"A fast-paced feature that keeps you engrossed throughout, not taking itself too seriously in the process..."

Cockneys vs Zombies. Strippers vs Werewolves. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Lesbian Vampire Killers. If there one thing that can be proved from this array of absurd and supposedly original film titles – is that they aren’t so original after all.

Set in the East End of London, we follow brothers Andy (Harry Treadaway) and Terry (Rasmus Hardiker), desperate to stump up some money to avoid their grandfather’s (Alan Ford) retirement home being shut down. Out of ideas, they decide to rob a bank – alongside their cousin Katy (Michelle Ryan), friend Davey (Jack Doolan) and hot-headed local gangster Mental Mickey (Ashley ‘Bashy’ Thomas). However the proposed robbery doesn’t go exactly as planned.

The police are made aware of the situation and although the group take hostages and prepare for a potentially fatal situation – it soon transpires that the police have disappeared – taken alive by zombies who are gradually occupying East London, having fled a tomb curiously re-opened by innocent construction workers. The exasperated group now have far more than a jail sentence to worry about as they fight for their lives and try to save their grandfather as they tackle the hundreds of zombies roaming the streets.

Despite Matthias Hoene’s action comedy surpassing all expectations and proving to be a very enjoyable movie – it’s somewhat difficult to heap too much praise upon it as it’s a carbon-copy of a certain Shaun of the Dead. The quality is certainly there, there’s no question of that – but it’s difficult to look past the fact that Shaun of the Dead came first. Had Cockneys vs Zombies been released ten years ago it could genuinely be perceived as a classic British comedy, but it simply doesn’t feel original or innovative enough. The whole ordinary people in contemporary London taking on zombies narrative has been done before.

However when looking upon Cockneys vs Zombies as a stand alone picture, there are certainly positives to be taken. James Moran has written a sharp and witty script – with a host of laugh out loud moments littered across the film. There’s also a poignant sub-plot focusing on the grandfather which manages to avoid sentimentality.  The story of them saving the retirement home isn’t overplayed and as a result the film remains as a full-on action caper – only right really, as considering it’s a film based around zombies we really don’t need any mawkish realism clogging up our time. It’s an absurd, fantastical premise and Hoene does a good job playing up to this novelty factor.

The whole cockney thing does become somewhat predictable at points however, with unnecessary uses of rhyming slang, not to mention the ridiculous emotional speech at the end about East London. However on a positive note, Thomas turns in a brilliant performance as Mental Mickey – head and shoulders the stand-out performer, as an actor that is showing much promise in the early stages of his career. Thomas’ versatility has been highlighted recently in that his role in The Man Inside was that of a subtle and affecting character, whereas in this he is just a full-on nutter.

Cockneys vs Zombies is simply a fast-paced feature that keeps you engrossed throughout, not taking itself too seriously in the process. And as the Olympic Games came to an end in recent weeks, the triumphant event has done wonders for the local area and the East End of London in general. So it seems somewhat ironic and almost fitting that the area has now been completely taken over by zombies. Normal life resumes.