Rammbock: Berlin Undead review

Let’s start off by pointing out that the majority of reviewers are so sick to death of the thousands of reels of zombie films they are forced to sit through has made them, how shall we put it, apathetic, uninterested and heading for the drinks cabinet. There are only so many times you can sit and watch drooling people who are both angry and stupid shuffling around with milky eyes and bloody mouths before you cry enough!

To make a zombie film the slightest bit interesting it has to be more than funny, it has to have more that blood and gore it has to be, in a word, different. So is it possible nowadays to make a zombie flick that ticks all the boxes and can actually earn the reviewer’s respect, and credit where its due, Rammbock does this in style.

You may not realise how good this film right off, in fact, it probably won’t be until the end credits have rolled that you will think ‘wow, that was good’. It invariably includes many of the standard zombie tropes, and for the first half of the film it is hard to know whether these are going to lead anywhere new or exciting.

It doesn’t really help matters that the main protagonist Michael, or Michi, a weasly looking individual who thinks the best way of winning back the affections of Gabi, his ex girlfriend, is by travelling from Vienna to Berlin to deliver her keys back in person, can only be described as a douche. You will not care if Gabi takes him back or not, and will probably applaud her for ditching this loser in the first place.

One thing that lameness does bring with it, however, is a great potential for character growth and development, and once the first half has been dispensed with, it thankfully quickly gets into the good stuff. Not long after Michael has arrived at Gabi’s apartment, zombie hell breaks loose big style, ala 28 Days Later. Just as in 28 Days, the zombies have been infected by a virus that causes them to rage against anyone they meet.

The nature of this virus, however, is rather different, and there is hope for those infected as long as they can remain calm. The virus is actually activated by stress, so theoretically, if the infected is able to remain calm long enough, the body is capable of fighting off the virus. The premise of a virus that feeds on emotion is the first sign that Rammbock is different from the other zombie flicks.

The British title for this film is Siege of the Dead, which is a better title than the Berlin one to be honest, as the former gives the impression that this whole zombie thing is restricted to that one city, as opposed to it being the world in peril, as is obviously the case where viruses of this magnitude is concerned.

The emotional angle is well played out in this film, and from the pile of discarded, disgusting and diabolical zombie flicks that have cluttered the screens for years, this one stands out a mile and is well worth a look.