ApoKalypse

"ApoKalypse," the recently released animated feature, is a surprisingly entertaining ride, especially considering its visibly ultra-low budget. While it won't be sweeping any major awards for technical prowess, its quirky humor, surprisingly endearing characters, and a truly unexpected cameo from the infamous Uwe Boll make it a worthwhile watch for fans of indie animation and zombie comedies. The film throws us into the fluorescent-lit, slowly dying Crown Center Plaza, where we meet 21-year-old Apo Guerrero. Apo dreams of ditching his gig at the aptly named "Bunz of Steel" burger joint to become a pro skateboarder, much to the chagrin of his traditional father. When he's not slinging burgers with his best friend Jamal or co-designing custom skateboard gear for their brand "Air Crown Jewelz," Apo attempts to woo Cho, who works at her family's Korean chicken restaurant across the food court. The mundane mall life takes a sharp, bizarre turn when a conspiracy theory podcast popularizes "Ratartarre," a rat poison hilariously and horrifyingly marketed as a miracle COVID cure. Thanks to a mall-wide promotion orchestrated by the oblivious manager, Mr. DeGeneres, the plaza is soon overrun by a horde of entitled shoppers, predominantly the "Karen" archetype, eager to get their hands on the bogus remedy. The chaos truly ignites when one such customer ingests Ratartarre at Bunz of Steel and undergoes a grotesque, Kafka-esque transformation into something decidedly inhuman and aggressive. What follows is a frantic, often silly, battle for survival as these "brain deads," as Apo and Jamal christen them, begin to multiply. The film cleverly plays with the zombie trope, giving its initial wave of infected distinct "Karen" personalities and later introducing uniquely themed brain deads tied to the mall's various stores. Apo soon discovers that these creatures have peculiar vulnerabilities, adding a layer of strategy to the ensuing mayhem. As the U. S. Army, led by a xenophobic Serg...