Follow the Dead (2020) - What happened?

I think it's safe to say that since 2004, if you were to give the plot summary of a film as 'a bunch of losers try to comically survive a zombie apocalypse' then you'd automatically think of 'Shaun of the Dead.' It was a classic and well deserving of its iconic status.  Of course if something is successful then others will try to copy.  Over the years we've got plenty more 'comedy horror zombie' movies featuring lovable losers.  Some were good, some were bad, but most were pretty forgettable.

Here we have Ireland's entry into the genre.  Yes, it's another 'SotD' rip-off, so I won't bore you with a detailed plot synopsis, as there's not much you haven't seen before.  I knew what I was getting into when I sat down, so I can hardly complain about its lack of originality.

And, as it began, I was pleasantly surprised.  For a start, the characters were nice.  And they were funny and therefore likable.  Yes, there are more than a few Irish stereotypes thrown in there to keep reminding the international viewers that this is definitely set in the Emerald Isle, but, overall, all characters do a good job.  My hopes were high.

So, I waited for the zombies to show.  And I waited.  The film began to drag about a quarter of the way through its runtime, but I continued to wait.  The beginning was so strong and well-written I wanted to give it every possible chance.

Eventually, it ended.  And, my overall summary would be that this is a zombie movie without any zombies.  Okay, I'm exaggerating.  There were some, but - seriously - in a film about the undead, chucking them in there for a handful of scenes barely counts in my opinion.

What you have for the main part is relationship drama.  Just like the zombies never really show, the jokes slowly dwindle in favour of relationship issues.  There's not much gore and I swear they stole a prominent mask from another horror film (I think 'Nightbreed' but I could be wrong).  Anyway, what could have been a memorable entry ended up being pretty run-of-the-mill and an example of what could have been.

5/10 a hard trek, a bit like unicycling to Mordor and back