'Anna and the Apocalypse' Is a Delightfully Wacky Genre Mashup

Anna and the Apocalypse is a high school comedy drama film.  It’s a Christmas film.  It’s a musical.  It’s a zombie horror comedy.  It’s a weird combination of all those things.  And it works!

The story is set in a small town called Little Haven at Christmastime, and follows a high school senior named Anna Shepherd (Ella Hunt) who plans of travelling for a year first after graduation instead of immediately attending college – a decision that greatly upsets her father Tony (Mark Benton).  But before the two can find the chance to make up, the whole world is suddenly hit by a zombie apocalypse, and father and daughter find themselves at opposite parts of town.  Now, Anna and her friends must maneuver through perilous streets and buildings, evading and fighting the undead along the way, so that they may reunite with their loved ones.

Anna and the Apocalypse didn’t really blow me away, but I was constantly smiling in enjoyment while watching it.  For it delights by being the best possible version of how a “High School Musical meets Shaun of the Dead” premise would look like.

Speaking of Shaun of the Dead, it’s quite evident that it served as an inspiration for this movie.  There are beats here and there that are reminiscent of it.  The most obvious example is the scene where Anna begins and goes on her morning without noticing the zombie apocalypse occurring all around her.  However, the movie gives the concept a fresh spin by making it a musical number.

The other musical numbers aren’t as striking as that one, but most of them are noteworthy in their own right.  Honestly, the songs are forgettable.   But each of the musical numbers where these songs are sung is well-placed and adds a visceral layer at that point of the narrative.

As a whole, the storytelling is clever and strong.  It fleshes out its characters real well, completely making the audience invested on their arcs.  Thus, there are no disposable deaths here.  When characters die, it hits you right in the feels.

In the end, Anna and the Apocalypse is just a good – not great – film all in all.  But it’s brimming with original wackiness, and it’s very charming in a “potential cult classic” sort of way, that it’s still a must-see.