It is Friday so I felt like writing up a more whimsical post. Ergo, today's post concerns the trailer for the zombie video game, Dead Island. The video is below:
I discovered this trailer in February when it started making the rounds on Twitter. I almost didn't click on the link because who sees the words, "trailer for zombie video game" and thinks that is worth their while? (Well some people do, just not me.) But after multiple people on my Twitter feed had posted links to this trailer with comments like "This is amazing," "Masterpiece!" etc., I thought I might it was worth a shot. And over the next week I watched this trailer more than a dozen times.
First off, the music. The piano and violin score composed by Giles Lamb is just beautiful and tugs at your heartstrings in a weird way that you would never expect while watching zombies feasting on humans. The game's Facebook page had the music available for download at one point and now you can buy it off iTunes if you so desire. I love listening to it, because it is a great stand-alone piece without the gory visuals.
Secondly, the visuals. That first shot of the girl's eye is shockingly realistic and it takes a few seconds to realize that you're not watching a live-action scene. Sure things get progressively game-like and bloody from that opening scene, but it still looks pretty stunning for a video game and shows you that the world of gaming has come a long way from playing Asteroids on an Atari.
Finally, the story. You'd have to have a heart of stone to not get swept away by the devastating story that this trailer tells in a few short minutes. Presented in reverse chronological order (which drew instant comparisons to the marvelous Coldplay video for The Scientist) you get progressively more horrified as you discover who exactly the dead girl at the beginning of the trailer is. The story is heartbreaking, and in fact, upon the trailer's release, there were several articles written by people who succumbed to tears upon watching it. So much depends on the way the story is presented. On the one hand it could be an action-adventure tale to tell about a family that goes on vacation only to become infected by the zombie plague that is ravaging the island's inhabitants. But when you add that image of a little girl struggling to get to her parents who are willing to do anything to save her, suddenly you forget all the horror elements and just connect on an emotional level.
The Dead Island trailer caused a big stir (and some controversies) when it surfaced and I loved it just as passionately as all the other people who wrote about it. However, unlike the gamers who said that this trailer made them eager to play the game, I didn't really care. I've never been much of a gamer, and am certainly not interested in a zombie slasher RPG. What I loved about this trailer was its supreme artistry on every level. Yes it was a brilliant marketing ploy, but when advertising is this good, it's true art. And if more video games start emulating the Dead Island example, we can look forward to a slew of trailers that will merit Best Animated Short Film nominations at the Oscars.
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