The Battery – A Baseball Zombie Movie Review

The field of zombie movies is crowded, but this independent film hits it out of the park. Writer/director Jeremy Gardner (The Bags, Robert Cake) has crafted an interesting, low-budget tale that takes a different approach to the world of the undead. By focusing on the characters rather than focusing on the action, he has created a movie that is not only fun to watch but also very smart and natural.

The Battery follows Ben and Mickey, two former baseball players who are surviving the aftermath of a zombie outbreak. The two travel the rural back roads of a post-plague New England that is teeming with the undead. With their polar-opposite personalities, they have a difficult time forming a close bond as they travel together.

Mickey drowns out the silence and moans of the dead by almost constantly listening to music on his portable CD player with headphones. This annoys Ben, who has to kill the zombies himself because Mickey refuses to do so. Ben has no problem with the nomadic lifestyle of scavenging for food and shelter, but Mickey yearns for a more normal life.

Although a couple of the scenes feel a bit too long and drag out the film, despite its low-budget, The Battery is still a great watch. The acting isn’t top-notch, but it is good enough for a small indie film. The story is simple, but the direction and the performances are what makes it work.