3 out of 5 stars

“Warm Bodies,” starring Nicholas Hoult and Teresa Palmer, is one of those movies that seems just okay upon first reflection, but gets better the more you think about it.  A slightly predictable (but very sweet) zombie love story, the movie is about R., an unusually verbal zombie, and Julie, the human girl R. falls in love with.

Taken at face value, “Warm Bodies” just barely skirts being ridiculous and saccharine in favor of being endearing and quirky, but is actually thought-provoking.  The movie parallels “Romeo and Juliet” in ways that range from the obvious to the more subtle.

There is also some resemblance to “Beauty and the Beast” in that R. holds Julie against her will, which is problematic in that it justifies kidnap when it is ‘for the victim’s own good,’ but Julie’s character is sensible and resilient, which is a refreshing difference from Twilight, despite the paranormal similarities.  Palmer’s portrayal of Julie is a little bland, but still manages to keep the sympathy of the audience.

It’s important to establish that “Twilight” and “Warm Bodies” really don’t have as much in common as one would expect.  I went into the theater utterly prepared to hate “Warm Bodies” in the same way that I hated “Twilight,” for being obvious and trite, but the entire movie was set up in such a way that made being human and sincere seem better.

R. feels nostalgic for a time when “everyone could express themselves, communicate their feelings and just enjoy each other’s company,” but what he remembers is people ignoring each other and being glued to their phones.

The zombies are gritty, to be sure, but the more important thing is the parallels between them and us.  We are already metaphorical zombies; tired, unemotional, and ready to turn on each other at the slightest provocation.  It’s this cynicism that makes us reject simple truths in favor of more complicated lies.

Hoult’s deadpan delivery of R’s thoughts adds some dark humor, and the music in the soundtrack (which is great) is drawn to our attention by the characters, which really reinforces the self-awareness of the movie.  The modern-but-faded indie sound makes it hard to tell the time, as it conjures both nostalgia and pessimism.

I went in for the zombies and the gore (there is some brain-eating) and the possibility of making cheap shots about cloying romance, but came out feeling a little touched.

The overall cuteness of the teenagers-in-love trope has a lot of potential to go horribly wrong, and the plot and resolution are predictable enough that it’s easy to dismiss the movie, but the movie is actually quite thought-provoking.

The message of “Romeo and Juliet” is that love transcends, but in the context of death.  “Warm Bodies,” on the other hand, really puts emphasis on the transformative power of love on life: living without love is just survival.  While “Twilight” glorifies vampirism, “Warm Bodies” celebrates being human.