Film Review: ZOMBIE TIDAL WAVE (2019)

ZOMBIE TIDAL WAVE **** USA 2019 Dir: Anthony C. Ferrante. 86 mins

As summer starts at a sleepy beach side resort all is not well under the ocean. An earthquake splits the ocean floor causing a sunken ship containing reanimated deceased human test subjects to wreak havoc on the bay. Fisherman Hunter (Ian Ziering), friend Ray (Shelton Jolivette) and his niece Jada (Eliza Mantengu) are out fishing trying to catch “the big one” yet keep getting interrupted by noisy drunken party boat goers. Moving away from the noise they drag up a dead body and haul it on board. The zombie awakes and bites Jada. Ray and Hunter push the zombie back overboard and rush Jada to hospital. Hunter takes Sheriff Akoni out to where they found the body and they discover the ship just as the zombies start massing causing a huge Tsunami to hit the town dropping hundreds of the undead on them that instantly attack turning everyone they can into flesh eating monsters. Hunter and his group make it to a secluded house where reclusive weirdo Driscoll (Randy Charach) lives. With his research and explosives they form a plan to save the town by blowing up the ship and ridding the town of the zombie plague. From the makers of SHARKNADO comes the movie you never knew you needed! Things may have gone downhill in the SHARKNADO franchise since part 3 but this proves that they are back on form. It’s schlocky, campy and well and truly bonkers!! The zombies in this are the best thing about it they could almost be Fulci zombies reinvented. They are the slow type, painted bright blue and covered in barnacles. Well the ones from the ocean are anyway, the fresh ones are slightly different. They all have one trait though and that is that headshots don’t seem to do anything to stop them. The only way to kill these ones is total decapitation or later on they learn that electrocution is also very effective. There are some great special effects for its budget, although I’m assuming this is at the top end of the Syfy movie budget, but there is great detail to the zombies and some brilliant skull munching shots. The action sequences and inventive weapons are pure genius. Who doesn’t love seeing zombies shoved into a wood chipper with blue blood and gore flying everywhere?! The characters in this are all the usual types you would expect to either love or hate. I feel there are more than usual that you actually warm too. As always they love to use a very cheesy pop music type soundtrack that will appeal to the mainstream teen audience, no difference here in fact they feature a really awful pop/punk boy band but give them the really cool name The Fulcis! The movie really does have the same plot as the SHARKNADO movies only with zombies. Ziering as our handsome, loner hero type that is just about to leave town and his love interest in search of adventures when the shit hits the fan. He stands by and saves the day then decides to stick around afterwards blah, blah the end. If it was anyone other than Ziering pulling this same plot every time I would be bored of this by now but it’s him and this is what he does. Everything he does starts and ends the same but it’s what happens in between that is the really entertaining thing and they do it so well. If you are not a fan of the SHARKNADO franchise then give this one a miss but people that love them, zombies, have a sense of humour , enjoy the irony and just want something fun to watch then definitely check this one out!