Army of The Dead has arrived, and it is a spectacular film. Directed by, filmed by, and written by, Zack Snyder, and brought to us in his full vision by Netflix. The official synopsis reads.
Following a zombie outbreak in Las Vegas, a group of mercenaries take the ultimate gamble, venturing into the quarantine zone to pull off the greatest heist ever attempted.
It stars an ensemble cast made up 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.
First up the cast is really fun. Bautista is on a mission to show us that he truly is a force in entertainment. A few missteps in his career, however he is now starting to really find his way and show us his talents. He has a range, and Snyder is able to show it. James Gunn was able to bring the comedic chops out of Bautista in a supporting role, and now Snyder has helped show that he can carry a film on his own. He brings the heart to the film, and really hits moments that need to.
The rest of the cast rounds out nicely. Tig Notaro is definitely a standout. Her dry sense of humor really hits the film, and when things might seem to slow down, she comes in strong with a one liner. Theo Rossi is one of my favorite actors to see pop up in projects. I think this role will make the fans of his time on Sons of Anarchy a little happier than his role in Luke Cage. While I got to know him as the badass Shades, I would have preferred him to be more of a tough guy in this film. But he played his role well.
Another stands out of the film where Hardwick and Schweighöfer. Not for themselves, but together. The chemistry was incredible. I honestly would have loved to see a buddy film with the two characters. Overall neither were used to their potential, but together they really made a mark on the film.
The story is a little long. Snyder tried to stuff a little much into this film. There are a lot of story lines that do not really get their due time to develop. Ella Purnell plays Bautista’s estranged daughter. Purnell is good in the role; however the story is not needed. It kind of sidelines the film at times, and oddly, in a movie about zombies, is a little unbelievably.
Maybe if we had taken out a few of these side stories, and made the film a little leaner, somewhere around an hour and 45, maybe two, instead of two and half, it would have worked a little better. However, despite the story issues, the graphics and set designs are fantastic. I never knew how much I needed to see a Zombie Tiger in my life until now! Not to mention the world building behind the zombies is pretty cool. With different tiers of Zombies, and a whole infrastructure, Snyder has made a film that could easily grow into spin offs, sequels, and its own universe.
All in all, despite the story issues, Zack Snyder’s Army of The Dead is a fun film, worth checking out! I scored the film 2.8 out of 5, but it is also getting a Positivity Bonus. Army of The Dead has an incredible opening credits scene. One of the best I have seen in a long time, one that sets the tone for the film. For that scene, it gets a .3 bonus, rounding out the score to 3.1 out of 5. Have you seen Army of The Dead yet? If so, what did you think? If not, are you excited to check it out? Would you like to see more from the DeadUniverse, or the Snyder DCEU? Answer the call in the comments!
The Grind 