The zombie meme is now officially played out. What more-or-less began as a George A. Romero gore-fest in 1973’s Night of the Living Dead has been turned into countless novels and graphic novels, a successful television series and too many movies to count (including the summer-2013 presumed blockbuster, World War Z).

And then there’s Warm Bodies, a comedy-horror-romance film about R, a flesh-eating member of the undead, and his undying love for the still-living Julie. If opposites attract, we can’t think of anything more opposite than getting involved with someone who wants to eat your face on the half-shell.

Not only does R have the standard teenage angst to get past, he also has to overcome the fact that he’s not exactly living. Helping him in this regard, aside from his love interest and potential entree Julie, is a BMW Z4 sDrive35is, of which BMW asks the question, “What makes you feel the most alive?”

A 335-horsepower roadster with a lowered sport suspension, adaptive dampers and an undeniable fun-to-drive factor works for us, too, and we are, by all accounts, alive. We can also see the added appeal of an open top car if you’re in a relationship with a zombie, since they’re not exactly known for their fresh-from-the-shower smell.

Even in base form, the 2013 BMW Z4 starts at a price point around $48,000, while the car in the movie is priced from around $65,000. Given the movie’s likely sub-30 demographic, we can’t help wondering if BMW is pitching its expensive wares to an under-funded crowd.

What’s your take? Is featuring the BMW Z4 in Warm Bodies a shrewd marketing move, or just a wasted product placement?