There are two reasons people like zombie movies: 1) They’re an excellent metaphor for the inevitable decay of civilization, and 2) Viewers get to see someone chomped to death. Fans will likely get plenty of both in the upcoming movie The Girl With All the Gifts. We have the trailer for you, above.
The Girl With All the Gifts is based on M.R. Carey’s excellent (IMHO) thriller, told from the point of view of 10-year-old Melanie. Melanie, and other children like her, aren’t “hungries,” that is, zombies, nor are they fully human. Actually, they’re something in between. And they’re being held in a military complex, so they can be studied for the cure to the fungal infection* that has destroyed civilization.
(*Video gamers will recognize cordyceps as the parasitic fungus that took down life as we know it in The Last of Us.)
The trailer seems to be a reasonably faithful adaption of Carey’s novel. We see Melanie (Sennia Nanua) and her classmates bound to chairs and given a rudimentary education, thanks to a kindly teacher Miss Justineau (Gemma Arterton). When the hungries invade their compound, it’s up to Melanie and Miss Justineau to save each other.
If the movie is anything like the book, there’s plenty of death for the adrenaline junkies, and just the right amount of civilization-pondering for the thoughtful. In other words, it’s a must-watch.
Sidenote: Of course, because I’m a geek, I have one serious problem with the novel. It was written by Mike Carey, the author of the Felix Castor series, and by creating The Girl With All the Gifts, he has failed to produce another Felix Castor novel. Of course, as a shot to the heart, he recently released another non-Castor novel, Fellside.
Mike Carey, if you’re reading this, please, if you love your fans, you will gift us with another Felix Castor book.
Featured Image Credit: Teaser-Trailer.