The Battery (2012)
Survivors: Jeremy Gardner (Ben); Adam Cronheim (Mickey)
The Gist
My Take: Here is a flick that I have wanted to see for a while and it finally came on VOD. Mickey and Ben are among the seemingly few survivors of a zombie apocalypse, wandering through the rural areas of Connecticut with no real purpose other than to stay alive. We watch as the pair do everyday things like brushing their teeth, eating and chatting but also getting on each nerves. It’s been several months since the zombie outbreak and these two casual acquaintances before the apocalypse are now bound to each other, dependent on one another for survival both mentally and physically. Ben relies on Mickey for companionship and Mickey relies on Ben to kill the zombies (since he hasn’t killed any) and keep him alive. Mickey hides from reality wearing headphones and listening to music to shut out what the world has become while Ben works to keep them alive. It’s an interesting dynamic and one that you could imagine happening in such an end of civilization world. But how tolerant would someone like Ben be of someone like Mickey who isn’t really pulling his own weight and just hiding and simpering from the zombies? If he is your only companion and the only one you can truly trust, than pretty damn tolerant I would think.
The majority of the scenes of this movie are the pair walking and interacting with music as the dialogue but when they actually speak to one another, their interactions are good and their conversations are edged with the reality of the situation, more so Ben as he tries to pull Mickey into the post apocalyptic world and make him accept this new reality. His approach in one situation may be considered cruel and dangerous but really, the man needs to learn to survive in case something happens to Ben; which would more than likely be Mickey’s fault anyway.
Final Thoughts: I liked this movie for the most part but there were some parts that I felt were dull. I liked the two contrasting characters and the way the film made them the only characters (mostly) so that there is a focus on their relationship without overcrowding it. That being said, there were too many sequences that were filled with them walking, playing baseball (I know that is a focal point of their friendship) and the brushing teeth part. I don’t really need to see something so mundane. The zombies themselves are background characters, set dressing, which is fine. This movie defiantly achieved the feeling of making you feeling claustrophobic, not just the stuck in a car surrounded by zombies things, but the emptiness of the world they are now living in and only being able to depend and trust one another. All and all, a good movie that slows down in parts but keeps you going until the end.
Dawning Creates 