Imagine if George Romero’s film had gone a different way and zombies were more like pets or servants. It would be the height of fashion to have one in your home, but if the safeguards failed they might make lunch out of you instead of serving you lunch.
Years ago the Earth was engulfed by a radioactive cloud and the dead rose from the grave. However, a scientist from ZomCon invented a control collar that domesticated the undead. Bill Robinson (Dylan Baker) has refused his wife Helen’s (Carrie-Ann Moss) requests to get them a zombie for the house.
Their son Timmy (K’Sun Ray) is leading a lonely life since mom is busy with the domestic duties and dad would rather spend time at the golf course. When Mr. Bottoms (Henry Czerny), a high-ranking ZomCon executive, moves in next-door Helen’s desire to keep up with the Joneses has the family get a zombie of their very own.
Timmy starts to get the attention that he was missing from his parents and he dubs the zombie Fido (Billy Connolly). Their other neighbor Mr. Theopolis (Tim Blake Nelson) also has a gal zombie, but his version of domestic bliss involves a little necrophilia on the side.
This tranquility is disturbed when Fido’s collar goes haywire and he eats the elderly neighbor. This sets off the ZomCon Corporation to try and track down the offending undead, but Timmy is hiding the identity of the rogue zombie since he’s become attached to Fido.
Fido is a comedy that relies on irony so there aren’t really many belly laughs, but a wry smile may appear on your zombified face. The world in which the undead shuffle through seems to have gotten stuck in the 50s. It made me wonder if the events of Romeo’s Night of the Living Dead happened and instead of continuing on the people of the time decided to freeze the world in happier times – the 1950s.
So everyone dresses in 50s attire and the men, more than likely, have a pipe and talk in platitudes. They seem to have a sheltered life in their little 1950s townships and the zombies that roam are prattling about like pets, but there seem to be large swaths of “forbidden” zone where the zombies roam like the ones that we’re familiar with in other movies.
What’s ironic is that young Timmy finds more human warmth in being friends with the cold skinned zombie than with his own father (who has zombie issues sure enough). The zombie actually is the one that has the most humanity, besides for a little snack of the old lady neighbor.
Special features include The Making of Fido, Composer Select Scene Audio Commentary Track, ZomCon "Zombie Me" Creator DVD-ROM game, Audio Commentary with Director Andrew Currie, Producer Mary Anne Waterhouse, and Actress Carrie-Anne Moss, Deleted Scenes with Optional Director Audio Commentary, Storyboard, Makeup and Concept Art Galleries, and the Theatrical Trailer.
Fido is a cute film that is an amusing one. I thought the performances were grand and a nice change of pace when compared to other zombie movies. Those looking for such will be glad when Fido finds his way home (unless he has a hungry look in his eye).
Fido is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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