Warm Bodies has a great hook. R is a zombie living in an abandoned airport, and his funny inner voice tells us how bored and lonely he is. He can barely speak, so the voiceover does the talking. Then he meets a human girl named Julie, and for the first time in years, his heart starts to beat.
Nicholas Hoult is the reason it works. He says very little, but his sad eyes and slow, clumsy moves make you care about a character who eats people. Teresa Palmer brings real warmth as Julie, and Rob Corddry steals scenes as R's best friend M, getting more out of a few grunted words than many actors get from a whole speech. Lio Tipton (credited as Analeigh Tipton) is also very funny as Julie's best friend, Nora.
The film's best moments are the small ones, like R playing old records for Julie on his airplane, or his terrible driving lessons. The jokes are dry, and the music is a joy. It is also clever about its love for Romeo and Juliet, without ever being heavy about it.
It does have problems. The Boneys, the film's skeleton monsters, are bad computer effects that have not aged well. The way love cures zombies makes little sense if you think about it, and horror fans will find it far too soft. But as a sweet, funny date movie with zombies in it, it does exactly what it sets out to do.
