Movie Reviews

For Better and Worse, ‘Army of the Dead’ is Definitely a Zack Snyder Film

Published

3 years ago

May 12, 2021

Army of the Dead is headed to Netflix on May 21, 2021. If you’re a Zack Snyder fan, there’s plenty to love here. If you’re not, well…watch it for Tig Notaro, Matthias Schweighöfer, and alpha zombies.

What’s an alpha zombie, you ask? We’ll get to that in a moment!

Army of the Dead focuses on a ragtag group of mercenaries who enter a quarantined Las Vegas to steal a cool $200 million from the vault in a high-profile casino. Why is it quarantined? An army convoy accidentally unleashed a zombie plague that the government miraculously managed to completely contain inside Sin City, which makes them more effective than any other governing body in the history of the genre.

Sadly, the editors on the film were not as judicious. Army of the Dead comes in at a bloated two and a half hours that easily could have been between one and a half to two hours and would have saved the film from its often bogged-down pacing.

Did we really need the fourth and fifth subplots that extended and re-extended the ending? Probably not, but again, this is a post-Justice League Zack Snyder film. If only the guy who had directed the remake of Dawn of the Dead had shown up instead.

Now, I really don’t mind a long run time. I’m a sucker for the extended edition Lord of the Rings films after all, and I recognize that might make me sound like a bit of a hypocrite here. However, Army of the Dead would seriously have benefitted if Snyder had dropped some of the unnecessary subplots to punch up the main storyline of the film.

Example, almost all of the character development is packed into the first five to ten minutes of the movie in a montage. I’m all for an action flick with no character development at all. Ninja Assassin is a brilliant example of this type of film. The problem here is that Snyder obviously wants us to care about these characters. He walks us right up to the line of empathy repeatedly throughout the film without ever sticking the landing, and then seems to forget what he was doing.

It’s frustrating for the viewer, and you could almost see in a couple of scenes that it was frustrating for the actors, as well.

Speaking of actors, this film really has a great cast. Dave Bautista proves he can lead well, though I still wish he’d been given more to do. Sadly, there were times when he seemed bored on screen. That malaise can be felt in almost all of the performances in the film. Omari Hardwick has mad fighting skills, but there are definite signs of going through the motions.

The two real standouts, as I mentioned earlier, are Notaro and Schweighöfer. They’re the only two actors who seem to be having a really good time in the film.

Notaro famously joined Army of the Dead after another actor was removed from the film amidst accusation of sexual misconduct and harassment. She was brought in and added via green-screen and several re-shoots, and it’s possible this is what allowed her to tap into a different energy than the rest of the cast. Her tongue-in-cheek performance as a helicopter pilot who joins the heist simply to have something to do is absolutely a highlight.

As for Schweighöfer, his nervous safecracker, Dieter, simply stole my heart. Here is a guy in the midst of a zombie outbreak who has never really used a gun before much less had to fight for his life in any real sense. He takes on the job in a quest–not for money–but to take on the most badass safe in the world: the Götterdämmerung, aptly named after Wagner’s opera about the end of the world.

Then there are the zombies of Army of the Dead. They come in two categories: shamblers and alphas. Shamblers are the zombies most folks are used to. Alphas are not only faster and stronger, but they also think, form attachments, and communicate with each other.

What’s fascinating about that, is it allows the audience to develop a certain amount of empathy for them. They’re living their lives in their own little quarantined world, and thanks to the walls built around Las Vegas, they’re really not hurting anyone. It’s only when humans enter their domain that the real trouble begins.

Now, if I understand correctly:

If a person is bitten by a shambler, they become a shambler.
If a person is bitten by an alpha, they still become a shambler.
However, if a person is bitten by Zeus, king of the Alphas, then they become an Alpha.

That mostly makes sense, except that toward the end of the film, they make a truck-sized plothole and drive right on through concerning the amount of time it takes someone to turn.

Look, despite all of this, Army of the Dead is not a terrible movie. Some of it is really fun, and the action sequences can get pretty intense. If you go into it expecting only that, then you should be fine. However, the film was almost sold as Ocean’s Eleven with zombies, and that is a promise that it just never fulfills.

If you’ve not seen the trailer for Army of the Dead, check it out below, and look for it on Netflix on May 21, 2021.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Movie Reviews

Panic Fest 2024 Review: ‘Haunted Ulster Live’

Published

3 days ago

May 2, 2024

Jacob Davison

Everything old is new again.

On Halloween 1998, the local news of Northern Ireland decide to do a special live report from an allegedly haunted house in Belfast. Hosted by local personality Gerry Burns (Mark Claney) and popular children’s presenter Michelle Kelly (Aimee Richardson) they intend to look at the supernatural forces disturbing the current family living there. With legends and folklore abound, is there an actual spirit curse in the building or something far more insidious at work?

Presented as a series of found footage from a long forgotten broadcast, Haunted Ulster Live follows similar formats and premises as Ghostwatch and The WNUF Halloween Special with a news crew investigating the supernatural for big ratings only to get in over their heads. And while the plot has certainly been done before, director Dominic O’Neill’s 90’s set tale of local access horror manages to stand out on its own ghastly feet. The dynamic between Gerry and Michelle is most prominent, with him being an experienced broadcaster who thinks this production is beneath him and Michelle being fresh blood who is considerably annoyed at being presented as costumed eye candy. This builds as the events within and around the domicile becomes too much to ignore as anything less than the real deal.

The cast of characters is rounded out by the McKillen family who have been dealing with the haunting for some time and how it’s had an effect on them. Experts are brought in to help explain the situation including the paranormal investigator Robert (Dave Fleming) and the psychic Sarah (Antoinette Morelli) who bring their own perspectives and angles to the haunting. A long and colorful history is established about the house, with Robert discussing how it used to be the site of an ancient ceremonial stone, the center of leylines, and how it was possibly possessed by the ghost of a former owner named Mr. Newell. And local legends abound about a nefarious spirit named Blackfoot Jack that would leave trails of dark footprints in his wake. It’s a fun twist having multiple potential explanations for the site’s strange occurrences instead of one end-all be-all source. Especially as the events unfold and the investigators try to discover the truth.

At its 79 minute timelength, and the encompassing broadcast, it’s a bit of a slow burn as the characters and lore is established. Between some news interruptions and behind the scenes footage, the action is mostly focused on Gerry and Michelle and the build up to their actual encounters with forces beyond their comprehension. I will give kudos that it went places I didn’t expect, leading to a surprisingly poignant and spiritually horrifying third act.

So, while Haunted Ulster Live isn’t exactly trendsetting, it definitely follows in the footsteps of similar found footage and broadcast horror films to walk its own path. Making for an entertaining and compact piece of mockumentary. If you’re a fan of the sub-genres, Haunted Ulster Live is well worth a watch.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Movie Reviews

Panic Fest 2024 Review: ‘Never Hike Alone 2’

Published

3 days ago

May 2, 2024

Jacob Davison

There are fewer icons more recognizable than the slasher. Freddy Krueger. Michael Myers. Victor Crowley. Notorious killers who always seem to come back for more no matter how many times they are slain or their franchises seemingly put to a final chapter or nightmare. And so it seems that even some legal disputes cannot stop one of the most memorable movie murderers of all: Jason Voorhees!

Following the events of the first Never Hike Alone, outdoorsman and YouTuber Kyle McLeod (Drew Leighty) has been hospitalized after his encounter with the long thought dead Jason Voorhees, saved by perhaps the hockey masked killer’s greatest adversary Tommy Jarvis (Thom Mathews) who now currently works as an EMT around Crystal Lake. Still haunted by Jason, Tommy Jarvis struggles to find a sense of stability and this latest encounter is pushing him to end the reign of Voorhees once and for all…

Never Hike Alone made a splash online as a well shot and thoughtful fan film continuation of the classic slasher franchise that was built up with the snowbound follow up Never Hike In The Snow and now climaxing with this direct sequel. It’s not only an incredible Friday The 13th love letter, but a well thought out and entertaining epilogue of sorts to the infamous ‘Tommy Jarvis Trilogy’ from within the franchise that encapsulated Friday The 13th Part IV: The Final Chapter, Friday The 13th Part V: A New Beginning, and Friday The 13th Part VI: Jason Lives. Even getting some of the original cast back as their characters to continue the tale! Thom Mathews being the most prominent as Tommy Jarvis, but with other series casting like Vincent Guastaferro returning as now Sheriff Rick Cologne and still having a bone to pick with Jarvis and the mess around Jason Voorhees. Even featuring some Friday The 13th alumni like Part III‘s Larry Zerner as the mayor of Crystal Lake!

On top of that, the movie delivers on kills and action. Taking turns that some of the previous fils never got the chance to deliver on. Most prominently, Jason Voorhees going on a rampage through Crystal Lake proper when he slices his way through a hospital! Creating a nice throughline of the mythology of Friday The 13th, Tommy Jarvis and the cast’s trauma, and Jason doing what he does best in the most cinematically gory ways possible.

The Never Hike Alone films from Womp Stomp Films and Vincente DiSanti are a testament to the fanbase of Friday The 13th and the still enduring popularity of those films and of Jason Voorhees. And while officially, no new movie in the franchise is on the horizon for the foreseeable future, at the very least there is some comfort knowing fans are willing to go to these lengths to fill the void.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Movie Reviews

Panic Fest 2024 Review: ‘The Ceremony Is About To Begin’

Published

3 days ago

May 1, 2024

Jacob Davison

People will look for answers and belonging in the darkest places and the darkest people. The Osiris Collective is a commune predicated upon ancient Egyptian theology and was run by the mysterious Father Osiris. The group boasted dozens of members, each forgoing their old lives for one held in the Egyptian themed land owned by Osiris in Northern California. But the good times take a turn for the worst when in 2018, an upstart member of the collective named Anubis (Chad Westbrook Hinds) reports Osiris disappearing while mountain climbing and declaring himself the new leader. A schism ensued with many members leaving the cult under Anubis’ unhinged leadership. A documentary is being made by a young man named Keith (John Laird) whose fixation with The Osiris Collective stems from his girlfriend Maddy leaving him for the group several years ago. When Keith gets invited to document the commune by Anubis himself, he decides to investigate, only to get wrapped up in horrors he couldn’t even imagine…

The Ceremony Is About To Begin is the latest genre twisting horror film from Red Snow‘s Sean Nichols Lynch. This time tackling cultist horror along with a mockumentary style and the Egyptian mythology theme for the cherry on top. I was a big fan of Red Snow‘s subversiveness of the vampire romance sub-genre and was excited to see what this take would bring. While the movie has some interesting ideas and a decent tension between the meek Keith and the erratic Anubis, it just doesn’t exactly thread everything together in a succinct fashion.

The story begins with a true crime documentary style interviewing former members of The Osiris Collective and sets-up what led the cult to where it is now. This aspect of the storyline, especially Keith’s own personal interest in the cult, made it an interesting plotline. But aside from some clips later on, it doesn’t play as much a factor. The focus is largely on the dynamic between Anubis and Keith, which is toxic to put it lightly. Interestingly, Chad Westbrook Hinds and John Lairds are both credited as writers on The Ceremony Is About To Begin and definitely feel like they’re putting their all into these characters. Anubis is the very definition of a cult leader. Charismatic, philosophical, whimsical, and threateningly dangerous at the drop of a hat.

Yet strangely, the commune is deserted of all cult members. Creating a ghost town that only amps up the danger as Keith documents Anubis’ alleged utopia. A lot of the back and forth between them drags at times as they struggle for control and Anubis keeps continuing to convince Keith to stick around despite the threatening situation. This does lead to a pretty fun and bloody finale that fully leans into mummy horror.

Overall, despite meandering and having a bit of a slow pace, The ceremony Is About To Begin is a fairly entertaining cult, found footage, and mummy horror hybrid. If you want mummies, it delivers on mummies!