The Girl With All the Gifts (2016)

Elevator Pitch: The world is inhabited by hordes of brainless zombies who when roused will attack anyone who is still human. In a former airbase a group of children, born of zombie mothers, appear normal but still have the urge to kill and eat humans, and they are controlled educated, and experimented on by a military group. When the base is overrun a couple of soldiers, a doctor a teacher and one child, Melanie,  escape in an armoured vehicle, and in time the humans become dependent on the child for their survival.

Content: There is no sex, nudity, drug taking, drinking or smoking. Indeed no-one actually seems to change their clothing at all, except for Melanie. The children are controlled to prevent them from attacking their captors and so are strapped into wheelchairs. The base is overrun with what might be the usual zombie results. Out in the world London is a decaying city, the buildings overgrown, and zombies standing trancelike everywhere. The survivors sneak about and are gradually overcome. Melanie eat a cat and a pigeon (and we have seen her kill two soldiers but her fellow travellers have not).

A View: This film was quite well liked by the critics achieving 85% on Rotten Tomatoes, however despite its very moderate estimated production cost of $4 million, it seems unlikely to have made any money. Perhaps it’s something to do with what it does not contain, as listed above. I thought it held together pretty well although the escape and the progress throught the country was structured to provide a bit of plot. Why does the transport always break down or run out of petrol? You would think they would be prepared. But defitintely a watch for nothing if you like zombie outings.

Additional Info: The zombie infestation is based on the existence of “cordyceps” which are fungal infections which invade insect brains, causing them to be unwillingly propelled into a suitable place and then explode spreading the spores of the fungus where it infects further insects.