Of all of the movies that have been released since the start of the March 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Army of the Dead is the one that I Of all the films released since the start of the March 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Army of the Dead is the one I watched at home that I most wished I had seen in the theater. As I watch this movie a week ahead of A Quiet Place II (a movie that should truly signify a return to the movie theaters), I almost wish I hadn’t had the option to watch Zack Snyder’s (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, 300) on Netflix. I intended to go to the theater this weekend to see this film, only to see it sitting there as an option to stream with my Netflix subscription. It was both a blessing and a curse. Free is excellent, as is the ability to play and pause a movie as you see fit. But it is hard to beat the in-theater experience of a film meant to be watched on the big screen.

Army of the Dead fits that bill. In fact, after the film’s first ten minutes, I knew I was highly interested in it. I considered abandoning what I had watched and going to the theater to see it as intended. Unfortunately, I didn’t. In a way, I regret it. While it was still the most exciting new release I’ve noticed in a year and a half, I can only imagine how riveting this would have been if I had watched it at my cineplex less than a mile from where I live rather than on my 52” family room television.

This film isn’t going to win any awards for its acting, script, or incredibly contrived dialogue, but Army of the Dead delivers. From its cold open in which a faster, stronger, and smarter zombie escapes from its holding cell on a military convoy to Area 51 to its incredibly unique opening credits, Snyder pays direct homage to George A. Romero (the legend of zombie movies) while also giving us the best zombie movie since Ryder’s 2004 Dawn of the Dead. This film will be appreciated for generations, possibly even more so than 1968’s original but slightly overrated Night of the Living Dead.

Army of the Dead is the ultimate escape movie when escapism feels like something we both need and crave. This genre might not be the escapism we all are looking for, but if action, adventure, or horror set in some dystopian society is your cup of tea, this is the perfect movie to kickstart your 2021 summer. Sure, it will be entertaining whenever you can watch it, but this (along with the Memorial Day weekend release of A Quiet Place II) is what I needed to re-energize with the movie theater experience. From March 2020 until March 2021, I still saw about ten movies in the theater. I know this is much more than the average filmgoer saw during the pandemic (a vast majority likely saw zero), but it felt weird to be absent for so long as someone who used to go to the theater 30-40 times a year. It felt even more bizarre to be just one of a handful of people in the theater often. There were two or three times when I was the only one in the theater, and I don’t think one of my viewings topped 15 people.

However, with so many big-budget movies being delayed until there was a potential for a more significant box office return, I didn’t feel like anything I watched at home or in the theater needed to be seen in the movie theater to get the desired punch. With that said, I have yet to see Tenet. It was a big-screen movie, but I never made it to the theater to catch it, despite having the opportunity for six months. I also did not see Wonder Woman 1984, but that was by choice. However, had I chosen to see that one, it would have been better in the theater. Most other movies I saw then were either more subdued or didn’t need the theatrics with a massive screen and surround sound. Ironically, the movie I saw before Army of the Dead was Those Who Wish Me Dead. It was a movie I didn’t like very much for several reasons. However, it was highly entertaining and would have been even more so in the theater versus on my family room couch.

But Army of the Dead is where it’s at, regardless of how you view it. Snyder has had a busy pandemic. In addition to this film, he reworked The Justice League in its entirety through discarded footage and resequencing. If that sounds difficult, Zack Snyder’s The Justice League isn’t the reworking of a one-hour and forty-five-minute movie. His movie clocked in for just over four hours. I haven’t watched his version yet, so I’m in no position to recommend it or not. However, I wholeheartedly recommend Army of the Dead if you like the zombie genre. Though it’s just short of a two-and-a-half-hour runtime, you’ll hardly notice. Action-packed from start to finish, you won’t necessarily become invested in each character (or even any of them?), but they all have the quirks that will make them memorable.

Our stars are Scott (Dave Bautista – Guardians of the Galaxy, Hotel Artemis), Cruz (Ana de la Reguera – Cowboys and Aliens, Nacho Libre), and Vanderohe (Omari Hardwick – Sorry to Bother You, Starz’s Power), three former soldiers who are now working blue-collar jobs, while in search of something more. We watch the world news as Scott, a short-order cook, does. The entire city of Las Vegas has succumbed to this new strain of zombie mutants. After rescuing as many survivors as possible, the United States military walls off the entire city as the next course of action, an obliteration of the whole area through the use of a bomb, is carefully planned out.

What we get from there is an entertaining and exhilarating ride. Again, this would be an even more enjoyable escape ride if I had seen it on the big screen. It didn’t take anything away, but I imagine it would be more immersive. The cinematography was excellent, and the score paced the film perfectly. Most entertaining, however, were the action sequences themselves. Richard Cetrone (Man of Steel, Underworld) played Zeus, the powerful and intelligent zombie king. I don’t recall a zombie getting such top billing or identifiable characteristics. More often than not, the zombies are a dime-a-dozen characters meant to foil our protagonists in their pursuits or efforts to escape. This was a unique take. I’m not sure I loved the idea of this kind of leader, but it certainly was unique. Army of the Dead is a movie that will entertain you from start to finish. It has enough dark humor to balance the action, suspense, and horror. It follows the Dawn of the Dead blueprint that many other films tried to emulate, with some succeeding far better than others. This movie is worth the watch if you are a fan of this genre.

Plot 6/10
Character Development 6/10
Character Chemistry 6/10
Acting 5/10
Screenplay 8/10
Directing 9/10
Cinematography 10/10
Sound 10/10
Hook and Reel 10/10
Universal Relevance 7/10
77%

C

Movies You Might Like If You Liked This Movie

• Dawn of the Dead
• Army of Darkness
• Zombieland
• Overlord
• 28 Days Later