Acceptance Still Anchors This Monster Mash

Read Time:5 Minute, 41 Second

MOVIE REVIEW
Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires
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Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Family, Musical, Romance
Year Released: 2025
Runtime: 1h 26m
Director(s): Paul Hoen
Writer(s): Josh A. Cagan, David Light, Joseph Raso
Cast: Milo Manheim, Meg Donnelly, Chandler Kinney, Kylee Russell, Malachi Barton, Freya Skye, Julian Lerner, Swayam Bhatia, Mekonnen Knife, Lisa Chappell, Jonno Roberts
Where to Watch: premiering on Disney Channel July 10, 2025, and on Disney+ the next day

RAVING REVIEW: ZOMBIES 4: DAWN OF THE VAMPIRES marks a clear shift for the Disney franchise that began as a peppy tale of zombie–human coexistence and Romeo & Juliet style forbidden love. Four films in, and the message of empathy remains intact—but the approach feels different. Not worse, just… older. And maybe that’s the point. After following Zed (Milo Manheim) and Addison (Meg Donnelly) through high school, werewolf turf wars, and alien arrivals, this fourth entry doesn’t quite reboot the series. Still, it certainly caters to a slightly more mature crowd.

Set after their first year of college, the story finds Zed and Addison taking a summer road trip that veers off course and lands them in the middle of another supernatural standoff—this time between Daywalkers (no, not like Blade) and Vampires. What starts as a cute summer camp setup quickly turns into a clashing of egos, myths, and monster identities, as these two new factions struggle to coexist. Of course, who better to mediate than Seabrook’s favorite monster– ’human’ ambassadors?

Returning characters like Eliza (Kylee Russell), it was nice to see her back full-time after her real-life pregnancy reduced her appearance in part 3, and Willa (Chandler Kinney) are a welcome sight, offering continuity and some grounded wisdom amid all the glittery chaos. Although, unfortunately, several cast members who have become core are missing this time around. But it’s the newcomers—Nova (Freya Skye) and Victor (Malachi Barton)—who pull focus this time around. And while their dynamic brings a fresh energy, the increase in characters and lore slightly dilutes the core that held the earlier films together.

That said, the musical numbers are still solid, the acting has improved across the board, and the comedic timing is sharper than expected. Manheim and Donnelly still carry this franchise with an effortless charm that holds the story together, even when the plot feels stretched. There's a sense of confidence in the performances this time, as if the cast knows it might be their last dance and wants to savor it while it lasts (at least for them).

It’s hard not to feel like this is the beginning of the end—or at least, the end of this era. ZOMBIES 4 feels like a transition piece: not just another sequel, but a passing of the torch. If there is a fifth film, it’s pretty clear the focus will shift to a new generation of monsters. Zed and Addison’s story is starting to wind down, and while they’re still the heart of this entry, they’re no longer the entire engine.

That transition does leave the film feeling uneven. The Daywalkers and Vampires add conflict, sure, but they also pull attention away from the characters we’ve grown to love. And while the film still champions themes of inclusion, tolerance, and understanding, it sometimes rushes to make its point, relying on metaphor rather than emotional development. The villain of the movie is more annoying than menacing, which makes the climax feel less impactful than it should.

But despite its flaws, ZOMBIES 4 still shines where it counts. It remains committed to delivering a story about outsiders finding strength together. It doesn’t hide its metaphors, either—this franchise has always been bold in aligning supernatural creatures with real-world marginalized identities. Whether it’s zombies mirroring systemic prejudice, werewolves representing cultural erasure, or aliens embodying displacement, each entry in the series has taken a real-world issue and repackaged it in a way that’s accessible and meaningful for younger audiences. The Vampires and Daywalkers, as descendants of the town’s founders, may not speak to a specific community in quite the same way. Still, the underlying message of inherited division and the need to break generational cycles remains.

The film’s final scene feels less like a random visual and more like a breadcrumb. It could be the door to a sequel. Or maybe even a bridge between ZOMBIES and something like DESCENDANTS, with its own set of magical bloodlines and mythology. There’s speculation that future films could tackle new groups, and if so, ZOMBIES 4 will have served its purpose as both a finale and a launchpad.

And maybe that’s why the film works, even as it stumbles. It knows what it’s doing. It’s made for an audience that’s grown up with the franchise, and it chooses to grow with them. The stakes may be higher, the world may be bigger, and the focus may be wider, but the values haven’t changed. ZOMBIES 4 might not match the charm of the first or the emotional resonance of the second, but it still beats with the same heart. It’s not just about monsters. It never was. It’s about learning to live together, even when the world tells you you shouldn’t. And in that way, ZOMBIES 4 keeps the flame burning.

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[photo courtesy of DISNEY CHANNEL, DISNEY+, BLOOR STREET PRODUCTIONS, DISNEY BRANDED TELEVISION, NIGHT ZONE PRODUCTIONS]

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