Zack Snyder’s newest movie deftly blends horror movie conventions and heist film tropes into a delightfully bloody affair. Read our Army of the Dead review here!
Essentially, Army of the Dead is exactly what you’d expect from a zombie heist film that’s directed by Zack Snyder — it’s beautiful, it’s brutal and it’s more than a little bit bombastic. The action is the some of the best we’ve ever seen in a zombie movie and the many of the scenes and set pieces could be pulled right out of the film and set in a frame on my wall. And, despite being more of an action film than a straight horror movie, the film doesn’t pull its punches with its blood and gore. There are plenty of gory zombie scenes and grisly deaths to satisfy even the most dedicated zombie movie fan out there — and even a few scenes where the more squeamish among us will want to look away.
Finally, Army of Dead has the same go-for-broke, swing-for-the-fences, maximalist approach that fans like myself love about Zack Snyder. The set pieces are big, the scope is epic, there’s an absolutely rocking soundtrack set over a good number of slowmo scenes. Also, while there are your run of the mill slow zombies (shamblers, as they’re called in the film), but there’s also a more evolved set of the undead, a zombie king and queen and, yes, a zombie tiger.
In short, it’s everything I wanted (and a little bit more) when I first heard that Zack Snyder was going to direct a zombie heist film set in the burned out, overrun husk of Las Vegas. Read on below for our full Army of Dead review!
‘Army of the Dead’ review
Set in a world where Las Vegas has been overrun by the undead and is walled off from the rest of the world, Army of the Dead starts off with a truly fantastic prelude to the main story that shows us just how the zombie virus started and how Las Vegas was overrun, then walled off, before transitioning to the present day and introducing us to its main characters.
Though this is an ensemble film in the tradition of most heist movies, it does have its main protagonist (also in the tradition of most heist movies) in Dave Bautista’s Scott Ward, a former zombie war hero who was left behind by his government when they no longer needed him and now works as a fry cook at a local burger place. When he’s approached by casino owner Bly Tanaka, played by Hiroyuki Sanada, to break into the quarantine zone 32 hours before Las Vegas is nuked by the government in order to and retrieve $200 million that’s sitting in an underground vault, he takes about 12 hours to think about it before we’re treated to a montage of him recruiting various friends, acquaintances and strangers to help him complete the job.
The members of Ward’s small but scrappy team are a mishmash of heist film tropes with a zombie movie twist. Notable among them are the slightly off-kilter safecracker who has never killed a zombie before in Matthias Schweighöfer’s Dieter, Tig Notaro as the quippy ace pilot Marianne Peters, the right-hand to Ward in Ana de la Reguera’s Maria Cruz and former doctor of philosophy turned hired muscle/badass zombie killer in Omari Hardwick’s Vanderohe.
The movie breezes through the set-up and introductions, spending the majority of its time on what we opened up Netflix (or braved the movie theaters for the first time in a year and a half) to see: zombie gore and grisliness set amidst the backdrop of a burned out Las Vegas, all delivered with Zack Snyder’s signature flair.
Obviously, I’m a Zack Snyder fan, so anything particularly Zack Snyder-y about the film is going to appeal to me.
That’s not going to be the case with everyone, which I’ve made my peace with; however, I do think that given that this is a completely original story — meaning that it doesn’t bring with it any sort of historical baggage or canonical expectation the way that Snyder’s superhero films do — even Snyder’s biggest detractors should find enjoyment from it.
Meaning that even if you were to think that the movie is a tad too long, the characters a little too thinly drawn or the plot a little too straightforward (all legitimate criticisms of the film I’ve seen floating around that truthfully didn’t bother me at all as I watched it), you’d still enjoy the hell out of the truly fantastic visuals given to us by Army of the Dead.
Zack Snyder’s ability to frame individual scenes, deliver spectacular set pieces and shoot enthralling action sequences has always stood out in his films and that ability really shines in Army of the Dead. The film’s first few minutes are — in customary Zack Snyder fashion — a self-contained mini movie of its own, delivering a prelude to the film’s main storyline that is not only beautifully shot, but at turns thrilling, brutal, and evocative. It deftly sets up the film and builds the world with minimal dialogue, introducing us to the characters, their backstories and their losses.
Army of the Dead’s action scenes are fluid and eye-catching, its horror scenes unflinching and bloody, and its heist scenes thrilling and expertly paced. It’s a feast for the eyes that sometimes includes a zombie feasting on eyes and will, if nothing else, lead you to appreciate Zack Snyder’s mastery of the visual medium of film.
While the visuals and the action stand out, the movie isn’t simply all flair, no substance. Though there isn’t too much given to the more tertiary characters in terms of arc or development, each actor brings it with their performance, from Raúl Castillo’s Gen Z YouTuber Mikey Guzman to his lady love Chambers, played by Samantha Win, to my personal favorite, Nora Arnezeder playing the Coyote — a complete badass who smuggles people looking to find a small fortune within the walls of Las Vegas.
The central characters of Army of the Dead are all likable and easy to root for, with Dave Bautista once again proving that he’s not only the best out of his fellow professional wrestlers turned Hollywood movie stars, but that he’s simply a damn fine actor who deserves way more credit for his talent.
There’s also surprisingly evocative storyline between Bautista’s Scott Ward and his estranged daughter Kate, played by Ella Purnell, that manages to hit its emotional mark in between all the blood, gore and guts, and a delightfully unlikely friendship between Omari Hardwick’s Vanderohe and Matthias Schweighöfer’s Dieter that made me pine for a spin-off series.
I won’t tell you who lives and who dies, but take note that this is a zombie movie, so not all your favorites will make it to the very end. It’s a credit to the writing and directing of Army of the Dead that it does a great job of developing all its characters just enough for us to root for them, just so it can rip out our hearts when the zombies rip out their hearts.
In terms of Zack Snyder films, Army of the Dead has the same sincerity as his superhero films, but not the same level of seriousness. It isn’t interested in camp and quips, but does give the feeling of being an enthusiastic romp in a world filled with the undead. It’s an epic film in its own right — with zombie king named Zeus and a world big enough to have already garnered a prequel and a spinoff — but without the heavy mythologizing of his DC films or Watchmen movie.
In terms of zombie movies, Army of the Dead doesn’t reinvent the genre like 28 Days Later nor does it explore social commentary like George A. Romero’s zombies films. The film introduces us to the Alphas — super fast, intelligent zombies with some kind of social structure — but gives them largely the same narrative functions as your more conventional zombies. It swipes broadly at bigger ideas — imperialism, governmental corruption, power — but doesn’t delve too deeply into them.
But a zombie film doesn’t need to be a reinvention or a political treatise to be good, and I’d argue that Zack Snyder wasn’t aiming for either when he decided to make Army of the Dead. Instead, what he was aiming for was a genre mishmash of horror and thriller, with likable characters, great visuals, a touch of the epic and plenty of gore — and that’s exactly what he gave us.
If you can’t already tell from this Army of the Dead review, the film is an exhilarating, action-packed, bloody ride from start to finish, from a director who clearly loves the two genres he’s combined and a cast who is obviously having a blast working for him. It’s the perfect blockbuster to kick off the summer movie season, and whether you venture out to the theaters or settle into the couch in the comfort of your own home, you’ll have an absolute blast watching it.
Army of the Dead is out now in theaters and streaming on Netflix! Do you agree with our Army of the Dead review? Let us know in the comments below!
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