Arriving at a tropical resort, a couple of hapless tour guides must lead and protect a group of hopeless strangers tourists during a storm, as the paradise island they are visiting turns out to have been the test bed for crazy Japanese viral experiments during World War 2. Soon the island is overrun by a plague of zombies which endangers everyone on the island and threatens to escape and threaten the world beyond and only by working together can they find a way off.
“Zombie Island” is a challenging film to get a handle on. The biggest detriment here is a jarring, confusing narrative from writers Leung and Yu Fang that gives this no setup. Rather than properly getting to know each of the characters, their relationship with each other, or what's going on, we're thrust into the middle of the events as if they've already been given. It feels as though an opening setup that would've explained everything is cut out of the film and the viewer is suddenly twenty minutes into a traditional story with no build-up. That lack of information about who the gangsters or the tour guides are, how the virus spread to their friends, or how the plague arrived on the island are basic questions about the storyline. These are ignored in favor of just throwing the random characters into the zombie chaos which leaves this somewhat confusing in several aspects.
As well, this lack of build-up hurts “Zombie Island” in the middle section. Fulfilling the expected barricade inside the motel while the early stages of the zombie hordes gather outside that's part of every zombie film, the expected breakdown of the survivors has a bare minimum of impact. It's nearly impossible to care about anyone or really catch wind of who any of the characters are, since the underperforming writing doesn't tell us anything interesting. On top of that, the infighting and battling for control hold off the zombie encounters. Instead, they're basically nonexistent until the last half, which disrupts the flow and tempo. Overall, these elements are what strike down the film as a whole.
There are some positive elements though. Among “Zombie Island's” better features are the numerous scenes of zombie carnage that are quite effective. They're given enough in the first half through the henchmen turning and the swarms outside that the threat is believable and feasible. The sight of them breaking down the doors and rushing to the lobby of the hotel creating panic and chaos is endearing and fun, much like the later encounters in the second half when they finally overrun the hotel. Featuring some heartbreaking moments where characters we do want to see survive get swarmed or bitten, the action comes across rather well with some high-energy confrontations to generate a fun finale. As this section offers some good special effects and gore, there's a lot to like that holds it up over the flaws.
Filled with some storyline issues but enough action to be likable for what it is, “Zombie Island” won't be much more than the middling ground at best in the genre. Viewers who appreciate this style are fans of zombie films, in general, will have the most fun here.
