Antipodean movies don’t tend to get much exposure over here
in the UK, but sometimes one comes along that stands out from most. Films such
as Australiens, Housebound and the Wyrmwood movies are all great genre movies
with that wonderful bizarre humour that tends to only comes from Australia and
New Zealand, mixed nicely with the drama and scares.
Dead was released in 2020 and stars comedian Thomas
Sainsbury, whom you may know from the “What we do in the Shadows” spin-off
“Wellington Paranormal” as hapless Constable Parker. I recently came across
this on the usual streaming services and it was well worth the investment.
The movie tells the story of Marbles (Sainsbury), a stoner
who can see and communicate with ghosts. Whether he likes it or not. One day,
he comes across the ghost of Police Officer Jayson Tagg (Hayden Weal), recently
killed in the line of duty and minus his pants (which means poor Weal spends
the entire film in his undies). Together, they try to catch a serial killer who
appears to be bumping off young gay men. While this sounds like it should be
serious stuff, the movie doesn’t hold back from playing it for laughs.
As the buddy-cop friendship develops between Marbles and
Tagg, the copper’s reasons for being so steadfast in his attempts to catch the
killer are teased out bit by bit. Their investigations lead to them to an array
of quirky oddball characters and bizarre plot twists which also involve
zombies.
While some of the jokes do fall a little flat, there is
plenty to enjoy in this light-hearted and very silly romp. However, it is a
romp with a lot of heart and leads to a cheesy, yet very sweet ending.
There have been a lot of movies lately that built up a
concept only to fall flat on it’s face, and I’ve written quite a few entries
which haven’t been over complimentary where this occurs. “Dead” might not be
the biggest, incredible movie of all time, but it is one of the few recent
movies that has made me laugh out loud, smile at the right moments, and just
make me feel warm and happy inside.
The movie is definitely Sainsbury’s vehicle, and he leads
the it well portraying Marbles as someone with this incredible gift that
doesn’t really want it but helps people anyway. Weal deserves kudos for
portraying Tagg as this funny, affectionate and dedicated copper, with secrets of his own, and doing it ALL without trousers.
Written by its two stars and directed by Weal, they know exactly what to do in order to get the most from each and every shot. The love and care for the material shines through.
If you like Antipodean cinema and genre movies in general,
you would do well in investing time with this one. It might not rock your
world, but you won’t regret it.
Year: 2020
Availability: digitally to buy or rent
Rating: 7/10
