Anna and the Apocalypse is an Underrated Gem

(A Review From a Girl Who Just Loves Movies)

What happens when you mix Shaun of the Dead with a sweet, candy cane twist? You get Anna and the Apocalypse. This movie somehow threw zombies into High School Musical and created something extraordinary! Not only is it a fun time but this movie has you go in thinking it’s a silly comedy with zombies but then have you leave with a shank to the heart. You don’t even know what hits you until it’s too late and you’re sitting there crying on your couch in shock completely forgetting the movie was a comedy.

This bloody, fun musical is about a young senior, Anna Shepherd, who is feeling trapped in her hometown. When everything goes wrong and the government (as per usual) fails to protect its people from the zombie virus, she and her friends have to make their way to the school to ensure their survival. On the way, they go through the scary reality of realizing that they are in a zombie apocalypse. Of course, every once and a while they give us a song that helps ease the tension you may feel while watching this movie.

So much in this film deserves so much credit. The female characters in this movie are definitely one of those things. Many different personalities are shown in each female character, such as the leader, the tough girl, and the romantic and every single one of them is well-written. But I’d like to focus on Anna considering she’s the star of the show. In my opinion, Anna is an incredible female lead. She is strong-willed and knows exactly what she wants and isn’t afraid to get it. She can have a bit of an edge to her but with her overprotective father, you can understand why she wants to rebel a bit. Her father expects a lot from her but all she wants to do is have a little fun (as a teenager should). Preferably away from her father.

They created a strong female without making it her entire personality. We’ve seen time and time again teenage female characters who aren’t quite relatable and I really, really appreciate that I can relate to Anna and every single other girl character in this movie without them making fun of their quirks. They are all so well-written and have strong personality traits that anyone could connect to. Most would throw in girl characters as damsels in distress or make them a sort of mockery but they hold their own in their own ways. They’re all very different from each other but that doesn’t make them any less useless. They all have their own qualities that make them valuable in the movie.

Another thing I really love is how much you grow attached to every character. There is not one character I hate in this movie. Even the guy who is an “asshole,” Nick, who we see as Anna’s ex is super lovable. I may be a bit biased because his song is my favorite in the entire album but I really do love his character. They all have incredible personalities backed up with incredible writing and dialogue which makes it hard not to enjoy them. Maybe it’s just me but sometimes when I watch zombie movies, I start cheering for the zombies but for me, this was not one of those movies.

Anna and the Apocalypse does an amazing job of giving every character time to shine. You see so much of almost every character in this movie and they balance it so well. For example, our main villain is amazing. He's psychotic, cruel, and a bit of a dick. His villain arc is very well done and his actor, Paul Kaye, kills it! When his character snaps and becomes the villain it is absolutely chilling.

And oh, God! Don't even get me started on the soundtrack! The soundtrack is a piece of art. Every single song is amazing. There isn’t one song that I don’t listen to weekly. It has such a stage theater impression that hits you with an unexpected but welcomed 80s vibe to every song. Every song is a bop and honestly, I can’t imagine my life without this soundtrack. And no, I am not even exaggerating. It is that good.

Of course, the movie isn't perfect. It has its clichés such as the dreaded "nice guy in love with best friend" trope but honestly, it pulls it off so well. It has many well-known tropes but with the orginality of the movie as a whole, you kind of overlook them. They handle their clichés in a way that makes you forget about them even being clichés if that makes sense.

This movie does not bullshit you. You jump in knowing exactly what your getting which is a Christmas zombie musical. They tell you straight up what will happen while watching this movie, even when you don't realize they're telling you. And that's what makes it so hard when you realize in the end that they were basically warning you this entire time.

This British zombie comedy written by Alan McDonald and Ryan McHenry is a brilliant piece of zombie media and from the looks of it, it is incredibly underrated! There are so many fantastic elements to this movie that make the movie worth watching and the songs are absolutely to die for. If you're a nerd for musicals and gory, zombie movies I urge you to go see it for yourself. I promise you that you will not regret it! You can find it on Hulu or you can rent/buy it on Youtube or Prime! This is my new go-to Christmas film, and after you watch it you'll make it yours too.