Cooties

Movie Name: Cooties
Year of Release: 2014
Director: Jonathan Milott, Cary Murnion
Starring: Elijah Wood, Rainn Wilson, Alison Pill, Jack McBrayer, Leigh Whannell, Nasim Pedrad, Ian Brennan, Jorge Garcia, Cooper Roth, Miles Elliott, Morgan Lily, Sunny May Allison, Peter Kwong
Genre: Comedy, Action
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
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Synopsis and Review

"Cooties" is the feature directorial debut of the team comprised of Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion, who have since directed other features, including "Becky" and "Bushwick". The film co-written by Leigh Whannell and Ian Brennan (Whannell is responsible and co-responsible for the "Saw" and "Insidious" franchises, as well as the films "Upgrade", "The Invisible Man", and the recent "Wolf Man") follows the story of Clint Hadson, an aspiring writer, but current substitute teacher. On his first day of teaching he is reunited with his former high school crush, Lucy McCormick, also a teacher at the same school, who is now dating the physical education teacher, the high strung Wade Johnson. Unbeknownst to the school staff, the kids eat chicken nuggets that are infected with a mutant virus. The kids start infecting each other on the playground, and they're soon turning on the school staff, killing quite a few of them, including the Vice Principal, and even the Sheriff who happens to come by to check on what's happening. The surviving school staff barricades themselves in the musicl room, and they soon realize that the virus only latches on to children, and not adults. They plan on notifying the parents when it's time for the pick-up at the end of the day, but soon the arriving parents are attacked and killed by the feral children. The survivors try to escape the school, which they do with some sacrifices, only to realize that the nearby city has also been overrun. 

One of the most interesting aspects of the film "Cooties" is the fact that it doesn't take itself seriously (the title is in itself a hint for the prior statement). The film, unlike your typical zombie outbreak film or series, takes its time in setting the premise, and smartly places the most innocent and unexpected group of characters as the harbingers of doom, namely children. The characters are thinly developed, but they also have just enough substance and dimension to feel more than your typical cliché. Where the film differentiates itself is the humor in which the characters are consistently placed on, balancing the element of horror and comedy at all times, in a way that it doesn't feel forced or cringe-inducing. The adult characters are teachers/frustrated professionals, even more overwhelmed by the new situation they're having to deal with, whereas the savagery of the children, is essentially their worst nightmare come alive. The dynamics that exists between the characters is nicely established, with Clint and Lucy's chemistry being one of the highlights, the same going for Wade's irascible yet charismatic presence. The group of actors is perfectly cast for these roles, with Elijah Wood, Alison Pill, Rainn Wilson, Jack McBrayer, all playing to the strengths of their abilities. The production team is equally solid, including Lyle Vincent's cinematography, Thomas William Hallbauer's production design and the makeup effects from the team that includes Megan Areford and Martin Astles. It's an unpretentious and entertaining film worth watching.