Undead is a 2003 Australian film that finally received its United States run this summer. Written and directed by the Spierig Brothers (Michael and Peter), Undead is yet another zombie movie in an industry that has seen an explosion of horror and zombie films in recent years. The Spierig Brothers give a twisted take on the George A. Romero popularized genre that is highly stylized and very goofy.

René (Felicity Mason) has decided to leave her town of Berkeley, an Australian fishing village, but is halted when an accident leaves her stranded in the middle of nowhere. The accident is caused by an onslaught of meteorites falling to Earth. Humans, when exposed to these meteorites, turn into flesh-eating zombies. René runs for safety, and she finds refuge in the farmhouse of Marion (Mungo McKay), who is seemingly well prepared for this day.

Marion's house becomes a refuge for survivors, who must band together to fight off the endless swarm of zombies that chase them from the first floor to the basement to panic room to the upstairs, etc. I don't want to spoil any more details regarding what the Spierig Brothers do to reinvent the genre, but I will say that despite how original Undead looks, it still seems contrived. When you watch the scene where Marion is fishing and has his first encounter with the zombies, you'll know what I'm talking about.

But any artificiality might be induced by my (maybe even society's) stereotypical view about how zombies come into existence. Actually, as I'm writing this, I don't even think that I have a clear idea of how zombies come into existence. If I follow Romero's vision, it's natural evolution. If I follow Danny Boyle (28 Days Later), it's by scientists. If I follow the Resident Evil universe, it's by the government. Hmmm.

To be fair, at the end of Undead, you might come to the conclusion that the Spierig Brothers' have created something very creative; however, you might later come to the realization that any brilliance has been diluted with the film having no actual horror (although there's plenty of gore), too many "video game" sequences, no nudity (although René does strip into pretty hot underwear) and tons of dialogue that, at best, can be described as silly. Although if you're looking for that type of film, then Undead might be your best bet.