The Zombie Diaries 2 (2011)

THE ZOMBIE DIARIES is probably the worst shot-on-video zombie movie out there, and there are plenty to choose from. So why they bothered making a sequel to that nonsense I have no idea. WORLD OF THE DEAD offers up more of the same, i.e. a semi-talented team of amateur film-makers shooting a non-existent storyline out in the countryside, replete with poor script and indifferent performances. It pains me to report that these films are British.The basic plotting involves a squad of soldiers battling to survive in a post-apocalyptic world. They have frequent encounters with zombies, who probably the least-frightening versions of the undead you'll have seen since one of those old 1930s films. It doesn't help that the actors playing the undead are singularly poor, you'd have thought it wouldn't be that difficult to play a zombie.Unfortunately, the main thrust of the storyline isn't about the walking dead, but rather a gang of vicious rapists who go around abusing and then killing women. There are a lot of protracted rape and misogynistic scenes in this film, which makes it a gruelling and unpleasant viewing experience, and about the opposite of what I'd call entertainment. It's a piece of trash, nothing more.

Set in the UK after some contrived zombie apocalypse. Reporter Leeann follows some British soldiers as they try to survive in the hostile and ever changing situation. They hope to go to Hope's Point on the coast and then to Netherlands. Supposedly there are enough normal humans there to have a viable stronghold.What could possibly go wrong?Besides the zombies, the failure of peacekeeping immediately launches a growth industry in banditry. Since zombies have nothing to offer, the bandits are only after normals less well-armed than themselves.The boat to Rotterdam is leaving at a fixed time on a fixed date. They lose their truck on the first night, so it's forced march through hostile territory.Fire fights, zombie fights, attempted rapes, and slow progress follow.The team is down to four fairly soon. They lose a member, then regain one they thought was lost. Still, things are not going well, and their march to the coast does not look possible. The 'final solution' is revealed.Will the rescue come before the military burns down the UK?-----Scores------Cinematography: 0/10 The observed aspect ratio of 1.33, big disappointment. IMDb lists this film as having an aspect of 2.35, but there is no way that this is true. The picture looks like VHS from the 1980s done on bad equipment. Most of the movie is in 'found film' mode, which is a huge minus.Sound: 3/10 Bad even for Blair Witch style poorness. The gunfire sounds are ridiculous.Acting: 4/10 Better than expected.Screenplay: 3/10 There is a narrative, which tells a story of sorts, with plenty of flashbacks. What are the flashbacks for? Watch the whole thing to find out, but it's not worth knowing. The flashbacks just make the film worse. The main story could have been done in much less time. As it is, the film alternates between stretches of complete boredom and short bursts of running or fighting with extremely bad camera work.

Remember that bit in the Zombie Dead where they let all the zombies into the house because 'maybe its the house they want'? Well, within the first five minutes of this film, during a zombie epidemic, some guy leaves his family to go out and check out a noise, then his wife leaves their kid in the house to look for him (while filming, of course), then runs back into the house and keeps the camera focused on her kid while something climbs the stairs, enters the room, and then kills them both. That's not a good start to any film.Some army guys (one with a camera of course) have to take to their heels and leave their base after the gates get open. They had for the coast with a view to getting to Holland, and run into zombies and some raping redneck types. Now, I'm all for zombie films, and this film works when the army takes on the dead, either in the base or in a house they end up in, but when these rapist guys show up, the film heads towards Straw Dogs territory where they torture and attempt to rape on of the soldiers. It's not pleasant to watch and puts a dampener on the rest of the film, which wasn't much to begin with.You'd need to suspend your belief if you want any enjoyment out of this found footage film. In this world, when someone drops the camera, someone else picks it up and immediately starts filming. This film had some good points but it didn't need the rape and torture stuff - that's a genre I tend to avoid.Also: Do the British army use the phrase 'clicks' when talking about distance?

I must admit, I picked up this movie because I was attracted by its cover art. Although the cover art has no relation to the movie, I still found the movie somewhat entertaining. For those who enjoy shaky cam films such as Cloverfield, Blair Witch Project, Apollo 18, then the camcorder effect shouldn't bother you. I have not seen the first one after reading mixed reviews about it, so I decided to watch this one randomly. The story is not all that bad, and after reading reviews of this film and the first one, a few characters from the first film returned in the second, trying to connect the stories.For a horror film, there weren't really any scenes to make you jump or anything. If there were any scenes that were supposed to scare you, then they were expected to come. Philip Brodie as Maddox, Rob Oldfield as Jonesy, and Russell Jones as Goke were good actors for a low budget film. The rest of the cast weren't that bad as well, their acting was convincing enough for me. All in all, try not to watch this movie with high expectations of an awesome, scary zombie film, because that will probably just ruin the experience for you. If you're a zombie lover like me, then give this movie a shot.