by John Bizub, Contributing Writer
Filmmaker Zack Snyder has been busy for the past couple of years. He has introduced fans to a new style of comic book storytelling with Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and most recently, his complete version of Justice League. After the dispute between himself and Warner Bros., Snyder has gone out to Netflix to distribute his next film, an original zombie film with an all-star cast. And now that original zombie film is finally here.
Army of the Dead stars Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Huma Qureshi, Tig Notaro, Matthias Schweighöfer, and Omari Hardwick as a band of soldiers during a zombie outbreak in Las Vegas. Their mission: to extract money from a safe in a casino. It’s a standard heist story, but with an undead twist.
I am a Snyder defender. I think he is one of our boldest filmmakers when it comes to blockbuster storytelling; he manages to have crowd-pleasing action alongside themes and underlying elements that elevates the genre tackled to new heights. And after Zack Snyder’s Justice League, I was more than ready for anything Snyder had up his sleeve.
Army of the Dead is an exciting, fun, action-packed thrill ride that is a wonderful kickoff to the summer movie season. This is a Snyder project through and through. Everything about it screams, “Snyder,” from the directing, the screenplay, story, and even the new addition of placing himself as Director of Photography. The film is jam-packed with exciting camera work and unique camera placement that create some of Snyder’s best visual moments. The color palette balances Snyder’s traditional realistic grainy look with vibrant eye-popping spectacle. The acting, especially by Dave Bautista, is great. Each cast member brings a moment to shine and the chemistry feels very natural. Bautista has brought so much range throughout his career, and he shows in this that film he wants to be taken seriously as a performer. The visual effects are great, showing a new form of zombie that we have not seen in the bloated genre.
I think one of the film’s most creative elements, and one of its best, is the world building. It is clear that Snyder is interested in the psychology of the undead and the different types of zombies being made, ranging from Romero to Boyle, and it made me smile very hard. The writing was very good — characters are given enough development, but you already know the end result from the get-go.
I believe this will go down as Snyder’s most personal work, especially taking Bautista’s character and Snyder’s recent family life into context . Snyder’s collaborator Junkie XL was fantastic on the score. He understands what this movie is trying to be and creates a score that fits the film overall.
My biggest issue was the film’s pacing throughout the second act; it has an energy of a 10 in its first and third but dials it down to a six in its second, which could leave audiences wanting more. This could be due to its very bloated runtime of 146 minutes, which is a bit too long if you ask me.
Army of the Dead marks the beginning of a new summer for big blockbusters. It is a fun, whimsical, explosive, and great time to be both a film fan and a Snyder fan. This is a new age for Zack Snyder, free from WB interference. Like I stated before, Snyder is interested in fleshing out this world as much as possible. I was very pleased as a Snyder fan and as a film fan. It plays out like a round of Call of Duty Zombies on a Friday night, and even has elements of Resident Evil thrown in there at times. Snyder said this one is for video gamers. The movies are back!
Grade: B+