I always laugh a little when talking about the Zombi 'series.' In no way are any of the films connected. They have different stars, directors (since Fulci deserted Zombi 3) and no common plot threads. Even bad series' like Critters and the later Halloween films had continuity of some sort. These random films about different kinds of zombies in different locales are still interesting though. While they don't always (or seemingly-ever) make sense, the stories are unique enough to get your attention. Does this still hold true? Find out in my review of...
I just want to take a moment to comment on how stupid that title is. Of course, the movie itself merely says 'After Death,' implying pretty directly that the 'Zombi 4' part of it was added later. Big surprise.
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The plot starts off strange and never looks back. An introductory monologue explains that a group of scientists formed an island community centered around the idea of curing all diseases. How do we end up with zombies? Find out. A Ruben-esque voodoo priest is summoning up some evil power, while a bunch of white people run to stop him. They show up armed, but he is not worried. He explains that their failure to save his son has driven him to revenge. You, sir, are no Doctor Phibes. One of the men finally snaps and fills the guy full of Uzi bullets, but it is too late. A zombie lady (who looks like the lady vampire from Blacula) leaps out of the mystical hole Mortal Kombat-style and attacks. Start running!
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Basically, a bunch of them run around and get killed every time that they stop for no reason. One little girl escapes and is given a necklace so that when see her in the present, we know who she is. She arrives on the island as an adult with a bunch of mercenaries on vacation. Why they are together is very vague. As vague as the 'magical pull' that forces their boat there. They wander around until one of them is attacked. Despite his combat training, he barely fends off the hooded zombie and gets bitten. Naturally, after all of this, they wander into a house and look around.
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We get a second set of protagonists, though their longevity is minimal. Basically, they wander into a cave and decide to read the Book of the Dead. No, not that one. The scientist who insisted on doing it is torn apart, as is the girl who told them not to- fair enough, movie. One guy escapes...somehow and runs off. Just to note, this guy is played by an infamous gay porn star. According to an interview with the director, he had no clue at the time. Oops.
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This gets pretty formulaic from here-on out for the most part. They stand around until someone gets converted into a zombie and bites them. Meanwhile, the house gets surrounded by hooded zombies, but a mass of bullets slows them down. We get a side-aspect of some candles being set up that stop the zombie horde...but not the ones inside. This keeps being blown out, feeling almost like a comedy of errors. Our heroes still die in obvious ways, but one unique thing happens. Zombie with guns! All of you people who are in love with Land of the Dead's 'zombie uses gun' scene can suck it! Of course, this film does not have Asia Argento shooting zombies, so it is still inferior. This movie also ends in a really strange way that I will not even attempt to explain.
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Is this movie good? Do you really have to ask? It is called Zombie 4: After Death! The real question is this: is it entertaining? Oddly, yes. In spite of itself, the movie is fun to laugh at and pretty well-paced. Because they barely stop to explain the plot, the film moves pretty briskly. Should it take time to explain things? Yeah, that would be nice. Logic goes out the window the second you hear that ridiculous pop song in the opening credits though. If you can accept that this movie is really dumb and makes no sense, you may have a little fun. You have zombies with machine guns- what else do you need?
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What is worse than killer zombies? Super-intelligent rats...in the future! Stay tuned...
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