The Dead Don't Die (2019)

Chief Robertson (Bill Murray) and Officer Peterson (Adam Driver) drive to the outskirts of town and hike into the woods.  Ronnie Peterson brings the shotgun.  They find a skinned squirrel.  Hiding in the bushes is Hermit Bob (Tom Waits).  Chief Cliff Robertson asks him not to steal Frank's chickens; it's illegal.  Bob replies by saying, "F--- you, Cliff!"  They return to the patrol car and drive back to town.  It is noteworthy that it is still light out despite being after 8 PM.  Something weird is happening.  The news discounts the theory that polar fracking has caused the earth's tilt to change.

"This won't end well," Ronnie predicts.

The town of Centerville has a population under 1000, some of whom are met as Cliff and Ronnie head back to the station.  There's Billy (Caleb Landry Jones) who runs a combo gas station and comicbook shop, Hank (Danny Glover) who owns the hardware store, Frank (Steve Buscemi) the farmer, Zelda (Tilda Swinton) the new owner of the funeral home, Fern who owns the diner, Lily the cleaning lady, a trio of delinquents at the Juvenile Detention Center, Danny the motel owner, and a trio of hipsters who have stopped for the night, and Mindy (Chloe Sevigny) the other police officer.  With all the characters introduced, the zombies arise and commence to dine.

The movie is not your usual zombie movie.  Some of the characters are entirely self-aware.  Early on, Ronnie declares that the music on the radio is the theme song; it is the theme song to the movie.  Later, he explains how he knows that it won't end well; he read the script.  For a zombie film, it is never scary.  If there was a point, it might be found in the ramblings of Hermit Bob as he witnesses the destruction of Centerville by the zombie hordes.  Maybe everyone was zombies already, mindlessly pursuing consumerism and their useless hobbies.  The world is a terrible place.

There are scenes that might have been funny but weren't.  There were parts that could have been scary but weren't.  The bonds between the characters were almost nil, to where the death of someone was often met with little more than a shrug.  Tilda Swinton's character was completely bonkers!  Some characters are completely pointless, namely the hipsters and the juvenile delinquents.  Why bother with either?  Give more time to the principal characters.

With such a cast, this was a disappointment.  Skip.