Fido (2006) Review
Directed by Andrew Currie
Starring:
Carrie-Anne Moss
Billy Connolly
Dylan Baker
Kesun Ray
Henry Czerny
Tim Blake Nelson
Running time: 91 minutes
Plot Synopsis: (via Wikipedia)
Fido is a 2006 Canadian zombie comedy film that takes place in a 1950s-esque alternate universe where radiation from space has turned the dead into zombies. In order to continue living normal lives, communities are fenced with the help of a governing corporation named Zomcon. Zomcon provides collars with accompanying remote controls to control the zombies’ hunger for flesh so as to use them as slaves or servants.
A bullied boy named Timmy befriends the zombie his mother has bought to be their household servant & names him ‘Fido’.
My Opinion:
I’ve been wanting to see this movie for years. I’m a big fan of zombie movies & enjoy a good zombie comedy. I’ve reviewed quite a few zomcoms on this blog & my favorite by far was The Return Of The Living Dead. Shaun Of The Dead is of course a classic now, Dead Snow was pretty fun, I kind of totally love Warm Bodies for some reason, and Life After Beth was a fairly big disappointment. Where does Fido rank? Well, I certainly liked it more than Life After Beth but it’s a pretty strange film. It wasn’t quite what I was expecting but I appreciate its uniqueness.
I loved that they set this in what appears to be the 1950s. Has there been another zombie movie set in this time period? It’s a great idea. It’s a cool contrast seeing stereotypical 1950’s perfect housewives using flesh-eating zombies as servants & knowing that those zombies will rip them apart if their remote-controlled domestication collars are removed. It’s like watching an episode of Leave It To Beaver with zombies. Actually, it reminded me a lot of The Stepford Wives (had that been a comedy – I’m not talking about that shitty remake that was supposedly a comedy but sucked and wasn’t funny).
Fido‘s concept is very clever and I understand that it’s satire but I’m not sure that it ever really lives up to its potential or makes its point. If it has a point? It’s not as obvious as the satire in a straightforward zombie film such as Romero’s Dawn Of The Dead but I suppose it’s maybe making a statement on corporations controlling the living just as the living control the undead with special collars? I don’t know. And although it’s a fun decade to explore as it’s so extremely different from nowadays, the 50’s satire thing has been done before and done better in plenty of other films. Still, it’s a fun movie and I really liked the setting.
Summary:
There’s not much else I can really say about Fido. I was hoping to like it more than I did as I’ve wanted to see it for ages but, overall, something about it didn’t really work for me. I loved the concept & the setting and thought the comedy worked fairly well. However, I didn’t think the characters were very strong and I lost interest a few times. I was hoping for more exploration of the main characters & their relationships with Billy Connolly’s Fido. Fido himself was disappointing as I suppose I was expecting a more loveable “Bub” type of zombie as in Day Of The Dead. In a way, I think it would have been better if they’d focused a little more on the zombies & their background stories. It’s a clever film but it’s another film that I felt like I “appreciated” more than actually enjoyed.
My Rating: 6/10
I saw this but didn’t really care for it. I know it is something I won’t ever watch again.
Yeah… I really was hoping to like it a lot more! π¦ It wasn’t terrible but I wouldn’t watch it again.
hmmm. you know I kinda enjoy zombie movies, but this doesn’t sound like i’d like it. I know you’re busy, but I just wanna make sure you got my RD email last week
You wouldn’t like it. π
Yes! I got it! Early, too! Thank you!! π
figured I’d go out with a bang π ( A promise is a promise) π
Does this mean you saw my other emails too? π
Yep! π
That poster has just put me off my lunch…
Sorry….. π¦ Good for a diet, I guess?? π
6???!?!?!?!!!! So worst zombie movie ever?
I actually saw this a few years ago. It was just ok.
Lol. I gave Life After Beth a 5.5!!!!!!! (I think. I’m too lazy to go check). Hey! You’ve heard of a movie I’ve seen! π Yep – just okay…
What are you doing watching a movie I’ve seen??? Do you have The Vapors???
I didn’t love this one either – I think a six is pretty generous….
Do you have plans to see Dead Snow 2? That’s got to be my favorite Zombie movie of the last decade or two….
Turning Japanese, I think I’m turning Japanese, I really think so! Yes, I liked Dead Snow so I’ll definitely check out the sequel sometime. Norwegians rule. π
Good call!
It’s a neat premise that this movie works with very well. Especially since the movie is actually quite funny, too. Good review.
Thanks! I was hoping to like it more but thought it was pretty funny at times. It was a good idea. π
Hmmm. Sounds interesting, lady! I do love a good zomcom, so I might give it a whirl at some point–but I won’t go in with big expectations. π
P.S. You are so not the only one with a soft spot for Warm Bodies. I thought it was going to be so dumb when I heard about it, but I love it!
Yeah… I’m not sure you’d go for this one. It’s very odd! Warm Bodies is much better. I know what you mean – I was like “zombie romance? Are you shitting me?!”. But then it was GOOD! π
Right?! It’s nice to be proven wrong sometimes! π
Nice one! I’ve often wondered about this film. Could never get my hands on it but it kept cropping up from time to time.
Well, it didn’t really live up to how much I’d hyped it up in my mind after wanting to see it for years. Not bad but not great. Don’t go out of your way to track it down. π
This is the first I’m hearing of this one but I’m keen to check this out! Sounds like a riot, but I’m prepared to be a little frustrated by what sounds like a lack of character depth in a movie that could really use it.
Yeah… It’s an odd one! Worth checking out if it sounds like your type of thing but, yeah – there’s really not much character depth.