Overall Thoughts: Franchise finale ups the ante, but falls short of the original's heart.
Every recent generation has a Disney Channel franchise to love. For this current generation, the Zombies films have appealed thanks to it's music (of course), more kid-friendly twist on zombie genre films, and messages on diversity and inclusion. So, what happens when your franchise finale becomes a Disney+ exclusive, and not premiering on the channel where the first 2 landed?
Maybe it has to do with the budget, because it's clear that more effort was given in visual effects and presentation. The visual effects here are pretty strong for a franchise that started on television and may have been constrained by a TV-level budget. The spaceship is a solid creation, and there's a few nifty visual cues and touches that reminded me a little bit of Steven Spielberg's work on E.T. and Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
Every recent generation has a Disney Channel franchise to love. For this current generation, the Zombies films have appealed thanks to it's music (of course), more kid-friendly twist on zombie genre films, and messages on diversity and inclusion. So, what happens when your franchise finale becomes a Disney+ exclusive, and not premiering on the channel where the first 2 landed?
Maybe it has to do with the budget, because it's clear that more effort was given in visual effects and presentation. The visual effects here are pretty strong for a franchise that started on television and may have been constrained by a TV-level budget. The spaceship is a solid creation, and there's a few nifty visual cues and touches that reminded me a little bit of Steven Spielberg's work on E.T. and Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
The characters also have higher stakes, which makes them even more interesting this time around as well. Milo Manheim and Meg Donnelly haven't lost a step here, and they are joined by some solid new castmembers as well. Terry Hu, Matt Cornett (EJ from High School Musical: The Musical: The Series) and Kyra Tantao fit in well with the film's high school comedy feel. That being said, the cast of characters is growing and starting to feel like a little much to keep up with. The filmmakers do try their best to switch between characters in a way that keeps us interesting.
This one also feels like a respectable conclusion to a three-film storyline that centered around Addison's yearning to find where she belongs. That being said, I did feel like the resolution was pretty rushed on this one. Instead of giving Addison a slow, more believable realization, the film pretty much does not pay much mind to it until close to the end of the second act. Then it rushes through the emotional stakes without really giving us much time to process. The only part of this that manages to work as well as it does is a reprise of the original film's song, "Someday".
The soundtrack, overall, isn't quite as memorable as the first two films either. The opening number, "Alien Invasion", works pretty well from a thematic point of view. And, I could see it being an opening Broadway number. But it does not work from a melodic point of view, and it's not the earworm that "Flesh and Bone" was. Other than the "Someday" cover, most of the other songs are serviceable, but do not seem like tunes kids will be singing for months.
Ultimately, I think that the first Zombies did the best job of developing its characters, present emotional stakes and deliver solid messages in a way that didn't feel forced or preachy. With each successive film, there has been more pressure to check these boxes, but the overall heart and soul has gotten a little lost in the process. It doesn't help that the resolution felt rushed here.
In the end, for its' target audience, Zombies 3 will certainly work as a serviceable, sometimes emotionally affecting finale. For me, it (along with Descendants) seems to be a franchise where the original film seemed to connect and work the best.
Grade: C+
Is this film family-friendly? Zombies 3 is rated TV-G. There are a few lightly intense scenes involving pummeling, electrocution and characters energy getting zapped. A few romantic moments, and a hinted same-gender attraction towards the end are also present. Zed and Addison kiss a few times. Some property damage. A few characters lie and deceive. In the end, I'm not sure if the film should have been rated G due to its' moments of peril and a few questionable choices. Families of very young kids should view the movie first. But, ages 8 or 9 and up may be OK with pre-movie discussions.
Is this film family-friendly? Zombies 3 is rated TV-G. There are a few lightly intense scenes involving pummeling, electrocution and characters energy getting zapped. A few romantic moments, and a hinted same-gender attraction towards the end are also present. Zed and Addison kiss a few times. Some property damage. A few characters lie and deceive. In the end, I'm not sure if the film should have been rated G due to its' moments of peril and a few questionable choices. Families of very young kids should view the movie first. But, ages 8 or 9 and up may be OK with pre-movie discussions.
