Watch Rise of the Zombies

Rise of the Zombies is a zombie apocalypse movie released in 2012. The film is set in San Francisco, where a mysterious virus has infected the city, transforming its inhabitants into flesh-eating zombies. The movie stars Mariel Hemingway, Ethan Suplee, LeVar Burton, and Danny Trejo. The storyline follows a group of scientists who are carrying out experiments in an underground science lab in San Francisco. The lab is specifically created for researching the effects of radiation on humans. However, an earthquake strikes the city, causing a power outage, and a strange virus infects the individuals in the lab, turning them into zombies.

The central characters in the movie include Dr. Dan Halpern (played by LeVar Burton), a senior scientist, Dr. Arnold (played by Danny Trejo), an expert in radiation sickness, and Professor Julian Judson (played by Ethan Suplee), a computer genius. The group is struggling to find a way to survive as the virus spreads rapidly outside the lab.

One scientist who manages to escape the laboratory before the virus can infect him is Dr. Halpern's daughter, Ashley (played by Mariel Hemingway). Ashley is determined to find her father and save him from the zombies, risking her life as she ventures into the dark city streets.

The central characters' mission is to locate another underground science laboratory, known as Rise of the Phoenix, where a cure for the virus is supposedly being developed. They believe that the cure can save them from the zombie apocalypse and ultimately allow them to restore order in the city.

The journey to the Rise of the Phoenix laboratory is perilous, and the group faces numerous challenges, including battles with the infected undead. As the group progresses further into the city, they are faced with finite resources, dwindling supplies, and a sense of hopelessness as they come across more and more undead around every corner.

Ultimately, the group finds the Rise of Phoenix Lab and discovers that the research they were conducting was not producing a cure but creating a new super-zombie. The infected scientists at the lab believe that the only way to stop the zombie outbreak is to start fresh with a new world order, under a new system controlled by the undead.

Rise of the Zombies is a traditional zombie movie, filled with gut-wrenching gore, plenty of tension, and the typical high-speed chase scenes featuring the infected undead. The film is an excellent portrayal of the zombie apocalypse genre, complete with a sense of hopelessness and gloom as the characters struggle to survive in a world overrun by the walking dead.

Performances from the actors were impressive for a low-budget film, particularly from Mariel Hemingway, whose portrayal of Dr. Halpern's daughter, Ashley, gave a human side to the story's otherwise bleak setting. Danny Trejo, although his appearance is brief, added an extra layer of action, and his inclusion as part of the cast was fitting.

Overall, Rise of the Zombies was a well-executed, albeit predictable, zombie apocalypse movie that offered an enjoyable horror spectacle for fans of the genre. The movie had ample drama, tension, and high-stakes action to keep viewers interested, along with a few genuinely terrifying moments to satisfy gore-hounds who are fans of the classic zombie movie themes.

Rise of the Zombies is a 2012 action movie with a runtime of 1 hour and 30 minutes. It has received mostly poor reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 3.6.