Social and political commentary in zombie films is hardly a new thing, but "Pontypool" does it better, and with more subtlety and grace than any recent movie I can think of. "Pontypool" does what I thought would be impossible: it breathes new life into the zombie genre. Well, perhaps that's a bit inaccurate, but it does provide a truly original, smart, intelligent take on the concept of 'zombies' (though this is again a viral infection and not the walking dead).
The film is, I will admit, an acquired taste. Not all the humor will work with every viewer, I have already seen the character of Doctor Mendez, who worked perfectly for me, criticized repeatedly as the weakest point of the film. However, what every viewer should be able to appreciate is the creative, intellectual, witty, sometimes hilarious screenplay by Tony Burgess, as well as the truly rare sort of brilliance shown by Stephen McHattie in the lead role here. He does everything in the film. Cocky, vulnerable, sad, happy, terrified and triumphant. He simply does not miss a beat for the entire film, and now that I've seen it twice I really do believe, regardless of whether or not anyone agrees with me (and keeping in mind that McHattie has received unanimous praise from Canadian critics for his perforrmance), that his is one of the very best male performances of the decade.
Burgess' screenplay is based on his own novel, and is around as great as the novel. Burgess' novel is in its original state 'unfilmable', and it would take an absolute genius to make it work as it was originally, and as much as I truly do like Bruce McDonald, he's not quite the right director for that. I don't think there is one. Burgess doesn't betray the original work however, and his screenplay has as much wit and intelligence and mystery as his novel does. I can praise the screenplay for its sharp commentary on several aspects of Canadian life (which will be lost, I suspect, on most American audiences as the Canadian audience I saw it with the first time, nearly 300 people strong, had shockingly simplistic questions for Bruce McDonald at the Q&A after the screening), but it works tremendously well as a thriller. It's funny, smart, witty, and uses one of my favorite not-used-enough things in cinema: the verbal clue. "Pontypool" earns comparisons to Hitchcock's "Blackmail!" for that, and to his "Lifeboat" for succeeding in making a thoroughly engaging film on one set and with few actors.
Bruce McDonald has grown a great deal as director, and shooting on a Red digital camera (a deliberate aesthetic choice, as he told me after the first time I saw the film), he has succeeded in making the most of his presumably tiny budget and his actors. The film, as previously stated, takes place entirely (aside from the opening scene in a car) in a church basement, which is where Grant Mazzy (McHattie) hosts his radio show from. "Pontypool", despite the limitations of budget and set, succeeds in achieving a great scope. We see a BBC report, and we hear a great deal. This film is unique in its emphasis on the aural even more than the visual, and it's where the film gets its scope from. Ken Loney, for example, the town's weather reporter (who, in true meta fashion, isn't really in a helicopter, but in a car on a hill, playing sound effects on a speaker) Ken Loney is a major character, but we never see him. The film could play out as a radio play and not change all that much. McHattie's performance has even more to do with the expressiveness and charisma of his voice than with the physical, visual performance he gives. If "Pontypool" were animated it would be one of the greatest bits of voice acting in a long time. Lisa Houle is also very good as Sydney Briar, Mazzy's producer and the other major character in the film.
I realize I have been rather vague about the film, but that's because you really should go in without many spoilers. The film doesn't exactly rely on twists, but the plot takes several turns which are very intriguing, and the main concept is very cool and you should really just watch it unfold on screen. Even if you never warm to screenwriter Burgess' sense of humor, even if the commentary and subtexts mean nothing to you, see it because it's a damned good minimalist horror thriller, and see it for McHattie's absolutely genius lead performance. It's a great movie, one which relies on wit, psychology, suggestion, and subtext instead of gore.
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