For many Filipinos, Lolas Tinidora, Nidora and Tidora are fixtures of noontime television, imparting both somewhat snarky comedy and important life lessons to people young and old. In their first starring cinematic feature, Trip Ubusan takes the Lolas into a Zombie film, leading to mixed results.
When a (lechon-induced) Zombie outbreak breaks out, the Three Lolas and their granddaughter (Caprice Cayetano) head for safer ground. Meanwhile, a bunch of civilians manage escape from the outbreak as well, commandeering a tour bus to head for safe haven. These people include a couple planning to elope, a convict, a rude and standoffish woman and Ryzza Mae Dizon, who quite frankly belongs in a category of her own. The film tries to develop these characters, giving them their own motivations.
Trip Ubusan finds itself diverging into two narratives: a semi comedic story of the Lolas on the run from zombies, and the relatively serious story of the people on the bus. To be fair, the latter story by itself could have been a half decent teen horror movie for the holiday season. As many have said before, the movie tends to have a split personality, trying to futilely balance horror and comedy. It's not as if Zombie comedies are impossible to make; one doesn't have to look very far to find films like Edgar Wright's Shaun of the Dead (2004) or Ruben Fleischer's Zombieland (2009). But the Lolas turn out to be the film's weakness: they stick out like a sore thumb in a relatively serious movie. It's like seeing the Three Stooges do wacky stuff during Cannibal Holocaust, or Jerry Lewis slip on poo and pratfall during Salo: 120 Days of Sodom. Their inclusion in the movie does nothing to allay the tonal clash that's going on.
The film ends abruptly, with the sort of feel-good moral lesson (don't eat Crispy Pata too much...?) that helps MTRCB members sleep at night with notions of "redeeming social values." While there's enough to keep viewers (especially Eat Bulaga fans) interested in the film, the film is ultimately unsatisfying for either zombie fans or fans of comedy.
When a (lechon-induced) Zombie outbreak breaks out, the Three Lolas and their granddaughter (Caprice Cayetano) head for safer ground. Meanwhile, a bunch of civilians manage escape from the outbreak as well, commandeering a tour bus to head for safe haven. These people include a couple planning to elope, a convict, a rude and standoffish woman and Ryzza Mae Dizon, who quite frankly belongs in a category of her own. The film tries to develop these characters, giving them their own motivations.
Trip Ubusan finds itself diverging into two narratives: a semi comedic story of the Lolas on the run from zombies, and the relatively serious story of the people on the bus. To be fair, the latter story by itself could have been a half decent teen horror movie for the holiday season. As many have said before, the movie tends to have a split personality, trying to futilely balance horror and comedy. It's not as if Zombie comedies are impossible to make; one doesn't have to look very far to find films like Edgar Wright's Shaun of the Dead (2004) or Ruben Fleischer's Zombieland (2009). But the Lolas turn out to be the film's weakness: they stick out like a sore thumb in a relatively serious movie. It's like seeing the Three Stooges do wacky stuff during Cannibal Holocaust, or Jerry Lewis slip on poo and pratfall during Salo: 120 Days of Sodom. Their inclusion in the movie does nothing to allay the tonal clash that's going on.
The film ends abruptly, with the sort of feel-good moral lesson (don't eat Crispy Pata too much...?) that helps MTRCB members sleep at night with notions of "redeeming social values." While there's enough to keep viewers (especially Eat Bulaga fans) interested in the film, the film is ultimately unsatisfying for either zombie fans or fans of comedy.
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