A One Mann’s Movies review of “Army of the Dead” (2021).
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
I’m a bit late to the party on this one. I’ve only just got round to watching the rest of “Army of the Dead” on Netflix. As a Zack Snyder feature, it needed two sittings!
L’Oreal. Because you’re worth it. (Source: Netflix).
Plot Summary:
Las Vegas has been turned into a walled prison camp for zombies, which is about to be nuked by the government. Tanaka (Hiroyuki Sanada), a billionaire casino owner hires a rag-tag bunch of mercenaries, led by Scott Ward (Dave Bautista), to break into the vault of his casino to repatriate the millions of dollars in there before it’s too late.
But Ward’s estranged daughter also goes with them, since she has a personal mission of her own to complete.
One of the few familiar faces in the cast. Tig Notaro plays a kick-ass wise-cracking helicopter pilot. (Source: Netflix).
Certification:
Talent:
Starring: Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Tig Notaro, Ana de la Reguera, Omari Hardwick.
Directed by: Zack Snyder.
Written by: Shay Hatten and Joby Harold (from a story by Zack Snyder).
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Who’s not to love a CGI zombie version of one of Siegfried and Roy’s? (Source: Netflix).
“Army of the Dead” Review:
Positives:
- Park brain at door. You gotta love the splatter-fest of a zombie-movie once in a while, and this one delivers a lot of requisite gore and a zombie white tiger to boot! You have to admit that Zack Snyder does have an eye for style. There are some neat moments in this… like when the casino power comes back on and the silence is filled with that familiar slot machine noise and Elvis track that you only ever hear at scale in Vegas!
- Dave Bautista is nearly always either in an ensemble piece or a bit-part “heavy” – the only other film I can immediately think of is the (very funny) comedy “Stuber“. He’s seldom the lead. But, understanding that the script is horribly vomit-inducing in places, he’s pretty good in this. I also liked Ella Purnell who plays his daughter, although couldn’t get over how much she looks like Olivia Cooke!
- The special effects and prosthetics work is pretty impressive. This would have been good to see on the big screen.
Dave Bautista and Ella Purnell. Do you see what I mean about Purnell? Has anyone actually seen her in the same room as Olivia Cooke? (Source: Netflix).
Negatives:
- Interspersed amongst the (often entertaining) action sequences are some horribly soupy sections of dialogue where the forward momentum of the movie completely stalls.
- Some of the acting is on the decidedly ropey side and makes the glossy piece feel more like a B-movie.
- A number of elements of the story really don’t make sense. The most blatant happens at the end: Tanaka could have got the money anyway!
- At nearly two and a half hours, it’s another Snyder bladder-tester.
The bride wore red. (Source: Netflix).
Summary Thoughts on “Army of the Dead”:
Zac Snyder’s glossy zombie flick is a valiant attempt, and it has its moments. The story neatly blends a zombie apocalypse with an “Oceans” heist movie. You even get some stirring “Die Hard”-style vault opening music! But a weak script and a flabby running time make this rather hard work to get through in one sitting. If Snyder could get a bit of self-control and come out with a nice 100-minute movie, he’d get more of my vote.
Trailer:
The trailer for “Army of the Dead” is here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H83kjG5RCT8.
