Yet another entry in the zombie comedy sweepstakes, "Dead and Deader" is not the worst of its kind. But while occasionally amusing, it isn't very funny either, though not from lack of trying. Unlike the two best examples of the genre, "Shaun of the Dead" & "Dead & Breakfast", this one tries way too hard to be hip & funny. The story itself ain't bad, prompting one to think maybe this movie would've been better if played straighter.

Dean Cain is Bobby Quinn, a Green Beret who, along with his unit, is killed during a mission in Cambodia. He wakes up during his autopsy, still clinically dead, but not quite as dead as his ravenous comrades, rendered flesh-eating zombies by scorpions which attach themselves to their victim's hearts. Inexplicably accused of murdering some folks at an Army base (no seems to notice the green gook spewing from the bitten victims once they become zombies), Quinn escapes to try and track down the other dead members of his unit before they spread the zombie plague. He's aided by Army cook/comic relief Judson (Guy Torry) & movie geek Holly (Susan Ward), but conspiring against them is a cancer-ridden mad doctor (Peter Greene, in a truly annoying performance), who thinks these scorpions are the key to eternal life (ignoring, of course, the fact that everyone they infect turn into the drooling undead). At first, "Dead and Deader" is a minor league but amusing zombie comedy (dubbed 'zomedy' on the box); it starts off well, and when Quinn's commanding officer claims Quinn's account of what happened during the first zombie outbreak "has more holes than a Michael Bay film," the viewer is lulled into thinking they're in for some good-natured fun. But then the script goes way overboard with clumsily-inserted pop culture references. Sometimes the action is actually put on hold for entire scenes in which characters debate which actor is the best James Bond, or which version of "Dawn of the Dead" is the best. What was once briefly clever is now heavy-handed and distracting, which is too bad, because while the plot itself is derivative but interesting, the writers of "Dead and Deader" feel the apparent need to beat you over the head with their name-dropping hipness, so much that it sometimes kills any momentum the story develops. The movie is also marred by a few unnecessary & stupid characters, most notably a fat lady who has designs on Judson, who really only exists to transition one scene to another (but none-too-convincingly).

Like a lot of the made-for-TV fluff premiering on the Sci-Fi Channel, this one sports a good-but-not-great transfer. The film is presented in 1:78:1 widescreen, and for the most part, the overall image os okay. The audio is rendered in both 5.1 & 2.0 Dolby Digital. It sounds good, but nothing above and beyond most similar TV movies of its ilk.

A fairly lengthy making-of feature is included, along with an audio commentary by writer Steve Kriozere & writer/producer Mark A. Altman. As with most Anchor Bay/Starz releases of late, the screenplay is available as DVD-ROM content.

Yet another pseudo-hip horror flick, "Dead and Deader" is a fast moving enough time killer to maintain interest at least through one viewing, even though its numerous pop culture references become a monumental distraction. The story itself is derivative, but pretty good when the movie actually choose to focus on it. Recommended as a rental on a dull night. Similar Movies: "Undead"; "Return of the Living Dead"; "Dead & Breakfast"; "Night of the Living Dorks"; "Devil's Den"; "Shaun of the Dead"; "Zombie Honeymoon"