Pontypool is not so much a zombie film as it is a film about zombies, or at least some horrific equivalent.  I want to first start by saying that at no point did this film actually scare me.  If I based my review on this simple fact, it would fall into the category of horror films that suck because they do not scare you.  However, it’s not really a horror film just like it’s not really a zombie film.  This independent production takes the vantage point of characters that never really get into the full blown mix of a traditional zombie film.  This unique perspective allows the film to shine by demonstrating that if zombies were indeed walking the earth, there will be people not directly in the line of fire.  That’s not to say this film does not feature some direct relations between survivors and zombies (I need a better word than that since they are not your typical zombies).  Pontypool provides the viewer with tension and thrills, but also some quirkiness that elevates the film above B-movie. The basic story revolves around newly hired radio DJ Grant Mazzy (Stephen McHattie) that has found himself in the doldrums of winter while still trying to bring his fierce anti-persona to the airwaves.  He assisted by his smart yet vulnerable producer Sydney Briar (Lisa Houle) and his young just back from military duty technician Laurel-Ann Drummond (Georgina Reilly).  What begins as a simple day of weather related closings and community interviews (Lawrence of Arabia as a musical anyone?) turns into a potential world threatening cataclysm.  That is, if it’s not a hoax as Mazzy believes.  That hoax is quickly dispatched as the reality comes flooding in from first hand accounts and government involvement.  The twist is that these “zombies” are not zombies in the traditional sense.  Before you read the next paragraph, I am going to reveal a few plot points that may ruin the film for you.  So stop reading now and join us later in the review. The zombies are created by language and feed off other humans to find another host for what I can only describe as a word virus.  Dr. Mendez (Hrant Alianak) describes this in the film as becoming infected when you truly understand a word, hence the zombies being attracted to people talking and their continued repetition of words.  In fact, you know someone is infected when they begin repeating a word.  Scary concept, yet made less effectual by the virus only working for the English language.  Had this film been aiming at a serious plot, I’m quite sure it would have been a bi-lingual virus at the least.  However, English virus it is.  The reason for English is never explained, but I would think it is either due to the fact that it came from a secret MLA test facility created by Grammar Nazis or someone has a big problem with English.  You do just have to overlook this in the film, but it did give me a bit of a setback for my enjoyment.  I kept thinking about Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash and how you can truly make words a virus.  While not a blockade to making Pontypool a good film, it did give me that feeling that the film missed a chance. At this point, you can rejoin our discussion. Pontypool had set itself up to linger in a B-movie hell, but then it rose from the ashes by providing viewers with acting and direction that elevates the film to almost A-movie material.  The characters of Grant Mazzy (Stephen McHattie) and Sydney Briar (Lisa Houle) work well to create a quirky and meaningful performance.  McHattie has the look of a man that has been around the block a few times (the cowboy certainly should remind you of another radio host).  His grouchy old man act gives the audience a great opportunity to experience the magic of casting.  Other actors may have run with the fear or desolation angle, but McHattie gives us the crazy element that opens the door for humor and seriousness.  Houle’s performance may not be wonderful on her own; but as a contrast to McHattie, she works well in providing his character with the needed grounding. All of the characters work because director Bruce McDonald forces them into a bubble.  The confining nature of the actual set and his cinematography isolates them, eventually allowing the viewer to experience the zombie phenomenon on a personal level.  I was surprised that we are really never shown anything beyond the studio (church basement).  However, it works to enhance would could have been a simple slash and gash zombie chase.  It served as the winter prison where emotions and actions become desperate. Pontypool never takes the viewer to the battlefield, only offering side notes to the greater story.  Yet, that’s what makes the film stand out from other films of this nature.  We are able to experience another side to your typical zombie film.  A side where helicopter weathermen drive station wagons and kill can mean kiss.  I found that Pontypool is entertaining and quirky, but that it will perhaps stay in a niche category.  Fans of zombie or horror  films may be disappointed, but this small little film does provide an entertaining experience.