Zack Snyder‘s latest movie Army of the Dead is certainly ambitious, and we’ll focus on that in this review. But the newly improved zombie movie seems to be excessive. With Army of the Dead, Snyder is trying to please all his fanbase with a heist, apocalyptic, and zombie movie all in one.
Netflix
Army of the Dead just premiered on Netflix, and it’s one more movie for Zack Snyder. The director had quite a lot on his plate, with his four-hour long version of Justice League. The DC Comics movie premiered this spring on HBO Max.
Now he’s got his Netflix deal, and it looked like one that could actually change the way we see zombies.
But fear not, this isn’t a horror movie. At least, not a scary one. We get suspense, frustration, and a lot of anticipation, but nothing terrifying.
The slow-mo opening credits give us an insight into an apocalyptic world where zombies take over Las Vegas. With a joke that the movie should’ve been nuked in the 90s, they create a barrier around Las Vegas to stop zombies from coming in.
But like it always happens, a super-rich dude wants something stored in Las Vegas. So Scott Ward (Dave Bautista) gathers a team of the best men still available during apocalypse for a good ol’ heist.
The visuals of the movie are explosive, and gory. Snyder didn’t shy away from bombing any zombies and giving us full shot into the picture.
One of the fun parts of the movie is actually the soundtrack. For a movie from a director who sees himself as a serious director, the soundtrack is anything but. With songs like “Suspicious Minds” (Elvis Presley) and “Viva Las Vegas” (Richard Cheese and Allison Crowe) and “Zombies” (The Cranberries), this might be one of the most realistic part of the apocalypse. Set up in Las Vegas, one couldn’t expect anything else.
Zack Snyder wrote and directed the movie. And he went all in. But trying to accomplish a height movie, an apocalyptic movie, and a zombie movie all in one might be an overachiever.
The actions shots are definitely not lacking. Dave Bautista shines through the role, in a different way than he does usually. He is just a human with difficult past, trying to handle the apocalypse.
The two-and-a-half movie might seem like a little time to accomplish what Snyder initially wanted. But the movie suffers from pacing. With all the great ensemble, action scenes and fighting, some scenes tend to be rushed. But there are some that are too dragged, and the dialogue seems to be clichéic at times.
Another thing that Snyder got it right was the diversity of the movie. The film stars an incredibly diverse cast that consists of Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Ana de la Reguera, Theo Rossi, Matthias Schweighöfer, Nora Arnezeder, Hiroyuki Sanada, Tig Notaro, Raúl Castillo, Huma Qureshi, and Garret Dillahunt.
While Snyder still has to learn more when it comes to female characters, he’s totally on the right track. Maria Cruz (Reguera), Marianne Peters (Notaro), Lily (Arnezeder) and Chambers (Samantha Win) make incredibly badass women who can stand their ground. Scott’s daughter, Kate (Purnell) is also dedicated, independent, nurturing and caring.
The zombies are also better than they’ve been before. While still brainless, they are stronger, and more powerful. If Snyder hadn’t focused on having too many genres in the same movie, this could’ve been an epic movie.
Army of the Dead is entertaining. The shoot-outs, the great montages, the lack of gravity at times and the great ensemble will definitely keep you entertaining for its two and half hour mark.
