Should You Gamble on "Army of the Dead"?

Platform: Netflix

Release Date: May 21, 2021

I have never made it a secret that I am not a fan of Zack Snyder's work, particularly what he has done at Warner Bros. with DC properties. However, fifty percent of his movies that I really like are zombie films (spoiler: he has only made one zombie film). His 2004 remake of "Dawn of the Dead" ranks up there with my favorite zombie films, as the subject matter lent more to what Snyder does well (visuals and action) and requires less of what he doesn't do well (everything else). Nevertheless, I think it is easier to stomach poor storytelling and character development with characters that don't have a bunch of lore to which to compare the movie, hence having some excitement for this release. A basic plot and killer action sets should propel this movie forward, but there is the make-or-break creative aspect to this movie, which sees a new chapter in zombie lore open up with the creatures in this movie. Check out the trailer below to see what I mean...

Zack Snyder movies will find the most success when they have a simple plot, and in this particular film, Snyder lived did a good job in maintaining that status. The movie takes place in a world where a zombie outbreak began and was contained in Las Vegas. A shady character named Tanaka, presents former mercenary Scott Ward (Dave Bautista) with an opportunity for a $50 million payday (to divide amongst his team, some of whom have worked together in a similar capacity). What ensues is the journey of a ragtag team into zombie-ridden Las Vegas to crack into a casino safe and make it out alive. A zombie "Ocean's" film, if you will. To add an additional (and the most problematic aspect) to the plot, Martin (Garret Dillahunt), who works with Tanaka, puts himself on the team and seemingly has a different motive than the $200 million sitting below the casino. Even worse, the zombies they know of are only one of the breeds roaming around Vegas, with a more advanced, agile, and organized (alpha) zombie army securing the city.

The film is at its best during its fast paced action sequences, which is no surprise considering Snyder's directing track record. When it leans into its ridiculous violence, the movie thrives on its enjoyment factor. I honestly think the opening credit and sequence was the pinnacle of zombie killing mayhem, not that the core of the movie was lacking in that area. But, the opening credit sequence has the most accurate representation of the effect a heavy artillery machine gun has on the human body and it reached a level of visualization I feel the rest of the action couldn't live up to. Of course, all of this action comes at the expense of a completely meaningless plot, with an even more meaningless side plot, full of more holes than the zombies they shoot at. As mentioned before, Martin's inclusion on the team and his motive brings a major issue to the story. He completes what is seemingly the real mission early on in the movie, so what was the actual point of the heist and sending all of those people in?

The movie started getting bogged down when it pushed to build relational drama that was not already inherent within the survival plot. It did a good job of building an atmosphere of skepticism among the various characters, with struggles of trusting each other with their lives at stake. Then add in the thrill of playing out the" who will live, who will die" roulette that exists within most horror-related movies and I thought there was a simple, but natural, story structure. The inclusion of Ward's (Bautista) attempted reconciliation with his daughter, Kate (Ella Purnell), was not a total distraction, but they build Kate to be the tropiest of horror protagonists: the one who breaks all the survival rules and does the most harm. Her side plot of finding her friend proved absolutely pointless and empty, serving only as a vehicle to include her in the group and build additional doubt of survival, neither of which were needed. That, along with Maria's (Ana de la Reguera) awkwardly short love confession, were poorly written inclusions that offered too much slow down for a movie that needed to maintain a quick pace to maintain its thrill and avoid its subpar characterizations. Hell, the best relationship in the movie was between hard ass mercenary Vanderohe (Omari Hardwick) and the amateur zombie killer/safe cracker Ludwig Dieter (Matthias Schweighöfer). I would seriously love to see more intelligent characters existing within the zombie/horror-genre, but alas, only the zombies got smarter in this one.

An odd inclusion to the plot was a zombie love story, with the alpha zombie king (seemingly patient zero) seeking vengeance for his queen and unborn child. I am more forgiving with this odd plot thread because it brought something different and actually inflicted a conflict that brought a more rabid/classic zombie approach to the alpha zombies. I thought this was a smart way of balancing this new zombie approach while still incorporating a healthy dose of the tried-and-true undead. It is a concept that could continue to see legs, but it will struggle to win over zombie fans if it falls into practicing the same types of conflicts that the humans experience. At that point, they might as well not be zombies anymore. A, perhaps underappreciated, decision that helped focus the story was keeping this world's zombie outbreak to the confines of a single city. I think that globally expanded apocalyptic events always leads to thoughts of what it is like in other areas or better ideas for where the movie could have explored, but this not only eliminates those distractions but also offers us a full glimpse into this world without sacrificing much in the way of world-building.

Dawn of the Dead has long been one of my favorite horror films and, by far, my favorite Zack Snyder film. I am not sure if "Army of the Dead" changes that, but it sure has started up the conversation. For a movie that was so well-paced in the first half, it is a shame that empty plot points and character relations slowed down the rest of the movie. I felt the ending did not fit the narrative well and while I have my own ideas of how to better set up a potential sequel, it's a null point to explain them. It is not going to win any awards, but come year's end, "Army of the Dead" may be one of the more fun 2021 entries as long as you don't think too hard on it.

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RATING: 🧟 🧟 🧟 .75 / 5