Bong of the Dead (2011)
Alright. I’ll let you into a little secret. Ready? I’ve never smoked pot. Really, I haven’t. Why? That, is none of your business. But, I feel that before I review a pothead movie you understand that I’m a square. That’s it, I’ve said it. Want another secret? Okay, here it goes. I’m a gore hound that’s bored by zombie flicks. Nearly to tears to be honest. The gore world is over saturated with zombie carnage. I’m burnt out. I’ve seen too many zombie flicks and read too many zombie books. They’re not scary and honestly, not that interesting. Not anymore anyway. I used to love them. But no one is innovating anymore and it’s all a rotted flesh blur to me. I still love the walking dead but that’s really the final zombie stronghold for me. So, let’s review. Not a pothead and not a zombie fanatic.
I am however a sucker for zombie flicks and gore. I still watch them even though I know I won’t be happy. Perhaps its my own twisted form of self flagellation? Or maybe it’s like hanging out with a friend that used to be cool. They’re not cool anymore but you keep hanging around, hoping to recapture the fun you once had. I dunno but I am a sucker. I read about the Canadian import in question, its $5000 budget, its 2 years of post production and I just had to see it. My love for DIY horror will always outweigh my boredom of zombies. Always. So Bong of the Dead is about two potheads (duh) whom discover that a zombies putrified brains when mixed with potting soil, grows righteous weed. They run out of the brain juice and set out to collect more zombies for their hydroponic delight. Of course they are in no way prepared to fight zombies and eventually run afoul of a sentient zombie who wants to add them to his zombie army. Honestly that’s pretty much a subplot though. Really the film is about montages of pot smoking and slapstick silly humor. Are there zombies? Yes. Is it gory? Sure. But it’s almost like it’s not really a zombie flick. They’re just sort of there. The real story is between the two main characters and a woman they meet and party with. Yeah, the plot isn’t exactly strong here but it doesn’t need to be. Its just a silly flick with goofy characters and some gore ok? It’s not 28 days later and it’s not Shaun of the Dead. It’s just a silly little film and that’s ok with me. I was pleasantly surprised that the film hovered above my “too stupid to watch-o-meter,” and stayed there through the duration. The plot doesn’t lag and i found myself smiling at the movie if not out right laughing. The zombie effects are awesome, and the gore is well done. Hell there’s even CGI blood splatter and I thought it actually looked good.
The bottom line is that Bong of the Dead is a fun silly flick to sit around and watch with friends. If you’re a pothead I’m sure you’ll eat it up and if you’re not, well that’s ok too. It’s not going to set the world on fire and it doesn’t redefine the genre but it does what it was supposed to do. Entertain. Whether or not it actually gets any legs or is lost in the plethora of zombie flicks remains to be seen.
Gore: Medium
Nudity: none
Overall: 7/10