It’s hard finding a Zombie TV Show, so when I found Zomboat! on Reddit, which looked promising and got appreciation from other Redditors, I knew this had to be the next on my watchlist. On a genre, which is taken over and widely known by shows such as The Walking Dead and Z Nation, shows like Zomboat! can often get under the radar. But you don’t have to worry, you have MovBeans with you to suggest underrated zombie shows like this from time to time.
Zomboat! whose name perfectly describes the plot of the series - surviving a zombie apocalypse on a canal boat, is your typical zombie survival show with a nice proportion of humour in it. You won’t get to see something amazing or extraordinary, but if you want to have a fun, relaxing time while watching four ragtag characters trying to get out of a zombie infected Birmingham on a boat, then this series might be the right choice for you.
I know this whole “surviving zombie apocalypse on a boat” plot sounds ridiculous, but that works in the favour of this series and compliments its tone. Zomboat! is light-hearted and doesn’t really emphasize on anything serious in the apocalypse. Not every zombie show needs to be stern like The Walking Dead. Sometimes a show with a lighter tone is all you need to have an entertaining time, where one can just sit back, laugh and relax.
The Plot and Story of Zomboat!
This is one of those shows which does not have a plot in general, it’s just about these 4 characters and their life plus struggles after a zombie outbreak. They are not trying to find a cure for this outbreak, or trying to figure out the cause behind all this, they are just trying to survive in this sudden demonic world. Some of these cure & cause things were supposed to be handled in Season 2, which still has no signs of existence. So yes, Zomboat! is yet another show whose suspense & cliff-hanger I’ll take to my grave.
Anyway, compromising of just 6 episodes of 22-25 minutes each (just like any other British series), Zomboat! is easily bingeable, and the show is structured in such a way that once you start watching it, you’ll just want to keep the flow and reach till the end.
The Characters and Cast of Zomboat!
Zomboat! focuses mainly on 4 characters which are really the heart of this show. One side of the coin, you have two sisters Jo (Cara Theobold) and Kat (Leah Brotherhead) and on the other side, there are two friends Amar (Ryan McKen) and Sunny (Hamza Jeetooa) who were in Birmingham for a stag trip a.k.a bachelor party. Each character in the show brings their own unique personality to the table. Jo is your local beauty queen and is a type of girl to get jealous of her ex’s current partner, and there’s nothing more important to her than finding a shower after getting covered in zombie goo. Kat is the lesser attractive gamer sister who spends most of her time playing online multiplayer zombie games. She’s a geek who is well-versed in her zombie lore and doesn’t hesitate to reference shows like The Walking Dead or movies like Return of the Living Dead and 28 days later. Kat’s the one to make the brilliant plan of escaping Birmingham through Canal Boat as according to her, zombie can’t swim in the water.
Amar is a sensitive gym-obsessed lad for whom a protein bar is as imperative as surviving among these brain-eating maniacs. But on the opposite side of the spectrum, we have an antisocial introvert, Sunny, who was trying to neglect this whole stag night because he can’t stand his friends.
The characters can seem like a bit stereotypical; they aren’t exactly someone you haven’t seen before, but this show doesn’t let the characters use their stereotypical traits other than to generate humour in some scenes. Like, the character of Kat, being a zombie nerd, you would think she has the best chance of comprehending this situation and lead the group to glory, but as Thanos once said “Reality is often disappointing”, even the knowledge of Kat falls short in some situation. So, Zomboat! does a commendable job to manage its characters and give them both humorous and heartfelt moments.
Cinematography and Location
Birmingham is an alluring city and by being based on it, Zomboat! benefits hugely from it. With its pleasing canals and appealing scenery, every shot of this show with Birmingham as its background looks incredibly beautiful and satisfying.
This series doesn’t have a high budget. You can easily guess this by noticing the absence of some typical zombie genre elements like zombie action, city destruction, a large horde, and many more stuffs. But not a single second of Zomboat! lets you feel the repercussions of this tight budget, and thanks to the city, none of the scenes look cheap.
Theme Music of Zomboat!
I’m a big fan of theme songs, shows with a good enough theme music can last an impression on the audience and can help you to remember it for a longer time. I just adore the theme music of shows like How I Met Your Mother, Daredevil, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, You’re the Worst, Blue Mountain State, and I would like to add Zomboat! in that list too.
With its ingenious, animated title card and the use of the song Sleep Forever by Loup GarouX, the title sequence is guaranteed to leave a good impression in your mind. It sets the whole theme and tone of the show very well and prepares you for the wild yet funny adventure.
Zombies in Zomboat!
Finally, here comes the most important part of zombie genre: ZOMBIES. Zomboat! comprises of your usual slower-than-snail zombies, which walk even slower than my brain when it is asked to calculate something. From the show’s point of view, this was needed to complement the light tone of it. You can’t just place zombies like Volatiles from Dying Light franchise or those rageful agile zombies from 28 days later movie, in such shows and ruin the whole wacky stuff created by it. These slow zombies were essential and Zomboat! uses and fits them to overall premise very well.
For me, one of the most important things in this genre is the environment setting and that end-of-the-world feeling. Every movie/show should take some time from their overall runtime and focus on the surroundings, just to let their audience grasp the feeling. There are some movies which fail to do this and it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. But fortunately, Zomboat! is not one of them.
The zombies are shown frequently in some daily settings. I mean, an entire episode is focused on zombies inside a supermarket and to see the group trying to use their brain cell to be safe, is really entertaining. So, if you’re looking for that overall zombie apocalypse vibe and feeling, Zomboat! won’t disappoint.
Conclusion of this Zomboat! Review
Zomboat! at times may feel like a bit conventional because of its lack of an overarching plot but it’s filled with fun, wacky and humorous stuff to keep you going. The characters and actors help to carry this show and are an integral part of the premise. The zombies, though ordinary, are interesting enough to hold your attention and honestly, I wouldn’t mind watching a second series of Zomboat!
The ending completes the arc of this season, but still it is left with a cliffhanger that would have played a huge role in second season, which still has no news of development. So, if you’re craving for some fun zombie content on a nice-relaxing evening, you cannot go wrong with Zomboat! Watch this show and don’t forget to let me know about your opinion in the comment section below this article.