Plot : ******* 7/10
The film opens with a mock up of the old 1950s style public service announcements, similar to those dealing with topics such as surviving a nuclear war, proper gender roles, or bicycle safety. This particular P.S.A. deals with zombies, giving the viewer details about this post- apocalyptic world, the rules and laws that govern the roles of the zombies within this fantastical society and facts about the primary dealer of zombies, Zomcon.
As the viewer leaves this black and white narration, the film opens onto a beautifully colored world and viewers are introduced to the Robinson family. It's revealed that the Robinson's are the only family in the town of Willard without any domesticated zombies and this fact seems to be a bone of contention between Bill (Dylan Baker) and Helen (Carrie-Anne Moss) Robinson, parents to young Timmy (Kesun Loder). The story is driven forward, when Jonathan Bottoms (Henry Czerny), Zomcon's new head of security, moves into the neighborhood, leaving Helen Robinson feeling compelled to buy a zombie in an effort to impress their new neighbor. To the dismay of his father, Young Timmy quickly befriends this new addition, naming him Fido, and treats this zombie much like a pet. Events spin out of control, when Fido (Billy Connolly) is accused of zombie attacks, resulting in a small band of re-animated zombies wreaking havoc on the town. The insurgence of zombies are ultimately hunted down by Zomcon forces, but, unfortunately, this is only the beginning of the trouble for Timmy and Fido. The incident provides Mr. Bottoms with the perfect opportunity to confiscate the lovable Fido and Timmy soon learns that, while his family had been told Fido had been destroyed for his apparent crimes, he was, in truth, being held at Zomcon with plans to reassign him with another family. This leads to a final confrontation between Bill Robinson and Jonathan Bottoms with Timmy caught in the middle.
Themes : ******** 8/10
Although Fido deals with two of life's most serious issues, it manages to do so in a fun and entertaining way. First, and most obviously, we are confronted with the issue of slavery, servitude and exploitation. We see these zombies domesticated and largely treated as pets, or, as in the case of the neighborhood playboy Mr. Theopolis (Tim Blake Nelson), as love slaves. Most of the people of Willard, however, treat the enslaved zombies as property, looking down upon them with disgust, ridicule, and contempt.
Secondly, somewhat more subtly, we see a society obsessed with death, possibly mirroring the fear that has plagued our own society in recent years. When we hear Bill Robinson remark that he is saving up for his son's funeral fund, as opposed to the college funds most of us establish for our children, we begin to see just how preoccupied they have become with the subject of death and the undead. We see the internal struggle of the characters with their own mortality, as the decision of whether or not to allow their bodies final rest is debated and contemplated. Finally, this theme of a death obsessed culture is driven home when we see Bill Robinson reading a magazine, which has a cover resembling Life magazine but, instead, is entitled Death.
Conflict: ****** 6/10
Fido presents the viewer with several points of conflict throughout the film. First, we are faced with the internal conflict of the characters, each of them trying to determine whether it is better to pursue a funeral, which will guarantee a final rest, or to return as a zombie, so that their loved ones can continue to have them in their lives. Is this conflict ever resolved? No, but, by the time the end credits roll, the viewer feels that the Robinsons at least have learned better how to deal with death and with the living.
The primary conflict grows out of a combination of Mr. Bottoms intrusive presence in the neighborhood and the bond Timmy has formed with his beloved Fido. The relationship between Fido and Timmy alarms the officious Mr. Bottoms and, as situations spiral out of control, he sees an opportunity to be rid of Timmy, as well as Fido. It is finally in this final confrontation that we see another conflict resolved, a struggle between an often absent father and his approval-seeking son, as Bill Robinson comes to Timmy's rescue.
Overall: ******* 7.5/10
Fido is a fun, enjoyable film with minimal gore, an easily followed story, and a likable cast. From the very moment of the opening sequence, throughout the entire film and until the end credits roll, director Andrew Currie succeeds in transporting the audience to a simpler time when zombies knew their place was in the service of the living. In Fido, we can escape to a time (and even an alternate reality) where the living have trained the undead to perform our most menial tasks for us with few accommodations. It is only when Timmy, feeling bullied and alone, befriends the family's first zombie servant that we begin to see the flaws in this system and it is this upsetting of the status quo that propels the story into a humorous jaunt of suburban life and zombies.
The film opens with a mock up of the old 1950s style public service announcements, similar to those dealing with topics such as surviving a nuclear war, proper gender roles, or bicycle safety. This particular P.S.A. deals with zombies, giving the viewer details about this post- apocalyptic world, the rules and laws that govern the roles of the zombies within this fantastical society and facts about the primary dealer of zombies, Zomcon.
As the viewer leaves this black and white narration, the film opens onto a beautifully colored world and viewers are introduced to the Robinson family. It's revealed that the Robinson's are the only family in the town of Willard without any domesticated zombies and this fact seems to be a bone of contention between Bill (Dylan Baker) and Helen (Carrie-Anne Moss) Robinson, parents to young Timmy (Kesun Loder). The story is driven forward, when Jonathan Bottoms (Henry Czerny), Zomcon's new head of security, moves into the neighborhood, leaving Helen Robinson feeling compelled to buy a zombie in an effort to impress their new neighbor. To the dismay of his father, Young Timmy quickly befriends this new addition, naming him Fido, and treats this zombie much like a pet. Events spin out of control, when Fido (Billy Connolly) is accused of zombie attacks, resulting in a small band of re-animated zombies wreaking havoc on the town. The insurgence of zombies are ultimately hunted down by Zomcon forces, but, unfortunately, this is only the beginning of the trouble for Timmy and Fido. The incident provides Mr. Bottoms with the perfect opportunity to confiscate the lovable Fido and Timmy soon learns that, while his family had been told Fido had been destroyed for his apparent crimes, he was, in truth, being held at Zomcon with plans to reassign him with another family. This leads to a final confrontation between Bill Robinson and Jonathan Bottoms with Timmy caught in the middle.
Themes : ******** 8/10
Although Fido deals with two of life's most serious issues, it manages to do so in a fun and entertaining way. First, and most obviously, we are confronted with the issue of slavery, servitude and exploitation. We see these zombies domesticated and largely treated as pets, or, as in the case of the neighborhood playboy Mr. Theopolis (Tim Blake Nelson), as love slaves. Most of the people of Willard, however, treat the enslaved zombies as property, looking down upon them with disgust, ridicule, and contempt.
Secondly, somewhat more subtly, we see a society obsessed with death, possibly mirroring the fear that has plagued our own society in recent years. When we hear Bill Robinson remark that he is saving up for his son's funeral fund, as opposed to the college funds most of us establish for our children, we begin to see just how preoccupied they have become with the subject of death and the undead. We see the internal struggle of the characters with their own mortality, as the decision of whether or not to allow their bodies final rest is debated and contemplated. Finally, this theme of a death obsessed culture is driven home when we see Bill Robinson reading a magazine, which has a cover resembling Life magazine but, instead, is entitled Death.
Conflict: ****** 6/10
Fido presents the viewer with several points of conflict throughout the film. First, we are faced with the internal conflict of the characters, each of them trying to determine whether it is better to pursue a funeral, which will guarantee a final rest, or to return as a zombie, so that their loved ones can continue to have them in their lives. Is this conflict ever resolved? No, but, by the time the end credits roll, the viewer feels that the Robinsons at least have learned better how to deal with death and with the living.
The primary conflict grows out of a combination of Mr. Bottoms intrusive presence in the neighborhood and the bond Timmy has formed with his beloved Fido. The relationship between Fido and Timmy alarms the officious Mr. Bottoms and, as situations spiral out of control, he sees an opportunity to be rid of Timmy, as well as Fido. It is finally in this final confrontation that we see another conflict resolved, a struggle between an often absent father and his approval-seeking son, as Bill Robinson comes to Timmy's rescue.
Overall: ******* 7.5/10
Fido is a fun, enjoyable film with minimal gore, an easily followed story, and a likable cast. From the very moment of the opening sequence, throughout the entire film and until the end credits roll, director Andrew Currie succeeds in transporting the audience to a simpler time when zombies knew their place was in the service of the living. In Fido, we can escape to a time (and even an alternate reality) where the living have trained the undead to perform our most menial tasks for us with few accommodations. It is only when Timmy, feeling bullied and alone, befriends the family's first zombie servant that we begin to see the flaws in this system and it is this upsetting of the status quo that propels the story into a humorous jaunt of suburban life and zombies.