred and they have much more to fear than the coppers. The group piles into the van with the stolen money and hostages in tow, trying to figure out what to do. Soon, it becomes readily apparent that they will have to ban together if they are to survive the day. But what about Granddad and his buddies at the home? That was the point of this whole mess to begin with, after all. They race over there with a rescue plan that includes a zombie crushing double-decker bus. While you wouldn’t normally think the old-timers could survive even a few minutes of a zombie apocalypse, with Ray in the lead, this group is pretty kick-ass and soon you’ll be wondering who is rescuing who.
Cockneys vs. Zombies has lots of priceless moments. For starters, you have a crazy bank robber with a large metal plate in his head. This guy is just begging to be turned into the ultimate, unstoppable, unkillable zombie! Second, a double-decker bus smushing zombies is just funny, any way you look at it. I think the best gag of all has to be the slow-moving zombies chasing the slow-moving and hysterical Hamish (Richard Briers) trying desperately to make it inside the home with his walker. That scene alone in the trailer made me have to see this movie.
While a few of the special effects were a bit cheesy, most looked pretty good. This movie is gory, no doubt, but the cast and writing is so very clever, any fan of British comedy would enjoy it, even if they aren’t a zombie fan. I loved that one of the primary residents at the nursing home, Peggy (Honor Blackman, Goldfinger) is an original Bond girl. Who couldn’t love seeing an older Pussy Galore wielding heavy artillery and mowing down zombies? It’s just great stuff.
Special features include audio commentary by the director, Matthias Hoene, and writer James Moran. While Hoene’s commentary focuses more on the making of the film and tidbits about the actors and cast, Moran focuses more on the story aspect and both are worth listening to, after you’ve seen the movie first, of course. There are also lots of behind the scenes featurettes on most aspects of the film, plus a fair number of deleted scenes as well. There’s even a digital copy to take your East End zombie mosh pit on the go. While most of the film looked crisp and clear on Blu-ray, I think the high def aspect made the few cheesy special effects stand out more.
If you are looking for a hilarious zombie flick, check out Cockneys vs. Zombies and you won’t be disappointed. Highly recommended.
