‘Army of the Dead’ Review: Zombies That Make You Wish You Were Dead

Snyder’s latest zombie fest finally released last week, and good or bad, it’s been on everyone’s mind. There’s blood, there’s gore, and a whole lot of (seriously way too many) zombies. Is it worth the watch? Why don’t you read on and find out!

1. Quick Review

Army of the Dead tries too hard to be different but ends up just like the zombies it shows. Just another indistinguishable film amongst countless other ones in the genre. This zombie heist flick is fuelled by testosterone, chest-thumping action sequences, and not much else.

2. Is It worth Watching?

If you’re looking for some mindless action, cheesy dialogues, with a linear narrative, the answer is yes!

Army of the Dead | Official Trailer | Netflix

Psst… Psst… I don’t think you’re looking for any of this, but IF you are, and I’m not judging, your secret’s safe with me. Also, you’re not the only one *wink wink*.

3. Plot

The film begins with a highly confidential package delivery gone wrong, unleashing an alpha zombie. After infecting the soldiers delivering the package, the group infects the majority population of a nearby city Las Vegas.

*Honestly, I wish I could use the word “zombies” lesser in the review. We’ve already had enough of them! Anyway, back to the plot*

After the military’s failed attempts at controlling this, the city is quarantined and would soon be finished off with a tactical nuke.

Here’s where the story begins. A casino owner named Tanaka needs to recover $200 million from his casino in the middle of a city full of zombies. He approaches our protagonist (surprise, he’s ex-military), who puts together a team to recover this money in return for a commission. What happens next is the entirety of the movie.

4. Cast and Characters

With a lineup led by Dave Bautista, this film has a few familiar faces like Ella Purnell, Raúl Castillo, and Hiroyuki Sanada, whom we last saw in Mortal Kombat.

Dave Bautista plays the role of an ex-military officer while Ella plays his daughter Kate. The film quite superficially touches upon their estranged relationship after her mother turned into a zombie. *Now here’s a sentence I thought I’d never say*

Hiroyuki is the big bad owner of the casino, Mr. Tanaka and the rest of the prominent characters form the heist team.

The performances are pretty linear, just like the narrative, and do not do much for the film. Interestingly, the writers have given the alpha zombie more IQ and depth than the main characters. 

5. Final Thoughts and Grade

All in all, this film is packed with snazzy action sequences and slow-motion shots of bodies or buildings blowing up, but doesn’t offer much else. When the narrative is so linear, it becomes boring and loses the audience’s attention.

The only exciting thing about the film is the psyche of the alpha zombie and his actions. If the film would’ve delved more into it, that would make it a different zombie film altogether.

Overall, it’s a good premise on paper—a zombie heist film. Sounds exciting and even fun! But a lot is lost in translation when the tropes and screenplay are such clichés.

6. About Army of the Dead

Army of the Dead is a 2021 American zombie heist action thriller film directed by Zack Snyder, with a screenplay he co-wrote with Shay Hatten and Joby Harold.

The film stars Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Ana de la Reguera, Theo Rossi, Matthias Schweighöfer, Nora Arnezeder, Hiroyuki Sanada, Tig Notaro, Raúl Castillo, Samantha Win, Huma Qureshi and Garret Dillahunt.

After a zombie outbreak in Las Vegas, a group of mercenaries takes the ultimate gamble by venturing into the quarantine zone for the greatest heist ever. the outbreak of zombies begins in Area 51, the highly secretive government facility in Nevada where a zombie virus has been engineered and then spread, resulting in the creation of a multitude of undead creatures.