KL24: Zombies (2017)
“Will you just stop #@<%ing killing my family!”
Toxic bosses. Dysfunctional family members. Polygamous marriage. And Zombies.
…in Malaysia.
Zombies in the U.S. are fun. Zombies around the world are fascinating. Over the last few months, we’ve done deep dives on Z-flicks from Korea (Train to Busan) and France (The Night Eats the World). KL24: Zombies drives the undead bus to Kuala Lumpur (the “KL” in the title), the capital of Malaysia, for a take on how a brain munching plague might unfold in that city.
Directed by James Lee (Help! My Girlfriend is a Vampire) and Shamaine Othman, KL is built around three interrelated storylines: a group of office workers trapped in a building with a hungry boss; an awkward family dinner interrupted by some uninvited quests; and a tale of four Muslim women who carry over their loves, hates, and family politics into a battle for survival.
So how is this movie?
The Good:
Visiting KL a few years back, I was taken by the incredible diversity of the city. Made up of ethnic Indians and Chinese, local Malay, Muslims, Hindus, and a sprinkling of people from Thailand and Australia to the U.S. and U.K., it is the most cosmopolitan city I’ve ever visited. I was also surprised to find that English was the de facto common language, with many people speaking their “own” language with people with a similar background, but defaulting to English when speaking with others.
KL captures and faithfully represents that diversity masterfully.
The acting is, for the most part, also solid. The women in the film are particularly good, including Sharifah Amani (Zombitopia) as a human rights lawyer, Fatimah Abu Bakar as an angry wife hoping to escape an unhappy marriage, and Sue Tan as a mom trying to keep peace in her family before and after the dead rise.
A final plus - and one of the more interesting (soft Spoiler) things, is that pretty much everyone in the movie “knows” the rules of zombiehood…but many of those rules turn out to be wrong, creating enjoyable uncertainty for the moviegoer, and tragedy for some of the characters.
The Bad:
Although KL is marketed as a comedy - and it has some funny moments - this is not a light movie. Like most “serious” zombie films, it is a vehicle for social commentary: in this case an examination of diversity, class, religion, marriage, and social opportunity in the Malaysian capital. I enjoyed the social piece and though it made for a good movie, but someone expecting Shaun of the Dead will be disappointed.
Another potential drag is that the characters flip from English to Malay in mid-sentence. This is absolutely authentic, but could be distracting for some.
Finally, while the three feeding stories tie together pretty well - and are good as standalones - the wrap up is confusing and unsatisfying. People just start dying, black helicopters show up, and the movie abruptly ends.
The Verdict:
KL24: Zombies isn’t perfect. It’s not great. But it is a pretty good flick and a solid choice if you need a zombie fix and want to explore a few original ideas in a location that is new to most Americans.
You can catch the KL bug HERE.
Three out of Five Bowls of Bakuteh.
🍚🍚🍚
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