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'Undead': Campy send-up of zombie flicks dies slowly

For the first 20 minutes of their aliens-meet-zombies sendup "Undead," Aussie writer-directors and twin brothers Peter and Michael Spierig do a pretty good job of mixing chuckles and gore. But the purposely lame jokes and plethora of splattering guts get old pretty quickly. Despite its clever low-budget visual style and campy sensibility, "Undead" is just too derivative to go on as long as it does.

Lions Gate Films 'Undead' C- The verdict: Isn't "Land of the Dead." Directors: Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig Starring: Felicity Mason, Mungo McKay, Rob Jenkins, Lisa Cunningham, Emma Randall Run time: 100 minutes Release date: July 1, 2005 Rating: R for strong violence and gore, and for language. On the web Official movie site View the trailer    Trailers require Quicktime [an error occurred while processing this directive]

The movie was released in Australia two years ago. You have to wonder if it's mere coincidence that landed "Undead" in the United States just after the release of George A. Romero's "Land of the Dead." It's obvious that the Spierigs learned more than few tricks from the godfather of zombie flicks. But the brothers don't have anything like Romero's skills at twisting genre conventions, and they certainly don't have young Australian actors of the quality of Simon Baker, who stars in "Land."

The basic premise of "Undead" is no more preposterous than most zombie movies: Meteorites rain down on the quirky little fishing town of Berkeley and suddenly those who get hit are somehow turned into decaying, brain-eating freaks, infecting anyone they gnaw on.

But wait, there's more: A bunch of monklike hooded aliens land and install a skyscraper-tall circular metal wall that blocks any escape. And, of course, a small band of locals — led by gonzo gun nut Marion (Mungo McKay) and former "Catch of the Day" beauty pageant winner Rene (Felicity Mason) — must make their stand against both the zombies and the aliens.

The Spierigs' "Undead" is sort of the movie equivalent of a bad cover band doing a rock 'n' roll song you've heard a hundred times before. When it's over, you're not sure you even liked the original all that much.