This Is Not a Test” Squanders the Zombie Movie Momentum Built by “28 Years Later

In recent months, horror aficionados have witnessed a rare streak of brilliance within the zombie genre. However, while cinematic triumphs like 28 Years Later and 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple attempt to elevate the subgenre to prestige status, we are inevitably brought back down to reality. This Is Not a Test, helmed by writer-director Adam MacDonald and adapted from Courtney Summers’ young adult novel, clearly failed to keep pace with this evolution.

The landscape of the undead is frequently crowded with lackluster offerings and uninspired television. Then came the cultural behemoth The Walking Dead, which adapted Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore’s comic series into a decade-long phenomenon. While it reinvigorated the mainstream appetite for zombies and sparked a wave of novel adaptations like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and World War Z, the quality remained inconsistent. Films from that era, such as the gritty Overlord, served as serviceable filler, keeping fans satiated between television seasons without ever truly breaking new ground.

Over the last decade, a few standout entries pushed the boundaries of what a zombie film could be. International hits like Train to Busan and One Cut of the Dead, the spirited holiday musical Anna and the Apocalypse, and Jim Jarmusch’s deadpan comedy The Dead Don’t Die all offered fresh perspectives.

Even as The Walking Dead ecosystem persists through spin-offs like Dead City and Daryl Dixon, the 28 Years Later films align more with those boundary-pushing outliers. They briefly convinced me that the genre was entering a sophisticated new era. This Is Not a Test has effectively shattered that illusion, reminding us that for every visionary masterpiece, there is a mediocre imitation ready to pull the genre back into the grime.

The disappointment is palpable because the premise had such potential. The trailer teased a “Breakfast Club meets Dawn of the Dead” concept—a group of teenagers barricaded in their school during the apocalypse—which should have been a slam dunk.

Unfortunately, the narrative is painfully derivative. The script telegraphs every major plot point, draining the tension from what should be high-stakes survival. The characters feel like sketches rather than people, and the cinematography is distractingly poor—reminiscent of looking through a glass of muddy water. The lighting doesn’t just feel dark for atmosphere; it feels fundamentally incorrect, resulting in a murky, indistinct visual experience.

When compared to the epic visual scope of The Bone Temple or the vibrant clarity of Anna and the Apocalypse, the technical shortcomings of This Is Not a Test become even more glaring.

The cast is unable to salvage the production from its shallow writing. Olivia Holt, known for Cruel Summer, is given very little to work with as the lead, Sloane Price. While the plot eventually reveals her traumatic history, Holt’s performance is limited to a persistent, vacant stare. It’s difficult to feel invested in a protagonist’s survival when the character remains so hollow—a fault that likely lies more with the script than the actress herself.

As the collapse begins, we find Sloane in a bathtub, contemplating her own end. Trapped in a cycle of abuse by her father after her sister’s sudden departure, her journey toward finding a reason to live amidst the dead should have been a powerful arc. There is a compelling story to be told about someone who has lost the will to live suddenly being forced to fight for survival.

Yet, Sloane exhibits no real development. She drifts through the apocalypse with a lack of urgency that mirrors the shambling monsters she’s hiding from. Her classmates fare no better, serving as generic archetypes that fail to make a lasting impression. Even the action sequences and special effects feel unpolished and underwhelming.

Had This Is Not a Test premiered in 2005 as a quick follow-up to Zack Snyder‘s Dawn of the Dead remake, it might have been excused as a product of its time. But in the two decades since, the genre has matured and found new ways to terrify and provoke. While modern zombie cinema has moved on to higher learning, This Is Not a Test remains stubbornly held back.

This Is Not a Test arrives in theaters on Feb. 20.

Source: Polygon