I don't want viewers to walk into this movie expecting a cheap horror flick because this is not that. The Returned is a very serious drama taking the zombie virus into an entirely new setting.As the plot is summarized, this movie is a world in which the zombie virus exists and is controlled within the infected by a special protein; these people are "The Returned." They live just as regular human beings and function normally, but must inject their cure once every day to maintain this. However, supply is running desperately low. Now, it is highly easy to assume that, because of this, the plot would decide to take a horror-esque route with the infected turning into reanimated corpses and wreak havoc. That doesn't happen. The film stays very close knit to a serious drama and does it brilliantly.Very seldom is there gore, in order to keep the infectious setting believable. These moments, as well as other scenes, are shot using horror techniques, but in no way build horror movie tension. The tension is built strictly through the story and there is a lot of it. The first two acts find it lightly sprinkled, while the third act roller coaster's the viewer to the end.The characters felt very genuine to the world they were in. I, personally, felt so much compassion for the cast within the film that whenever something terrible did happen, I was horrified and hoped for a positive outcome. I won't spoil the details of these plot elements. The story writer(s) was incredibly good at weaving in these minor story elements in the first two acts that foreshadowed events that would conclude in the third. Most of these were very subtle moments that would have been otherwise overlooked, but tied all of the loose ends of the film so neatly.Overall, The Returned is one of the best films that I have seen in a long while and I am very happy that I didn't pass it up. Of course, I wasn't expecting it to be anything but a horror movie. It's well written, has some great character development and does carry a lot of tension. My only complaint is that the movie advertised itself as a horror movie and mislead an entire audience.

This wasn't your typical zombie movie. There are barely any zombies in the movie, but that's all right. It was a good story with a few great twists to make it a very watchable film. The idea of a society with a zombie population kept in check with drugs - drugs that are running low - is thoroughly scary and intriguing. The story was solid and human because it showed what people will do when they are desperate and scared. The acting was really well done, too. My only problem here was with the subtitles: why was the nurse described as the "black nurse"? That wasn't necessary at all. And the final twist was a heart-breaker. *SPOILER ALERT* It reminded me of Stephen King's "The Mist." Overall, this was a really enjoyable, smart movie.

Why You Might Like It: The premise really makes the movie and it is an interesting take on the whole zombie apocalypse theme. Essentially, there is a cure for being a zombie that can return you back to being a human if used daily, but the supply is running out. Although most of the cast aren't headliners, the acting is actually pretty solid and doesn't take away from the movie. I thought the directing and other technical aspects of the film were also well done. I was surprised by the movie and thought it was an interesting and entertaining watch.Why You Might Not Like It: This movie isn't so much about zombies as it about the idea of a shortage of the cure. If you are expected a movie with zombies running around everywhere, then this won't provide that for you. Again, it really is more of a drama than a horror/thriller movie. There are also a few small plot holes that you might catch if you pay attention, which might be a problem for some viewers.Acting/Casting: 6* Directing/Cinematography/Technical: 6*Plot/Characters: 7* Entertainment Value: 6.5* Total - 6+6+7+6 = 25/4 = 6.375*

For a feature length debut movie, this is not only good, but almost perfect. Obviously expecting this to be action packed or having a lot of horror moments, would be doing a disservice to the movie. This is more of a drama. There is still horror to be found here. And while there are flaws (you can find them in any movie), this character based movie, is really gripping.We concentrate on a pair, who have issues, but seem to get along. The issues obviously are with other people. The themes of discriminating, of fear and "racism" are there. Having them all against something that is different and something that people can not explain is a clever move. And you will go on a journey with them. A journey that is incredible. A tough movie, that might either get you to love it or hate it