What do we get when SARS combines with Ebola? Today's movie! 2015 "Ebola Zombies" (aka "SARS Zombies") comes to us from Hong Kong, and may be ripped out of the headlines from last year. As SARS fizzled 10 years ago, the Ebola outbreak did the same (at least in the U.S.) last year. The dire predictions of entire U.S. cities being overrun by Ebola never manifested. In a weird sort of way, I really think this disappointed a lot of people. Survivalist wannabes who have been hording bottled water and Power Bars are convinced they will outlast their neighbors. In today's film, the outbreak is sudden, and no amount of preparation will spare anyone from the carnage. Heavy on the gore, and martial arts, this film paints a picture of what the Ebola outbreak could have been, if the fantasies of the demented played out like news services predicted it would.
Sam (Samuel Leong, also the director) leads his two cohorts into a highrise in order to rob a jewelry store. Him, Cash (Cash lee), and Jack (Jack Chan) murder five security guards in gory fashion and gain entry to the diamond exchange. As our thugs round up all the employees, a surviving guard runs out the door. Cash chases him into a neighboring unit, which is a secret lab run by a mad scientist. These labs flourish in Hong Kong. Sam follows cash into the lab and they meet the doctor. In trying to find a vaccine that kills SARS (which killed his wife ten years ago), he invented one that turns people into zombies. Zombies don't get SARS or Ebola....thus his experiments were a success. Uh oh, the mad scientist is accompanied by a little girl, YoYo, who is a carrier, but immune to the effects. YoYo bites Cash....and you can guess what happens (see picture below). Upon further inspection, Sam finds a headless corpse, attached to a brain with wires, which reanimates when injected with the vaccine. Uh oh, he also finds "specimens." These unfortunate souls are now zombies, after the scientist injected them.
Too late, before Sam and his thugs can get back to their heist, the entire building has turned. The few remaining survivors are quickly set upon by these Asian ghouls. In one horrifying clip, the beautiful Lisa (Anna Chan) and her paramour attempt to flee in an elevator. Lisa is pulled out by a horde of these things and her suddenly chivalrous BF tries to help (pictured below). You can imagine the ripping that results which will eventually have Lisa eating the schmuck's tongue. Now the remnants of Sam's gang, a surviving guard, and YoYo must not only survive the undead...but also each other. Sam is determined to kill YoYo believing she is a carrier, but the guard is determined to get her to government health services believing she holds the cure.
The gore is intense, though the story isn't entirely new. Perhaps a metaphor of mainland China's increasing authority over Hong Kong, this movie is best when overlooking any metaphor. This DVD is reasonably priced on Amazon. So, as the bird flu threatens a comeback....take a look at "Ebola Zombies" for some clarity on what to expect this summer.
You have piqued my interest. Looks very interesting and you had me hook, line and sinker with "the gore is intense". Great review my friend.
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