Army of the Dead has been released almost a week ago. Now, let me share our review for this zombie-heist thriller. Warning, this will contain spoilers from the movie, and if you haven’t seen or watched it yet, best to leave for now and come back later if you are done watching.
Table of Contents
THE GOOD
Let’s start off with some good stuff. Army of the Dead is solid a story, music score, and cinematography. The story is pretty simple, the team assembled by Scott Ward (Dave Bautista) needs to retrieve $200 million under a casino before the whole Las Vegas is nuked.
We instantly get into action and show how the zombie-infested Vegas came to be. The visual is stunning and shows off Zack Snyder’s signature dark tone yet appealing aesthetic which suits the film. The desolate Las Vegas is really well thought out along with several familiar structures in the city such as the Olympus that brings realism to the fictional movie.
When it comes to the score, Junkie XL or also known as Tom Holkenborg created a memorable musical background for the film. It keeps the tension in the most needed to be seen while the emotional parts were sprinkled with the perfect blend. Also, the songs that were used in the movie were perfect. The old songs that were chosen spread from Elvis Presley’s “Suspicious Minds” up to an acoustic version of The Cranberries’ popular hit song “Zombie.” Somehow, the songs quite mirror what the story is conveying and expressing.
Story-wise, Army of the Dead is solid when it comes to being a heist-movie. It showcases the usual tropes needed in a heist movie such as gathering up a crew and assigning their roles in the mission. There are also zombie tropes that were borrowed in several media which fit perfectly in the story. Each character has time to shine and it doesn’t feel rushed. Even with a large cast, everyone got their time under the spotlight. No one is left out, their stories, backstories, even intentions are fleshed out especially with Scott Ward and his relationship with every member of his team.
Also, the ending will surely make you hope for a sequel. It was surprising and at the same time, it will make you wonder what would happen in New Mexico City as Van is now officially infected. What chaos will he bring and how big will be the death toll will be?
THE BAD
The movie may be good but we can’t deny that there are some misses as well. The film introduced some tropes or used some literary devices in the movie. For example, the twist that showed that they are not the only team that was sent inside Vegas was somehow shallow. There is also the time-loop trope which is okay but with tons of other things going on, it was taken as a subplot and confused the common moviegoer.
One miss as well as the emotional bond between the father and daughter, with Dave Bautista’s Scott Ward and Ella Purnell’s Kate Ward. We are introduced at the beginning of the movie that Scott was forced to put down his zombie-infected wife, saving his daughter. This somehow creates tension between him and his daughter and when they get the chance to talk about it, there is no emotional rapport, or you can’t feel any emotion. Dave Bautista is a good actor but somehow his performance in drama is a bit on the amateur side. He needs at least to develop and harness his drama skills if he wants some emotional, heart-tugging scenes.
THE VERDICT
Army of the Dead is one rollercoaster of a movie that offers an engaging story, heart-pounding action scenes, and a stellar cast that offers an exhilarating movie. The only misses are its introduction in tropes which were handled a bit poorly and the lead’s performance, especially in the drama side.
Nevertheless, Army of the Dead is a perfect movie if you want to just chill out and experience a zombie movie unlike any other. For this, I will be giving it a solid…
8/10.
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Matthias Schweighoffer timing is brilliant and so is Tig Notaro.