If Shaun Of The Dead was a quaint British film that just happened to feature walking cadavers, Cockneys Vs Zombies is its East End cousin, the ruder, cruder and decidedly lewder relative thats more interested in exploding heads than romantic sub-plots. When the dead start to rise, Andy (Harry Treadaway) and Terry (Rasmus Hardiker) immediately fear for the safety of Ray (Alan Ford), the grandfather that raised them after their hippie parents unwisely took on police marksmen with machine guns (long story). They decide to set off on a rescue mission, little realizing that Rays safely ensconced inside a retirement home with Richard Briers, Honor Blackman and a cache of assault rifles. This is The Walking Dead scripted by Ricky Gervais, and your enjoyment will depend upon watching British TV veterans portraying octogenarian zombie killers (with walking frames and AK-47s). Gone are Shaun Of The Deads cricket bats and polite humour, and in come decapitations, raucous jokes, plus one-time Bionic Woman Michelle Ryan as a leather-clad, samurai sword-wielding locksmith (why not?). Its not gentle or genteel, but it is loads of fun.
Ian Watson is the author of 'Midnight Movie Madness', a 600+ page guide to "bad" movies from 'Reefer Madness' to 'Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead.'
