ApoKalypse is a no holds barred indie animated feature
by Nav Qateel
Passion project ApoKalypse was written and directed by Lutz Geiger and created over a three year period. The ultra-low budget feature animation is set almost entirely in a mall, offering some Dawn of the Dead vibes with some South Park style thrown in for good measure.
Being a huge fan of animation, ApoKalypse appealed to me from the offset, especially since it is the style of animation that doesn’t mind poking fun at any and everyone, which Lutz appears to have set out to do, in a very humorous manner.
ApoKalypse tells to story of wannabe pro skateboarder Apo (Chris Koehne), a young man who flips burgers for a living but dreams of YouTube fame using his skating skills. After the unscrupulous mall boss Mr. DeGeneres (Andrew Helbig) tries to pass off rat poison as the new cure for Covid causing every Karen in the place to become a zombie and even more obnoxious, all Hell breaks loose in the Crown Center Plaza.
Apo has a massive crush on Cho, the girl who helps run her parent’s fried chicken joint also in the mall. Unfortunately Apo isn’t good at telling girls how he feels about them, and this is where best friend Jamal (Ravin Wong) steps in and offers some advice.
Jamal is a smooth talker but can’t skate well and Apo is the exact opposite so the pair helps one another out. This friendship was well written by Lutz thus making it feel genuine.
After ingesting rat poison, several Karens start attacking random people prompting the military to get involved in an attempt to rescue folks and find out what’s causing the zombie outbreak. Obviously nothing goes to plan and it’s all down to Apo to save the day.
ApoKalypse’s animation style, while simplistic is also quite endearing if you’re a fan of 2D animated film. Just look at how simple the massively successful South Park is animated for proof that writing is more important than visuals when dealing with this sort of medium, within reason of course.
Thankfully Lutz has written an entertaining script that contains far more hits than misses when it comes to delivering humor. He makes fun of MAGA and LGBT which was most refreshing to see.
ApoKalypse was made with very little money demonstrating just what can be achieved if you’re truly passionate about something. Lutz also shows that he has a great sense of humor and is able to transfer it from a script to a screen. Unlike many comedy animations I’ve seen I actually laughed quite a bit throughout Lutz’s effort. There was tons of gore along with slapstick and wicked adult lines that hit home. I couldn’t ask for anything more.
Nav’s Score: 8/10
