Block Z is a 2020 Philippine zombie film directed by Mikhail Red and starring Julia Barretto (PJ), Joshua Garcia (Lucas), Maris Racal (Erika), McCoy de Leon (Myles), Yves Flores (Gelo), Dimples Romana (Bebeth), Ian Veneracion (Mario), and Myrtle Sarrosa (Vanessa). It follows a group of university students who try to survive the undead during a deadly viral outbreak.
The film was theatrically released on January 29, 2020. It is currently available on iWantTFC, ABS-CBN's online streaming platform, with English subtitles.
Block Z provides examples of the following tropes:
- Action Girl: PJ is an adept fighter.
- Action Survivor: Especially compared to PJ, Erika is this. Myles is also not as skilled a fighter as PJ or Lucas, although he springs to action when their zombified professor attacks Erika.
- Bittersweet Ending: Bebeth and Lucas survive the outbreak, the latter having been found by a group of raiders two weeks after a typhoon swept the country, killing almost all zombies as a news broadcast reveals their weakness to water before it could spread any further. However, several people, including PJ and Mario's friends and loved ones have died horribly, either turned into zombies themselves or were eaten alive. PJ and Mario's fates are left to the imagination of the viewer as well, as they were last seen near a post office just as a radio announces a supertyphoon about to enter the country.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: The film opens with footage of various protests, so it's pretty obvious that the student body politics depicted later on are probably some kind of commentary on sexism, classism, oligarchies, and other related issues in the Philippines' government.
- Vanessa is part of the student body. She's criticized for being shallow and underestimated due to her apparent vanity, yet she's the student politician who wants to help her schoolmates during the zombie crisis. Gelo kills her.
- Gelo was voted into the position because his father was a military general. He doesn't do anything to help and wants to preserve his resources solely for himself. He even kills Vanessa, a female (student) politician who's actually competent and wishes to provide aid for the other students.
- Dying as Yourself: The morally good characters tend to, at the very least, have this sort of death.
- Vanessa dies — completely unbitten and healthy! — after Gelo pushes her down a flight of stairs. Gelo does, however, falsely claim that she was turning into a zombie.
- Although Myles gets bitten, we don't actually see him transform into a zombie. He spends his dying moments valiantly shooting at an incoming horde, and he pretty much dies from becoming zombie chow before the infection can take hold of him. He also dies before the concept of being immune to the zombie virus is introduced, so it's possible he didn't even need to die in the first place.
- Erika is bitten, but she drowns before she can turn into a zombie.
- Hidden Depths: The student activists initially accuse Vanessa of being a Brainless Beauty, but in reality, she's an eloquent young woman with convictions, a solid sense of responsibility, and a genuine desire to do good. Sadly, it goes nowhere because Gelo kills her as she's about to help.
- Karmic Death: For all his misdeeds and cowardice, Gelo ends up infected and then torn apart by zombies near the end.
- My God, What Have I Done?: All of the survivors have a moment like this when they kill zombies (and, well, non-zombies in Gelo's case). As Myles points out: "Oh, God, I killed my professor."
- Oblivious to Love: Although never explicitly confirmed, the film is not subtle about Myles being in love with Erika, who doesn't notice.
- Ship Tease: Of the Star-Crossed Lovers variety for Myles and Erika. Although never explicitly confirmed, it's abundantly clear that Myles is in love with Erika, with the camera lingering on his longing looks towards Erika. However, just when it seems that Erika is falling for him too, Myles dies. To rub salt in the wound, when they're all surrounded by zombies and forced to swim for hours just to keep the hydrophobic undead away, a shivering Erika has to watch Lucas keep PJ warm by hugging her, the day Myles died. Judging by her tears, it's obvious that Erika is wondering what it'd be like if Myles survived... and her last words end up being "I'll go see Myles" before she gives herself to the zombies.
- Smart People Wear Glasses: Myles is The Smart Guy who correctly deduces that the zombies are afraid of water. He also wears glasses.
