Can you imagine the smell in that car... funky
The Battery
Directed by Jeremy Gardner
Rated R, 101 minutes
"The Battery" is about baseball. "The Battery" is about
friendship. "The Battery" is about survival. But most importantly, "The Battery" is
about zombies. Two former baseball players – Mickey and Ben – travel from stop
to stop scavenging what they can along the way. They find a good location and
hang out for a day or two and then hit the road again, never staying too long at
each stop.
Mickey spends the majority of the time with his headphones on, drowning out the dangerous world around him with a wide selection of indie rock tunes. The music is good, which is an important key because there is so much of it… although some of the songs grew tiresome, others deserved a second listen. He is soft spoken and just can't adjust to the new world.
Mickey spends the majority of the time with his headphones on, drowning out the dangerous world around him with a wide selection of indie rock tunes. The music is good, which is an important key because there is so much of it… although some of the songs grew tiresome, others deserved a second listen. He is soft spoken and just can't adjust to the new world.
Ben does most of the heavy lifting = zombie killing. He goes into a new location 1st while mickey stands on lookout. Sometimes he has to kill zombies, which is he is good at, and sometimes the buildings are vacant. Ben realizes what the world has become and sees the need to keep moving. He is a snarky asshole, but Mickey deals with it because without Ben, he'd be lost.
just two dudes having a good time
The duo has a
never-ending game of catch to kill the time, which draws on the title of the
film, they’re a team, a battery, and they have to work together to survive. And although
the budget is small, the story works as they keep the onscreen kills to a
minimum, and offer small tight shots when the mobs of zombies attack. Sure, the effects are not great, but they don't have to be. It’s an interesting
concept when you break it down… just a couple of dudes traveling
around and looting homes [including an ex-girlfriend], because they can. Every
now and again, ben kills some zombies and the two find something useful.
I really liked the
way “The Battery” unfolded. Not too fast or showy, just a buddy road movie that
evolves into something horrifying. It’s a small and quiet film, but it’s a
smart addition to the zombie genre and definitely worth checking out [rent it
for $3.99 on iTunes].
