‘Reunion Z’: Movie Review
Daring and clever satire, though bland
Nothing lightens the mood more easily than a hint of humour. But to combine it with horror is the hardest task. Not only does it contradict, but it could also be inconsistent. Fortunately, Reunion Z proves otherwise.
The Indonesian movie, inspired by Shaun of the Dead (2004), sees a high school reunion that encounters a zombie apocalypse. It’s not too sudden and gigantic like that of Train to Busan, but it has that wide and alarming scope. As the victims bite survivors and make them victims, it all comes down to a former high school band to escape the school and kill the uncurable victims.
The universal first impression: it is riskily daring. It is filled with various dark slapstick humour, covering pedophilia and transgenderism, as well as other topics deemed taboo among the locals. It also satirizes various local culture, including soap operas. Finally, a place to poke fun at these things other than in memes. But don’t worry, foreigners: Reunion Z isn’t really an inside joke. You should, though, know that Joko Anwar made a film called Pengabdi Setan, and there’s an actress named Prilly Latuconsina. This ambitious goal of the script is well understood by the cast, who are natural and immersive.
But that’s just what the movie wants to focus on: laughs and some sprinkles of jolts. As horror, the movie is bland. As drama, the movie is bland. It feels like the movie excessively focused on humour that it forgot its place: a movie, first watched on the big screen, then on home media by aficionados. It’s neutral in the first half, but in the rest, it starts getting clear the movie’s undertones and starts getting a little bit cliche, paid off by an unsatisfying ending.
Reunion Z could be a lighthearted treat, a B-movie and lamer version of Airplane!. And despite being weak, the weakness could further empower the way you perceive the movie. You just gotta try manipulating it.
GENRE: Satire, drama
DURATION: 1 hour 36 minutes
WATCHED ON: Netflix
AGE RATING: 14+
LANGUAGE: Indonesian, English
