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Zombies 3
By Jennifer Green,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Positive messages, diversity in fun, campy sequel.
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Zombies 3
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Based on 13 parent reviews
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What's the Story?
Zed (Milo Manheim) and Addison (Meg Donnelly) and their gang of human, zombie, and werewolf friends are in their senior year and approaching high school graduation in ZOMBIES 3. The couple wants to go to college together, but Zed hasn't gotten in, and no zombie has ever gone to college before. This seems like all they'll need to worry about for the time being until a spaceship lands in town and a trio of aliens disembark. Their planet has been destroyed and they've been sent to Seabrook to find a hidden map to their new home. At first, the locals react with fear and suspicion. But slowly the new creatures are incorporated into the community.
Is It Any Good?
This franchise just keeps adding to the monstrous silliness with new creatures that match the others in oddity -- and also sweetness. There are obvious diversity and inclusion messages in the way the humans, werewolves, zombies, and now aliens accept each other in Zombies 3. A "welcome vampires" song and mermaid sighting might hint at future installations. The ensemble cast here is entirely invested, and though the songs sound studio-recorded and overly packaged, the musical numbers are good fun. There's even a reprisal of "Girl and a Zombie" from an earlier film.
Cynical viewers beware: This is pure camp, with characters talking and winking at the camera, an otherworldly wholesomeness, RuPaul as the mothership, and puns like "It's a U.-F.-…" "Woah!" and "Take us to your cheerleader!" Yes, football players and cheerleaders are still high school royalty, even among the non-humans. When the aliens opt to feel emotions for the first time, they are quite cute. Their message that harmony isn't always perfect, that there's some value in healthy disagreement so long as we treat each other with respect, is a good one for our times.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the main messages of Zombies 3 and the entire franchise. What do you take away from the film?
What do you think are the positive aspects of the different species living together peacefully in Seabrook? Is it a "utopia," in your mind? Why, or why not?
How do the characters show empathy toward each other? What might happen if they didn't?
How does this film compare with others in the series, if you've seen them? If you haven't seen them, are you interested in watching them now?
What creatures do you predict might turn up in a Zombies 4?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: July 15, 2022
- Cast: Meg Donnelly , Milo Manheim , Terry Hu
- Director: Paul Hoen
- Inclusion Information: Non-Binary actors, Queer actors
- Studio: Disney+
- Genre: Musical
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy , Friendship , High School , Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires , Music and Sing-Along , Space and Aliens
- Character Strengths: Empathy
- Run time: 89 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: February 17, 2023
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