Presents

Fido

Looking for something a bit different?  Well, then, I have the movie for you!  It's called Fido and it's basically the story of a boy and his dog...with one exception, the dog isn't canine, it's a zombie!

  Here's the story:  Set in the 1950s, after the zombie wars, a company (ZomCom) has discovered a way to neutralize the flesh-eating desire of zombies.  So, by simply placing a collar on the zombie, you can, for all intents and purposes, domesticate a zombie.  So, people are using zombies for everything from yard work to household chores to delivering the newspaper, it appears to be an idyllic life.  Except for one family, the Robinsons, it seems that Bill Robinson (the dad) has a stark fear of zombies, after a childhood trauma that involved killing his own father to keep from being eaten by him...a thing that would probably scar you for life, I think!  When Mrs. Robinson buys a zombie to 'keep up with the Joneses', the status symbol of having a zombie quickly turns into something else.  Young Timmy quickly bonds with the zombie and names him Fido, the zombie seems to understand Timmy and the two quickly become inseparable.

Fido isn't your typical zombie movie, it's even less typical than Shaun Of The Dead, the zombies aren't man eaters, and no one runs in fear from them.  Fido is more of a commentary on the family, because Timmy's father is uncomfortable getting close to anyone, and after his paternal incident earlier in life, that seems probable, Timmy bonds more directly with his zombie, and before the end of the movie, Fido becomes not only the family pet, but Timmy's role model and Mrs. Robinson's companion.  What you might believe to be a zombie movie is more a commentary on the nuclear family and, on a smaller level, corporate greed.  Fido is a great movie, whether you're a zombie fan or not, although it is a bit strange to think of the zombie as the 'hero' of the movie, by the end you'll find yourself rooting for Fido over any of the human characters!  I'm giving Fido four out of four cigars, because it's a totally original movie that deserved a wider release than it got.  Too bad that corporate Hollywood is too scared to take a chance on a great movie like this, but luckily for us, everything goes to DVD very quickly today!  I'd run out and grab Fido ASAP!  So, until next time, when I'll be sitting here quietly with my bowl full of brains, remember that the best movies are bad movies.