Army of the Dead Review

Army of the Dead is the latest zombie film from visionary filmmaker Zack Snyder that will also be releasing on Netflix this upcoming Friday, May 21st. This new film is also currently right now showing in a select number of theaters around the country, so I was able to get the opportunity to see this one on the big screen this past weekend. I've been looking forward to this one for quite a while, because even though he's one of the more divisive directors around today, I generally do appreciate much of Snyder's work. And in particular, his first zombie film which was the 2004 Dawn of the Dead remake is still one of my favorite films of his career, so I was real intrigued to see him dive back into this genre. It certainly brings me great pleasure in reporting that this film is not only another winner for Snyder, but also easily one of the most purely enjoyable films I've seen all year.

I can't think of another genre of film that has been more oversaturated in both film and tv over the past few decades than zombies. This film doesn't necessarily reinvent the genre by any stretch, not even close, but it does bring a really cool heist angle to its story that I feel managed to make it feel distinctive just enough compared to recent films in the genre. It's chaotic in its nature, thrilling and surely relentlessly bloody just the way any fan of zombie action would want to see. Zack Snyder's finger prints are certainly all over this from its stylistic approaches to its very long length, but his style definitely suits this film and the world he creates with it very well. There's some intriguing world building that I would be very much up to seeing further explored in any potential sequel or spin-off. Snyder has always been one to create some very unforgettable openings to his films, and this new one is certainly no different. It's absolutely fantastic, very intense and one that I can surely just watch on an endless loop. 

As with just about most films in this genre, this certainly doesn't contain the deepest story or most well rounded characters. But I found flaws like this very easily forgivable, not just because of how much fun I was having, but also because this benefits from containing a likeable cast. Wrestler turned actor Dave Bautista headlines this solid cast, and he gives thus far the best performance of his entire career. I've always liked Bautista, he's obviously more than proven to be a great action star, but I was especially impressed with some of the emotional range he managed to convey with his great performance here. I was taken back by some of the surprising heart this film had and most of that can be contributed to not only Bautista's performance, but also the sweet chemistry he shares with Ella Purnell who plays his daughter Kate. The character work is not exceptional here, but everyone plays these roles well and are able to bring enough of their own traits to make this a fun cast of characters to watch.

No film is perfect though, and this one certainly doesn't come without its fair share of flaws that can be found in other Snyder films. Typically my biggest criticism with much of Snyder's films has to do more so with his writing, whether it's some very goofy dialogue or mostly half baked characters. Some of those issues is definitely present here, but at least not too much so that it ever detracted from the fun I was having. Clocking in at nearly 2 and a half hours long, it's hard to argue that there isn't probably at least a good 10-15 minutes that could have been trimmed from this, but at the same time I was having so much fun that I can't deny this running time absolutely managed to fly by for me (for the most part at the very least). 

With all that being said, fans of both Zack Snyder and the zombie genre, should be able to really rejoice with his latest film from Netflix. It consists of not only all of the best elements of Snyder's work that fans have come to love, but also the brutal, bad-ass, and very bloody action you would want to see in a new zombie film. With both this and his Justice League Snyder Cut released a few months ago, 2021 has been quite a year for Snyder already, he's very much 2 for 2 I'd say. Army of the Dead is overall one of his best films in recent memory. If you can find a theater near you that is showing this, do not miss it on the big screen as it is very much worth the price of admission. If not though, definitely don't miss it once it releases on Netflix this Friday. I certainly can't wait to watch it again myself.

Final Grade: B+