Anna and the Apocalypse (2018) Movie Review

The genesis of Anna and the Apocalypse, much like the film, is bittersweet. It originated in 2011 as a short film, Zombie Musical, from writer/director Ryan McHenry, who had plans to turn Zombie Musical into a feature and did some script work, but died of cancer in 2015 at age 27 before the project came to fruition. Alan McDonald (One Night in Sutherland Hill 2015) was brought on to finish the script and John McPhail was brought on to direct. The result is Anna and the Apocalypse, a musical teen-centered zombie comedy full of blood, guts, and most of all, heart. Read on for my thoughts on the film.

Anna and the Apocalypse was directed by John McPhail from a script by Ryan McHenry (Zombie Musical 2011) and Alan McDonald. The film stars Ella Hunt (Robot Overlords 2014), Malcolm Cumming (Long Lost 2017), Christopher Leveaux (Forgotten Man 2017), Marli Siu (Run 2019), Ben Wiggins (Cam2Cam 2014), Mark Benton (The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus 2009), Paul Kaye (Game of Thrones TV series) and Sarah Swire (Acres 2018), who is also responsible for the film’s choreography.

Synopsis:

A zombie apocalypse threatens the sleepy town of Little Haven – at Christmas – forcing Anna and her friends to fight, slash and sing their way to survival, facing the undead in a desperate race to reach their loved ones. But they soon discover that no one is safe in this new world, and with civilization falling apart around them, the only people they can truly rely on are each other.

Anna and the Apocalypse is a film that completely rocked my world and made me fall in love with it. The songs are wonderfully catchy, and the musical numbers are choreographed well. Two days later, and I still find the songs in my head to the point where I’ve been listening to them on Spotify every night after work. The young cast gave excellent performances, and I feel they all have bright futures ahead of them. Leading the cast is Ella Hunt as Anna, a young girl who is tired of her stagnant small town existence and hopes for something more. Hunt is utterly charming and has fantastic chemistry with Malcolm Cumming, who plays her best friend, John, who happens to harbor a major crush on her. I couldn’t help but smile every time they were on screen together. Paul Kaye was a real bastard as the villainous Arthur Savage, really hamming it up, less than a mustache twirl away from Snidely Whiplash. But I’ll be damned if he isn’t charismatic and easy to hate. The banter between Savage and Anna in the song, “Give Them A Show,” is fried gold.

Anna and the Apocalypse doesn’t break much new ground when it comes to the story, and that’s okay, it doesn’t need to. The film takes a standard story and executes it in a unique way, aided by wonderful performances and likable characters. Much like Shaun of the Dead before it, it’s unafraid to kill off many of the supporting cast members, the ones that you have grown to love, and even even a few that you are sure will survive until the credits roll. The final act put me through the emotional wringer, while still offering a satisfying – albeit bittersweet – ending.

Final Thoughts

Anna and the Apocalypse doesn’t reinvent the zombie film, but it won me over with its likable cast, fun characters, catchy musical numbers, and fearlessness in regards to killing off characters you care about. Anna and the Apocalypse is a fun and emotional ride that is a must see for fans of zombie comedies.