Rating of
4/4
Pontypool.
TrifibianTerror - wrote on 03/03/10
Pontypool.
What can you say about Pontypool? A small Canadian town infected randomly by a zombie virus carried not by blood, spit, air or water - but the English Language. Wow, that's damned odd. It's such a surreal, yet brilliant concept that you have to love it.
The film centres around Gant Mazzy, a radio DJ in the small town, alongside his producer, Sydney Briar and colleague Laurel-Ann Drummond. When strange reports from Ken in the 'Sunshine Chopper' come in about attacks, mobs and violent crowds, Grant takes it on himself to relay the horrific news to the public. But things take a turn for the worst when Laurel-Ann takes a turn for the worst, when she is seemingly infected by the rampant virus. It is then when Dr. Mendez arrives from his exploded pharmacy that the hideous realization takes hold: this virus, this God Bug, his transferred by language, or certain English words and the 'zombies' hunt by being attracted to sound.
When I saw this, at the end, I was gobsmacked - quite literally. The idea that this virus that basically drives you to primitive hunting instincts, whilst retaining the group of zombies idea, is pretty frightening.
Symptoms include:
-repetition of words
-attraction to sound
-unknowingly hunting your fellow man
-devouring human flesh
I really loved this film; it's such an odd concept that it actually becomes original. And the virus is unknown, too. We don't where it came from, what words spread it, or if it will jump languages. In fact, the characters in the film start seaking French or writing things own in order to stop the spread of the virus. But of course, Grant being a radio DJ, his voice may be unwittingly spreading the virus by way of radio waves...
Grant does, however, manage to cure Sydney from the virus by jumbling words and making them different from what they mean, i.e, Kill is Kiss.
I still don't wholly understand the virus' idea. It's spread by language, but the tactic of disinfection still confuses me a little. From what I understand, the word the infectee mumbles constantly is repeate dso much as to remove all meaning of it, so it just becomes a jumble of letters. So, by choosing a word similar in structure, but wholly different, this confuses the infectee and removes the infection from the brain by refreshing it.
Apart from that, and the fact the whole cat thing was pointless, I absolutely loved this film. It was original, scary and humourous, without ruining the mood of the zombie outbreak.
Seriously, I heartily reccomend you find this and watch it.
Remember, Kill is Kiss.
