To put it bluntly, Get the Hell Out is a lot. A lot of storyline and thematic material rolled into one adrenaline-fueled package. It’s an admirably abrasive attempt at diverging away from the rinse-and-repeat zombie movie formula since it acts as a blood-soaked political dark comedy with a romantic twist that occasionally feels like it’s ripped from a fighting video game. While a zombie virus does hit and forces a group of survivors to fight for their lives while avoiding turning into a zombie themselves, Get the Hell Out is more insightful and bold than the familiar plot may suggest.
At the center of the chaotic zombie apocalypse lies a rom-com of sorts along with some political scheming and complicated family ties. Working as a Parliament security guard, Wang You-Wei (Bruce Ho) ends up becoming the pawn of Hsiung Ying-Ying (Megan Lai), a Parliament Member who loses her job after an altercation with the press and concocts a plan for Wang to replace her so she can preserve her policies. Meanwhile, as Wang struggles to articulate his feelings for Hsiung, Hsiung must deal with her distant father (Tsung-hua To) who becomes trapped with her in the Parliament building, known as the Legislative Yuan, as the virus hits.
By having politicians turned into zombies, which are constantly referred to as “idiots,” Get the Hell Out seemingly attempts to demonstrate how even those in such high positions of power can be susceptible to a scheming political regime. Even Wang nearly succumbs to the greedy system once an opportunity to destroy an area of land where Hsiung’s childhood home resides comes his way. But with Tsiung acting as his right hand woman, there’s still a chance for him to do the right thing while winning her affections.
The story offers searing yet vital social commentary that politicians, regardless of where they’re from, can easily have trouble learning due to their need to be on top and do what it takes to win even if it means going against the promises they make to their supporters. As we get an exaggerated glimpse of politicians giving into their lack of morals, it often becomes lost in the picture’s need to be a zombie comedy/live-action video game hybrid.
That being said, even if it often becomes style over substance, Get the Hell Out is never boring to watch. It’s an incredibly energetic feature debut from I-Fan Wang that grabs you from the get-go and never slows down. Although, as a fair warning, this film might not be for the squeamish. Even for a zombie picture, it is incredibly gruesome and not for the faint of heart. However, if you’re a horror buff who’s not squeamish, you might be in for a fun ride.
