We Bury the Dead (2026)
Official Synopsis
After an experimental weapon devastates Tasmania, Ava joins a body-recovery team hoping to find her missing husband. When some of the dead begin regaining consciousness, she ventures beyond the military’s restricted zone in search of answers.
William’s Review
We Bury the Dead starts with a strong idea and spends most of its runtime convincing you that something much bigger is coming. The problem is that the payoff never matches the promise.
The setup immediately interested me. An experimental weapon kills nearly everyone in Tasmania by shutting down their nervous systems. Ava joins a team collecting bodies because her husband was on the island when it happened. Then reports begin coming in that some of the dead are waking up. That is a creative way to introduce zombies, and the movie initially builds the threat well.
The zombies are easily the best part. They do not immediately become aggressive. Some stand completely still while others slowly grow more agitated. Their teeth grinding creates an awful clicking sound, and the physical designs make every appearance memorable. One drags a useless foot behind him while another simply stands in the road. There is a clear escalation in how they behave, which kept me expecting the story to eventually unleash them.
It never fully does.
Instead, the movie becomes a drama about grief, guilt, and a troubled marriage that happens to include zombies. I do not have a problem with emotional stories inside horror. Train to Busan proves that character drama and zombie action can strengthen each other. Here, the two sides never come together. The zombies become symbolic tools rather than an active part of the story.
Daisy Ridley gives a good performance. Ava is emotionally numb for much of the movie, but I could still see different feelings breaking through as she moved closer to learning what happened to her husband. The direction and cinematography are also strong. This is not a badly made movie. It is simply slower and less satisfying than the premise deserves.
The ending is where it lost me. It pushes the symbolism too far and asks the audience to accept a final development that feels more convenient than emotionally earned. I appreciated what the movie was trying to say, but I wanted it to say it faster, give us more of its excellent zombies, and actually land the plane.
The setup immediately interested me. An experimental weapon kills nearly everyone in Tasmania by shutting down their nervous systems. Ava joins a team collecting bodies because her husband was on the island when it happened. Then reports begin coming in that some of the dead are waking up. That is a creative way to introduce zombies, and the movie initially builds the threat well.
The zombies are easily the best part. They do not immediately become aggressive. Some stand completely still while others slowly grow more agitated. Their teeth grinding creates an awful clicking sound, and the physical designs make every appearance memorable. One drags a useless foot behind him while another simply stands in the road. There is a clear escalation in how they behave, which kept me expecting the story to eventually unleash them.
It never fully does.
Instead, the movie becomes a drama about grief, guilt, and a troubled marriage that happens to include zombies. I do not have a problem with emotional stories inside horror. Train to Busan proves that character drama and zombie action can strengthen each other. Here, the two sides never come together. The zombies become symbolic tools rather than an active part of the story.
Daisy Ridley gives a good performance. Ava is emotionally numb for much of the movie, but I could still see different feelings breaking through as she moved closer to learning what happened to her husband. The direction and cinematography are also strong. This is not a badly made movie. It is simply slower and less satisfying than the premise deserves.
The ending is where it lost me. It pushes the symbolism too far and asks the audience to accept a final development that feels more convenient than emotionally earned. I appreciated what the movie was trying to say, but I wanted it to say it faster, give us more of its excellent zombies, and actually land the plane.
Amy’s Review
I was excited about We Bury the Dead because I usually enjoy zombie movies. I expected this one to be moodier than something like World War Z, but I still thought we were getting a movie where the zombies eventually became a major threat. They never really did.
The movie begins with a lot of potential. People across Tasmania have suddenly died, some of them are waking back up, and nobody completely understands what they may become. The first zombies are quiet and creepy. They stand there staring while everyone waits to see whether they are going to move. Then they start grinding their teeth.
That sound was horrible. It was like nails on a chalkboard, and I kept covering my ears even when characters were talking. I would try to hear the dialogue, notice another zombie crunching away in the background, and immediately give up. The sound worked, but I never need to hear it again.
Unfortunately, the zombies are not around enough. Every time one appeared, I became interested again because their designs and behavior were different. The movie slowly shows them becoming more active and aggressive, but most encounters end almost as soon as they begin. I kept waiting for the escalation to lead somewhere bigger.
Instead, the story becomes a teaching moment about Ava’s marriage, grief, and unfinished business. I understand that the filmmakers wanted to use zombies to say something emotional. I just did not care for the lesson plan, and I would have dropped the class.
Daisy Ridley may have been playing Ava as numb, but the performance felt too monotone for me. She reacted to most things with the same expression, including seeing people who should not be standing anymore. That made an already slow movie feel even slower because I rarely felt urgency from the person I was following.
The final section lowered my opinion even more. It focuses on symbolism and delivers a resolution that felt far too convenient. I wanted zombie action and a satisfying ending. I got the problems and woes of a married couple with a few really good zombies placed around them.
This came close to a Don’t Bother, but the creature designs and teeth-grinding idea were effective enough to keep it at a Streamer.
The movie begins with a lot of potential. People across Tasmania have suddenly died, some of them are waking back up, and nobody completely understands what they may become. The first zombies are quiet and creepy. They stand there staring while everyone waits to see whether they are going to move. Then they start grinding their teeth.
That sound was horrible. It was like nails on a chalkboard, and I kept covering my ears even when characters were talking. I would try to hear the dialogue, notice another zombie crunching away in the background, and immediately give up. The sound worked, but I never need to hear it again.
Unfortunately, the zombies are not around enough. Every time one appeared, I became interested again because their designs and behavior were different. The movie slowly shows them becoming more active and aggressive, but most encounters end almost as soon as they begin. I kept waiting for the escalation to lead somewhere bigger.
Instead, the story becomes a teaching moment about Ava’s marriage, grief, and unfinished business. I understand that the filmmakers wanted to use zombies to say something emotional. I just did not care for the lesson plan, and I would have dropped the class.
Daisy Ridley may have been playing Ava as numb, but the performance felt too monotone for me. She reacted to most things with the same expression, including seeing people who should not be standing anymore. That made an already slow movie feel even slower because I rarely felt urgency from the person I was following.
The final section lowered my opinion even more. It focuses on symbolism and delivers a resolution that felt far too convenient. I wanted zombie action and a satisfying ending. I got the problems and woes of a married couple with a few really good zombies placed around them.
This came close to a Don’t Bother, but the creature designs and teeth-grinding idea were effective enough to keep it at a Streamer.