Choking Hazard

Embarrassingly amateurish, with incredibly stiff acting from most of the cast. I'm not sure if the reviewers would give it so many stars if it weren't a Czech film with well-known faces and names. A foreign film of this level probably wouldn't reach us, and if it did, it would receive a lot of scathing comments. The reaction to this little film reminds me of the enthusiasm for some amateur videos on YouTube. It's a typical project for personal satisfaction and the amusement of family and friends. Nevertheless, in recognition of the enthusiasm and effort, and considering a few funny lines and original elements, it earns two weak stars in the end. Overall impression: 30%. (2007-04-29)

What must be appreciated about the film Choking Hazard is its gore, which while not exceptionally detailed, is quite abundant. That's just as well because it's a staple of the zombie genre. Štěpán Kopřiva wrote a sufficiently cool screenplay to make it work, but there also wasn't a single moment here that completely blew me away. But at least the film will make you smile. Zombie gamekeepers are awesome. (2014-12-08)

I can't decide if this film is stupid or brilliant. However, it definitely does have a few original elements. The first zombie film in the history of Czech cinema turned out to be very controversial. On one hand, the film doesn't lack action, which is good not only by Czech film standards. The creators didn't even attempt to build tension (which I believe was intentional) but on the other hand, the film is incredibly dumb in certain passages. Although it's never boring, it really is stupid at times. That's quite a shame because the action has its charms and, together with a properly sharp soundtrack, it feels notably "non-Czech." There are surprisingly few classic zombie scenes, though admittedly the stylish blasting of the zombie at the beginning is certainly reminiscent of any classic zombie film. Of the actors, Jan Dolanský is the best. It's evident that he doesn't take his role seriously and his acting style of "a guy who doesn't care about anything" immediately won my sympathies. Come to think of it, this is probably how the film turns out when former film critics (with the significant contribution of current ones) get involved - names like František Fuka, Tomáš Baldýnský, Ondřej Vosmík, or Martin Pomothy are well-known to enthusiasts. I do also acknowledge and appreciate the efforts of the creators that are evident in every step to make the film look the way it does. And that it's a little dumb sometimes? It can happen to anyone. If it weren't a Czech film, it would definitely be "out," but I always look at Czech films with a slightly different perspective... Three (un)deserved stars. (2005-01-05)

In its time, Choking Hazard had the hallmark of an event and in the whirlwind of promotion and hype of the first Czech Troma-style trash/zombie flick, it definitely left a significant mark on the history of Czech cinema. But when taking a closer look, especially from the distance of years, during which Marek Dobeš’s cult of personality more or less faded out, we see obvious flaws in the beauty of the highly acclaimed work. While the name Quentin Tarantino was frequently mentioned at the time of Choking Hazard’s release, the Czech deviant from Video Plus actually has nothing in common with the master of self-reflexive genre experiments. On the contrary, it is just the Czech equivalent of hundreds of enthusiasts with video cameras who shoot flashy patchworks of genres in decline. Dobeš’s only strength consists in the fact that he is Czech, which elevates him to the level of something extra in the navel of Europe. At the time of the film’s release, the label “Czech zombie comedy” was, in terms of marketing, a functional (yet empty) promise not only on the domestic market, but also abroad, so the film could boast being released at foreign genre festivals and even on an English DVD from Media Blasters. Nevertheless, it is again true that that is not an exceptional achievement in the world of enthusiast filmmaking. Choking Hazard paradoxically lacks not only a coherent narrative, but also genre attractions, instead of which it only intermittently winks at viewers and tries to pile one overwrought pop-culture reference on top of another, so the result is tiresome blathering with dialogue like desperately rustling paper and reeking of an attempt at verbal acrobatics and would-be sophistication. The ostentatious exaggeration and outsized cleverness lack natural levity and thus reveal one sad aspect of the project. The central concept of zombie hunters suggests that the film is not just an enthusiast’s dream come true, but unfortunately also another contribution to the post-revolution trend of “purely Czech” (i.e. better Czech) variations on western models, such as The Vampire Wedding and Nudity for Sale. But Choking Hazard came along ten years after those films. (2013-09-21)

That someone would have such horrible thoughts as to make such a horrible thing... pfffft. I was surprised when I got Choking Hazard free with a pack of chocolate bars. But I was even more surprised when I popped it into my DVD player... why would someone waste energy like that? BOO! (2010-10-28)