By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Even if you’re a fan of such films, most zombie movies share a major problem. Namely, that almost everything feels like a lame retread of what came before. Sure, we get the occasional international surprise like Train To Busan, but the vast majority of domestic films in this genre feel like warmed-over retreads of classics like George Romero’s Dawn Of the Dead. Here’s some good news for horror fiends, though: The Dead Don’t Die by Jim Jarmusch is now streaming on Netflix, and it’s truly unlike any zombie film you have ever seen before.
The Dead Don’t Die On Netflix
When you check out The Dead Don’t Die on Netflix, you’ll notice its deviation from the typical zombie formula right away thanks to the plot: it begins with two cops who find themselves in over their heads when the dead begin to rise even as the Earth’s rotation has been altered by polar fracking. These aren’t exactly action heroes though, and they soon discover that few are more efficient at dispatching the walking dead than the sword-wielding owner of a funeral home. Unfortunately, it soon becomes clear that this world is broken in a way that no gun or sword can ever truly change.
One of the most compelling reasons to stream The Dead Don’t Die on Netflix is for its amazing cast, including Bill Murray and Adam Driver (two genre legends from different generations) as our beleaguered police officers. Tilda Swinton, meanwhile, is the world’s deadliest funeral home director (complete with sword), and two travelers passing through town are played by Austin Butler and Selena Gomez. Veteran actors Steve Buscemi and Danny Glover play town residents, and musicians Iggy Pop and Tom Waits play, respectively, a zombie and a crazy hermit.
Believe it or not, that’s not even all the big names in The Dead Don’t Die…this quirky zombie film on Netflix also features Chloë Sevigny, Rosie Perez, Carol Kane, and so many more. However, indie film lovers will likely be more interested in the man behind the camera, Jim Jarmusch. He’s directed some truly groundbreaking films like Stranger Than Paradise, and this latest film allows him to do for the zombie genre what he did for the vampire genre with Only Lovers Left Alive: namely, turn it completely on its head.
Notably, The Dead Don’t Die gave Jarmusch his best opening at the box office, but “best” is relative. The movie only earned $15.3 million, and its sleep status is part of why so many are just now discovering the film on Netflix. Critics, meanwhile, didn’t know quite what to make of this zombie film, and it has a 53 percent critical score on Rotten Tomatoes. While the critics generally complained that Jarmusch’s experiments with tones and themes sometimes fell flat, they still praised the film for its killer cast and equally deadly wit.
Now, for the big question: if The Dead Don’t Die barely made a blip at the box office and didn’t even achieve a “fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes, why am I encouraging you to stream it on Netflix? As always, it’s worth remembering that critics are historically pretty harsh on most horror films that don’t market themselves as “elevated.” Frankly, it’s the same critics who insist that Emilia Pérez should win an Oscar for Best Picture (a film with a 74 percent critical score and a 20 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes) that like to dunk on your favorite horror films.
Additionally, The Dead Don’t Die is a genuinely fresh take on a genre that is very played out. It takes big swings and doesn’t always connect, but be honest, wouldn’t you rather watch a flawed but ambitious and creative indie zombie film than crap like Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead? In a world where this genre seems just as dead as its villains, Jim Jarmusch is at least trying something new.
Finally, call me a fanboy if you must, but I loved watching The Dead Don’t Die on Netflix because it’s full of awesome actors who could make the simple act of reading a phonebook seem downright riveting. Bill Murray and Adam Driver bounce so well off each other, and Tilda Swinton is delightful as a deadpan funeral home director who just happens to be the perfect post-apocalyptic samurai. Heck, this is a movie where Academy Award-nominated actors like Austin Butler play bit characters, and the veteran presence of talent like Danny Glover and Steve Buscemi makes even the most minor scenes captivating.
Will you like The Dead Don’t Die as much as me when you stream it on Netflix, or will this movie make you root for a real-life dawn of the dead? You won’t know until you stream it. Come for Bill Murray’s dry wit and stay for Tom Waits inexplicably stealing every scene he’s in.
