IN BRIEF: Gory mash-up that has the zombies outnumbering the humans.
JIM'S REVIEW: (MILDLY RECOMMENDED) Every generation has its bevy of great film directors: Bergman, Hitchcock, Kubrick, Truffaut, Altman, Scorsese, Spielberg, The Coen Brothers, to name a few. The 21st century has its share of young talent making movies as well...Cuarón, Anderson (Wes and Paul Thomas), DuVernay, Chazelle. However, one filmmaker is establishing his cred as the decade's most popular director, unseating the reigning Michael Bay, and that man is Zack Snyder (Watchmen, 300, Justice League, Man of Steel, Batman v Superman, Sucker Punch; Upcoming is his film version of Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead...yes, I am serious). His stylish comic book superhero flixs are legendary with his fanbase. Which brings us to his latest zombie thriller, Army of the Dead.
Now, you may not be into zombies, but Mr. Snyder certainly is. Over 2½ hours worth of bloody deaths and spattered brain matter. His serviceable story does have, pardon the expression, some meat to it. During a national quarantine, a Rat Pack group of misfits, led by Scott Ward (ex-wrestler Dave Bautista) decide to play the odds and go for broke in Las Vegas for a money-making heist despite a zombie uprising. Who doesn't want to mix their genres: an Ocean 11 crime scenario meets horror movie, at your service. Place your bets on who will be zombie food.
There are many well directed action set pieces and even more zombie munching on human parts. The heist becomes secondary to the gore. But there is also some macabre touches of humor that salvage this monster movie. (How could you not admire a movie with zombie Elvis impersonators, zombie showgirls in their feathery boa headdresses, and even a zombie fugitive tiger from the Ziegfried and Roy Revue...and that's mostly in the opening credits!) Mr. Snyder is strong on his gonzo imagery and he ratchets up the tension rather effectively. But restraint is not in his make-up. Let's face it, he never met an excess he didn't like. One cannot deny that he knows how to direct the action scenes with gusto, although he still relies too heavily on gimmicky slo-mo and in-your-face close-ups, not to mention, bodies being blown to bits. But I guess you can't expect subtlety in a zombie flix.
Be forewarned, this is not a film for the lighthearted. This is a grisly bloodfest of exploding heads and extreme violence. But any moviegoer knows what to expect from Mr. Snyder's warped imagination. Army of the Dead is exactly what it intends to be, albeit some clever tongue-in-cheek moments...literally speaking. Obviously, what happens in Vegas, should have stayed there, but it is entertaining in is gruesomeness...with or without those zombie showgirls. (GRADE: C+)
JIM'S REVIEW: (MILDLY RECOMMENDED) Every generation has its bevy of great film directors: Bergman, Hitchcock, Kubrick, Truffaut, Altman, Scorsese, Spielberg, The Coen Brothers, to name a few. The 21st century has its share of young talent making movies as well...Cuarón, Anderson (Wes and Paul Thomas), DuVernay, Chazelle. However, one filmmaker is establishing his cred as the decade's most popular director, unseating the reigning Michael Bay, and that man is Zack Snyder (Watchmen, 300, Justice League, Man of Steel, Batman v Superman, Sucker Punch; Upcoming is his film version of Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead...yes, I am serious). His stylish comic book superhero flixs are legendary with his fanbase. Which brings us to his latest zombie thriller, Army of the Dead.
Now, you may not be into zombies, but Mr. Snyder certainly is. Over 2½ hours worth of bloody deaths and spattered brain matter. His serviceable story does have, pardon the expression, some meat to it. During a national quarantine, a Rat Pack group of misfits, led by Scott Ward (ex-wrestler Dave Bautista) decide to play the odds and go for broke in Las Vegas for a money-making heist despite a zombie uprising. Who doesn't want to mix their genres: an Ocean 11 crime scenario meets horror movie, at your service. Place your bets on who will be zombie food.
There are many well directed action set pieces and even more zombie munching on human parts. The heist becomes secondary to the gore. But there is also some macabre touches of humor that salvage this monster movie. (How could you not admire a movie with zombie Elvis impersonators, zombie showgirls in their feathery boa headdresses, and even a zombie fugitive tiger from the Ziegfried and Roy Revue...and that's mostly in the opening credits!) Mr. Snyder is strong on his gonzo imagery and he ratchets up the tension rather effectively. But restraint is not in his make-up. Let's face it, he never met an excess he didn't like. One cannot deny that he knows how to direct the action scenes with gusto, although he still relies too heavily on gimmicky slo-mo and in-your-face close-ups, not to mention, bodies being blown to bits. But I guess you can't expect subtlety in a zombie flix.
Be forewarned, this is not a film for the lighthearted. This is a grisly bloodfest of exploding heads and extreme violence. But any moviegoer knows what to expect from Mr. Snyder's warped imagination. Army of the Dead is exactly what it intends to be, albeit some clever tongue-in-cheek moments...literally speaking. Obviously, what happens in Vegas, should have stayed there, but it is entertaining in is gruesomeness...with or without those zombie showgirls. (GRADE: C+)