In any sub-genre of films, the zombie genre gets as much flack, or more, than any other sub-genre. At times it feels like these film-makers really are running out of ideas. But every once in a while you're given a breath of fresh air in a seemingly moldy genre. As with Colin (2008), what we have here is a flick that easily exceeded any expectations I had of it. The only expectations I had were that I hoped it wouldn't suck. And it most definitely did not.

Wasting Away is a zomedy...do people say that? Zomedy? Is that frowned on? Or should I say Zom/Com? I'm gonna go with zomedy for now...then again, maybe I'll go with combie. Or maybe...I'll just switch it up and use all three. Yeah, that's what's gonna do down. So Wasting Away is a low-budget combie that in my opinion delivered a pretty damn satisfying flick. Our story revolves around a group of pals, two girls/two guys and one failed secret super soldier serum. To get a bit more specific the military, after failing with a super-soldier experiment attempted to dispose of this glowing green formula. Of course, along the way the truck on route to dispose of the stuff crashes and some of this toxic waste stuff gets into a carton of milk that one of our lead characters dumps into his soft-serve beer flavored ice-cream machine. And poof, after a little taste taste they're now, oblivious to them, zombies.

Wasting Away is a zomedy that had a great idea at it's core. Throughout most of the running time our characters have no idea they are zombies, and this leads to some genuine comedic moments. You're given perspectives from their point of view (shot in color), and perspectives from the non-infected point of view (in black and white), and this is where the movie thrives. As they walk around thinking they're acting totally normal, the style will switch to black and white, and a normal dude taking a whiz behind a dumpster will look up and see a bunch of zombies shuffling towards him. Then it'll switch back to their perspective again as they're walking normally to the guy taking a whiz, and they're trying to ask him a question. Again, switch back to the guy taking a whiz, and it just appears to be zombies making zombie gestures. May not sound that funny or fresh, but it totally is.

This zom/com without a doubt suckered me into it's fun style, but this combie ain't perfect by any means. Out of the five main characters, there are only two with any above average acting chops, but with a decent script, it wasn't that big of an issue for me. Unfortunately the flick is also full of bullet sized plot-holes. They're the type of plot-holes you could fill with a silly and dumb idea, but they're there nonetheless, and they do make you roll your eyes, but overall they weren't that annoying. Without a doubt my biggest issue, surprisingly enough, relates to their unique back and forth perspective. I really enjoyed this aspect to the film, but it was no way used enough, and at times not used correctly. The point of using this was to create silly scenes of these zombies doing human activities. But they only truly capitalized on this a couple of times, when they had numerous occasions to do so. Why wasn't there a switch during the bowling scene? Why wasn't there a switch when the kid was trying to talk to the parents? Why didn't they show them talking to any drunk people? I can go on and on with missed opportunities. But I suppose they did a good enough job there, as we did see zombies celebrating, making out, and even attempting to serve food in a inconspicuous manner. And I can only gather that it was either budget reasons, or just poor editing room decisions to why there wasn't more zombie silliness.

Jeez, I'm doing some rambling here. So let's wrap this bad boy up shall we? Wasting Away is without a doubt a moan of fresh zombie breath in a sub-genre that feels like it's becoming zombified. This is one combie that delivered much more than I thought it would, and also, now this is the make or break moment for my comment...it's a much better film than Zombieland. If you like zombies, and like comedies, and/or a mixture of the two, and of course don't mind low-budget flicks, then you should definitely give this one a chance.

"Wasting Away" actually surprised the life out of me, being the zombie fan that I am, I can say that, yeah! The idea behind this movie is simply put amazing, and it was really nice to see a new approach to the zombie genre.

The story in itself, is fairly mediocre, having a group of teenagers turning into the living dead by ingesting some chemical compound. I will not go into further details here, as to not spoil the movie. And then you see the world from their point of view, being zombies now. The world is different and people react to the teens oddly now (at least in their eyes).

Yeah, zombies are slow moving creatures, if you are fan of Romero's zombies, and these zombies are slow as well, but they perceive the world around them as if the living are running around in double speed. Great idea, new idea, but it didn't work out too well in practical use. The result was a bit too childishly comical, which I didn't really enjoy.

The movie takes you on an exciting ride at a good pace, and there are few dull moments in the movie. It is nice to see parts of the movie from both the living and the zombie's point of view.

As for the acting, well I think the people they had in the movie actually did good jobs, despite it being people that I was mostly unfamiliar with. And I think only a handful of the known celebrity faces would have been able to carry this movie without it having to turn into a major money-turning machine. So hats off to the actors/actresses work here in "Wasting Away".

If you are a fan of zombie movies, then you should definitely add "Wasting Away" to your DVD collection, because it brings a sharp edge and a new approach to the genre of the living dead.

A barrel of toxic goo turns four friends into zombies. However, the quartet are initially unaware that they are zombies and therefor perceive uninfected humans as bad and weird. Director Matthew Kohnen, who also co-wrote the witty script with Sean Kohnen, ingeniously turns the standard zombie horror premise on its moldy rotting ear by presenting the zombies as sympathetic protagonists who the audience identifies with and roots for as they stick together and do their best to avoid being killed by the living; one can't help but feel sorry for this appealing undead bunch as they display tremendous courage, loyalty, and resourcefulness while under constant duress. Moreover, Kohnen relates the nifty story at a snappy pace, delivers a goodly amount of suitably cartoonish gore, and ably mines a crafty and amusing line in engaging offbeat humor. The excellent acting by the tip-top cast keeps the picture humming: Matthew Davis, Julianna Robinson, Michael Grant Terry, and Betsy Beutler are fine and likable as the four main undead characters; they receive sturdy support from Colby French as tough army dude Nick Steele, Richard Riehle as the huffy Colonel South, Jack Orend as the arrogant Dr. Richter, Joel McCrary as smarmy rich cad Mark Kanan,and Tracey Walter as the cranky Mr. Whicks. Allan Fiterman's crisp cinematography neatly alternates between color and black and white. The appropriately over-dramatic score by The Newton Brothers hits the stirring spot. However, it's the sly way that this movie manages to wring loads of laughs and pathos from the unusual situation that in turn makes this film so special and winning. A highly welcome and refreshing departure from standard zombie fright fare.