Army of the Dead

Zach Snyder sure has been busy, hasn't he?

Army of the Dead - released in theaters last week and now on Netflix (which seems like it's own dangerous precedent, but I digress...) - is his newest film. 

Surprisingly, it's a bit more lighthearted(ish) than his recent re-do of Justice League. That film seemed to be a huge hit with nerd fandom and a decent one with any part of the general public who could sit through the whole thing. Two months later, I still look back on it fondly and I imagine it will stand the test of time quite well as his superhero "epic".

If Justice League was the full five course meal at an expensive restaurant (words I never thought I'd say!), then Army of the Dead is the fast casual place you go for your favorite pizzas or burritos or tacos. It's not quite fast food, but it's closer to it than the expensive restaurant. 

Such a delicious metaphor for a film that's actually pretty gory and gross, in the best of zombie ways. Army of Dead is yet another win for Snyder, perhaps not in the sense that it's one of his best films, but in the fact that it's perfectly enjoyable fun without very many issues. It's been a long time since he's had 300 (the film I think is his "masterpiece") or Watchmen (if you're part of that camp), but at least in 2021, Snyder is 2 for 2 to varying degrees. Given what the guy has gone through, I couldn't be happier for him and, for what it's worth, I hope he gets his Snyder-verse Justice League Parts II and III. 

Army of the Dead is about a zombie infestation that is luckily contained within the city of Las Vegas. Millions have died, but the rest of the nation moves forward with their lives. The executive decision has been made to nuke Las Vegas so this crew, lead by Scott Ward (Bautista), is chosen to steal millions of dollars from a casino. Can they enter the quarantine zone, steal the money, and escape in time? This is a classic genre mash-up between zombie flicks, race-against-time actioners, and a heist film. For all three of those things, it doesn't reinvent the wheel at all, but it all blends nicely. It's an awesome videogame brought to life (but seriously, a game of this would be dope) and it plays like one, naturally, from Snyder. My most significant complaint comes from the way the film plays out. Obviously, this shall remain spoiler-free, but by the end it feels like the whole plot was a bit worthless and...well...I shouldn't say much more but it just kind of feels..."Oh...ok?". Personally I think there was a better way (or several) the film could have gone but I'm not going to hold those artistic decisions against Snyder too much. 

"I'm gonna buy so much Dogecoin!"

In terms of casting, there's a fun group of people here, even if some [read: most] of them are forgettable. Bautista is the biggest in terms of star-power and is fine as the film's anchor and core emotional story. It's become apparent in recent years that Bautista is really into acting and he wants to perfect his craft. It's admirable, and I enjoy seeing him getting the opportunity to do so. For as much as the film's script lets him play a role in being its heart, he's decently effective and helped along by his character's daughter, Kate (Ella Purnell). The rest of the misfits are generic for the heist genre, but still a blast to have around. In particular, I felt like the bromance between Vanderohe (Omari Hardwick) and Dieter (Matthias Schweighofer) was one of the best parts of the film, providing some decent laughs and smile-on-your-face moments. 

Cue "Viva Las Vegas" overlay...

But at the end of the day, the majority of the population who sees this wants to see zombie killing and action. Personally, I love a well done and appropriately gory zombie film/show, but it's hard to do something unique anymore. Outside of a zombie tiger, Army of the Dead doesn't do much unique, but more so dialed to 11, which works too. There's tons of gore here, both on the zombie and human side, which is part of the fun of zombies in general - you can usually get away with some pretty comically graphic stuff. Blood (of course) and guts and brains blast across the screen in some mostly-thrilling action set pieces. The action itself is never going to blow your mind, but the race against the clock is a true threat that keeps the foot on the gas. The fact this all happens in Vegas, even if that CGI ranges from shoddy to "good", makes it fun in the sort of "Oh hey, I know that place!" way. There's even some zombie lore and side-story to go along with everything, which creates a pretty terrifying villain even if, again, it's all something you've seen before. 

As long as you can stomach zombie violence, Army of the Dead is an easy film to recommend. I honestly wish it would have gone slightly different in the final 45 minutes (of the too-long 2.5 hours), but it doesn't ruin the film at all. It's a perfectly enjoyable, fun, and wild ride and a good "lighthearted" change of pace for Snyder. The need for this to be a videogame is real, but that's part of the fun here: on paper it just sounds badass. Vegas. Zombies. Heist. Nuke. Bautista. What's not to like?

CONS

• I wish it would have gone a slightly different direction vs. where it ended up, but oh well
• Netflix-level CGI. This is a serious issue they need to address; their special effects are not up to par with the rest of Hollywood
• About 50% of the characters are forgettable
• Too long at 2.5 hours
• The "heist" element of the film is probably the most shortchanged out of the three genres we get here

PROS

• It's a delightful genre mash-up that reads like an awesome videogame that needs to be made. Heists, against-the-clock action, and a zombie flick? It's a winning formula
• Snyder's direction fits well here and it's cool to see him get another win. It still has his DNA, for better or worse, but it's pretty much all "better" here because of the theme
• Decent action mixed with tons of comical gore and threatening zombie design give the film a...ahem...pulse. It chugs along briskly, despite the runtime
• Handful of memorable characters. Bautista does a decent/good job as lead and the bromance between Dieter and Vanderohe is one of the best parts of the film
• Thrilling ending. Probably its best part because of how much tension there is
• Fun song choice that is totally on-the-nose, but you know it fits perfectly
• Entertaining from start to finish, even if it doesn't do anything outstanding

Rath's Review Score | 7.5/10