Fido scores big points with me for a few reasons. First, like 2004’s Shaun of the Dead, Fido is a touching zombie movie; even if you’re a zombie, your heart will be warmed by the on-screen chemistry between Carrie Anne Moss (of The Matrix fame) and Billy Connelly.
Second, Connelly himself is absolutely amazing as Fido. Connelly never really delivers a single line in the movie (although one attempted conversation between Moss and Connelly toward the end of the movie plays out hilariously like a Lassie Dialogue), but manages to transform this muteness into an amazing expressiveness, despite his zombie features and makeup.
But most of all, Fido is a great zombie movies because it turns the clock back on the social criticism that makes zombies so relevant. By setting the film in a 1950’s Americana, Director Andrew Currie was able to recapture the innocence of rampant consumerism and the moral blindness that our addiction to materialism facilitates. Fido farcically hyperfocuses on our modern obsession with death, reminding us that the point of life is to live, in whatever form that may take.
One of the most socially relevant zombie movies since George Romero’s original 1978 Dawn of the Dead, Fido is a witty jab at racism, materialism, and the hedonism of modern day-to-day life. With stellar performances from nearly all involved parties (Moss, although delightful, never quite melts), a brilliant script and an endearing story, Fido is, in this Zombiephile’s humble opinion, one of the best zombie comedies ever, and certainly 2007’s best zombie movie.
Fido is playing now in theaters nationwide; check your newspapers for movie tickets and showtimes.
I want a zombie slave
I want a zombie pet
I want to see this movie.