“Among The Living” is the latest movie directed by Rob Worsey, starring the likes of George Newton, Gary Stead, and Dean Michael Gregory in leading roles. This film strikes a decent balance between action and suspense. But for Zombies fans, this movie is by no means a riveting tale. In the film’s opening sequence, we see citizens and law enforcement officers communicating through walkie-talkies to share intelligence on the zombie outbreak. The abrupt, widespread death and destruction caused by the mysterious disease wiped out the majority of the populace. The narrative swings between Harry, the eldest sibling, and Lily, the youngest, and their struggle for survival. Harry and Lily are strangers to the newfound reality and must take precautions to avoid infection and stay away from the undead, who, by every passing day, evolve and are hell-bent on feeding on them. Moreover, walkers have a keen sense of smell and can easily pinpoint their prey by following the scent of blood, so they must be careful not to lose any blood at any point in their trip. The film follows two siblings as they find their place in this zombie-infested world. There have been other films exploring the zombie genre. However, this one goes further by demonstrating strategies for surviving in the wake of a terrible zombie pandemic that turns humans into vicious monsters.
The Survival Of The Fittest
No zombie movie is complete without the iconic chase sequence. As the movie gains pace, we see a horde of people chasing the siblings, but Harry and Lily successfully manage to outrun the horde, barely escaping with their lives. At first, Harry discovered that his mother had contracted an infection and had turned blood-thirsty while both Harry and Lily were at home. The zombie attacked Lily, but Harry intervened and managed to save his sister. Realizing that they can no longer stay in the house, the siblings decide to gather their things and supplies to find a new safe place to hide. The world has gone mad, and nothing makes sense anymore. The friends and family they hold dear have all turned into blood-thirsty walkers.
After Lily discovered blood dripping from her thigh as they made their way through the woods in search of safe haven, Harry taped the wound in order to stop the blood, but it had already attracted a nearby zombie, who, upon smelling the blood, attacked them. This is one of the best scenes in the movie and establishes a new concept. In conventional zombie movies and series like The Walking Dead, The Dead Next Door, and World War Z, the zombies react to sound but not the smell of blood. The journey resumes, and we see the siblings coming across an abandoned house. Harry suggests Lily to look for batteries and supplies and leave the house as soon as possible. We also see Harry and Lily bonding over and reminiscing about the good times they spent together as kids. However, their moment was short-lived, as we hear someone pounding continuously at the door. The next scene reveals the stranger as the owner of the house who attacks the siblings, mistaking them for zombies. However, Harry was able to calm him down by explaining that they had broken into his house only to find shelter. The movie doesn’t have many characters, but its dark tone makes up for its one-dimensional roles. Like any other balanced zombie movie, “Among The Living” brilliantly demonstrates the weaknesses and abilities of the zombies by pushing its characters into a stressful situation, leaving them to fight their way out. In one of the scenes Harry uses a flashlight to drive off an infected, which subtly implies that the undead is light aversive. Also, even a minor cut could put that person in a dangerous situation, and in order to stop bleeding, one covers the wound with duct tape, which not only stops bleeding but also eliminates the stench of blood.
It seems like Lily is recovering from her wounds at Karl’s cottage. She appears to have settled in well with Karl and to be relishing his company. Harry, however, notices something odd about Karl. The tension builds, and the audience assumes that Karl is a threat to both Harry and Lily, but that’s not the case. Even though the first ten minutes establish the siblings’ intentions to find their father, the story’s goal is something much different. Harry and Lily took every step possible to keep themselves safe from the zombie horde, which, in my view, is in line with the theory of survival of the fittest. As the story advances, Harry develops skills to survive amid a zombie apocalypse, including his search for supplies, avoiding infection, and fighting back if necessary. The movie often confronts him with a moral conundrum, wherein he must make a difficult choice in order to save his own life. Without any doubt, the plot will have you rooted in one spot and interested right up to the conclusion. The plot is interesting and packed with tension, even if there isn’t a lot of action at the time. There comes a moment when Harry has to decide whether to be a nice guy or a zombie killer, and he ultimately chooses to be the latter to ensure his sister’s well-being. But did Harry completely deplete his humanity? No!! His conscience plagues him, yet he chooses to act out of need rather than morality. The fact that Harry doesn’t whine and weep and instead chooses to stand up for himself shows that he’s grown up considerably since the film’s outset.
‘Among The Living’ Ending Explained: Did Harry And Lily Survive?
The climax of the movie unfolds several scenes that were left out in the beginning, like Harry and Lily making friends with a mute guy named Jack, who saved them from zombies. Jack even offered Harry his jacket while he was shivering in the cold, which is the same jacket he noticed on Karl’s couch. This little discovery catapults Harry’s hatred toward Karl even more. He is faced with a situation where he must decide whether to kill Karl or not. Will Harry kill Karl? Harry instigated a fight with Karl since Karl killed someone who had previously rescued Harry from zombies.
Harry perceived Karl to be a cold-blooded killer whose trap claimed many victims and even hurt Lily. Karl, in fact, set up a series of traps around his house to deter any zombies from approaching. Harry noted that Karl always seemed to have a hammer on him to fight against the undead. Harry’s mind continued to rehash all of these events, and he eventually came to the realization that Karl was nothing but a cold-blooded killer. Harry is again confronted by his moral dilemmas and needs to decide whether or not to partner with a killer whose traps have killed many. Harry finally gives in to his real intentions and kills Karl, proving that he has succumbed to the same level as Karl. Harry and Lily leave the house at the end and take the boat they’ve found to cross the river and continue their search for safety. The movie comes to an end there.
“Among The Living” brings a new concept and refreshing ideas to zombie literature, and the story is highly engaging. It can be made better by including more action scenes and some zombie horror. It loses points for inaction and a dearth of purpose. It’s a thrilling film, but it’s only worth viewing once. It’s a beautifully shot, dismal picture that’s rather short on zombie carnage but manages to leave some mark on its audience. Harry seems steady, collected, and unassuming. He acts in accordance with his own moral framework. However, in a society ravaged by flesh-hungry zombies, it isn’t always enough. Additionally, Harry is sometimes unduly harsh on himself when things get out of hand. Every choice he makes in this terrible world might end in tragedy.
“Among The Living” is a mystery thriller directed by Rob Worsey.
