Perhaps the most controversial director alive, Zack Snyder enters a new chapter in his professional life away from his lifelong studio of Warner Bros. and into streaming pioneer Netflix. He begins his new chapter by returning to cinematic roots by making another zombie film, this time with a twist.
Army of the Dead takes place following a zombie outbreak that has left Las Vegas in ruins and walled off from the rest of the world, when Scott Ward (Dave Bautista), a displaced local and former zombie war hero is approached by shadowy casino boss Bly Tanaka (Hiroyuki Sanada) with the ultimate proposition: break into quarantined Vegas to retrieve $200 million from a vault before the city is nuked by the government in 32 hours. Hoping for a payoff that would put his life back on track and lead to a reconciliation with his daughter Kate (Ella Purnell), Ward puts together a team consisting of former military friends and colleagues, a master safe cracker, and social media influencers to pull off the greatest heist ever attempted.
The prospect of combining zombie horror thrills with the tense nature of a heist story has been an enticing one from the moment that Army of the Dead was first announced. Combining the two genres into one seemed to be an intriguing pairing that, if executed correctly, could be the cinematic equivalent of the first time you were told that people were eating chicken and waffles simultaneously. The end product that we receive largely delivers on that promise as Snyder treats us to all of the gruesome feasts of the undead on the living and the bloody, chunky attacks from humans staving off living death that you are able to stomach. The film’s heist premise is also straight-forward and contains added intrigue that keeps the audience invested in the outcome. Firstly, from a character standpoint, as we see Scott’s PTSD, his storied past with most of the team (especially Maria), the loss of his wife, and the resulting strained relationship with Kate and what the trip into zombie Vegas could mean for their relationships, and from the stakes of the mission; the knowledge that this suicide mission will likely result in many of them dying. The audience journeys into this mysterious walled off world alongside the team and we watch and learn about the zombies and their apparent intelligence and civilization along with them. This dynamic allows our trepidation and surprise and confusion to mirror and align with theirs, creating the type of empathetic audience response that allows for investment in the story.
Indeed, Army of the Dead charges head on into interesting bits of universe building and establishes lore within its world that is ripe for exploration in the many prequels and sequels of this zombified universe that Netflix already has planned. While the prospect of aliens, cyborg zombies, and a new Zeus are intriguing things to think about with a host of creative possibilities and directions they can go in, setting up what’s to come is done at the expense of the film at hand, resulting in substantial bloat during the film’s second act. The middle of the film drags as they set up the potential of what the zombies are and what they’re biologically, emotionally, and socially capable of while elongating the film’s main heist plot.
While the film’s does suffer a bit from its exploration of the zombie mind, its theme surrounding human emotion and relationships examines a longstanding issue for how we relate to one another; that of sacrifice for those we lovthe e and care about. It should come as no surprise that a suicide mission into a contained zone filled with zombies may eventually involve making sacrifices to save others and once the rubber hits the road in this film we see many members of the team practicing the noble act of offering themselves up in order to help their loved ones. It’s a topical aspect of the story after the past year that we’ve had in our own world where people have been asked, or forced to, sacrifice much for the greater good with some answering that call admirably and others…not so much. As we grapple with our societal debates about the meaning of sacrifice and whether mild inconveniences are worth protecting others, Army of the Dead’s characters make it a point to display numerous times that when it comes to those we love, no sacrifice is too great to shield them from harm and ensure their safety.
It wouldn’t be a Zack Snyder film without visual choices and cinematography that jump out at you and this one is no different. In general, Army of the Dead features the director’s trademark flair and knack for eye-catching visuals, even as he utilizes full digital photography for the first time after a career of shooting mostly on film with the RED Monstro digital camera and Canon 50mm f/.0.95 “dream” lens. His choice of camera and lenses is a point of mini-controversy here as the shallow focus results in blurred visuals in some areas of the screen, a deliberate choice to make the film appear more ethereal and dream-like. The result is yet another visually distinct entry in the director’s filmography, cementing his place as a visual auteur.
Army of the Dead is sure to satisfy one’s zombie horror bloodthirst and need for brutal action sequences, and Snyder manages to get the ball rolling on some interesting concepts for a larger world. The issue is that combining the two makes for a delicate balancing act and the film misses hitting that equilibrium by a hair. The characters’ backstories and emotional and relationship ties are intriguing, mesh nicely with the heist plot, and are backed up by a cast with good chemistry and balance, but the audience is taken away from this just a bit much in a bid to set up the larger universe. The film does what it needs to and what it was advertised as being, but is weighed down from reaching even higher in a bid for future payoffs. Lets hope we are treated to them and this is made to be worth it.
Image: Netflix
