'Army of the Dead' review: Predictable yet fun zombie heist
While there was a lot of hope from Army of the Dead, it falls flat in many areas. Coming from the ace filmmaker Zack Snyder, the zombie heist-thriller finally hit Netflix on May 21. Fans were really expecting the movie could reinvent the zombie genre following those incredible teasers and promotional events. But did it, though? Here's our review. (There are spoilers ahead)
It felt zombies had more character depth than the humans
It had all the cinematic tropes of a heist movie - a shady billionaire, a group of mercenaries who would do anything for money, and a safe that only a nerd could open. It's as if everyone hated each other, yet they came together for one common goal. In fact, we could barely connect with the team, as there were way too many actors.
The zombie tiger was a true visual treat
The VFX throughout the movie was absolutely incredible. The shots of a Las Vegas overrun by zombies felt pretty realistic. We also loved the zombie tiger, and the alpha zombie and queen's introduction were extremely well-shot. Many visuals had shades of Dawn of the Dead, which Snyder fans might approve of. The scenes of the zombies portraying emotions also felt quite innovative and fresh.
Dave Bautista should just stick to action scenes
However, the performance of the cast is nothing extraordinary. While Dave Bautista looks comfortable with action, he should avoid doing emotional scenes. Ella Purnell, who plays his daughter, did a commendable job. Huma Qureshi played an important role, but barely had any screen time, while Omari Hardwick was decent as a soldier. Richard Cetrone, who plays the Alpha Zombie, did justice to his role.
An enjoyable zombie heist with a dead-average storyline, rating 3/5
Army of the Dead has its fair share of world-class action sequences and stunning aesthetics. However, with a run time of 2 hours 28 minutes, it could have been cut shorter. Apart from the 'super' zombies, it offers nothing new in terms of storyline. While the movie was predictable, it was still quite enjoyable. Can be a decent weekend watch. Verdict: 3/5 stars.
