With the 2022 movie "Johnny Z" being a zombie movie of sorts, of course I opted to sit down and watch it. Sure, I had neverh heard about this movie from director Jonathan Straiton prior to sitting down here in 2023 to watch it, but with it being a zombie movie, of course my interest was caught.
The storyline in the movie was adequate. I mean, it wasn't particularly rivetin storytelling, nor was it a drag. The plot and script that Ron Bonk and Jonathan Straiton came up with proved entertaining enough for what it turned out to be.
The cast ensemble in the movie was all unfamiliar actors and actresses. And that is usually something I enjoy when I watch movies. The acting performances in "Johnny Z" were actually fair enough. Nothing outstanding, mind you, but fair enough for what they turned out to be.
I am not a fan of running and agile zombies, and that was what was here. The zombie make-up was adequate enough for a low budget production such as "Johnny Z" was. I have seen far worse zombie make-up effects in other movies, so at least the adequate enough zombie make-up counted for something in favor of the movie.
It was definitely clear that the movie-makers poured their heart and souls into the movie, but it still came off as being a low budget zombie movie, though on the higher end of the low budget zombie movie scale. And that effort helped to carry the movie and keep it somewhat afloat.
Ultimately then "Johnny Z" is a zombie movie that came and left without leaving a lasting bite mark in the zombie genre. And it is not a movie that I will ever return to watch a second time, nor is it a movie that I will recommend to zombie afficionados.
My rating of "Johnny Z" lands on a generous four out of ten stars.
