Army of the Dead Review: Even Zack Snyder's spark can't keep Bautista & Huma Qureshi's mediocre gorefest alive

Army of the Dead

Army of the Dead Cast: Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Huma Qureshi

Army of the Dead Director: Zack Snyder

Army of the Dead Stars: 2.5/5

With the overwhelming fan service that was Justice League Snyder Cut, all eyes were on Zack Snyder's next ambitious outing which sees the eccentric filmmaker go back to his zombie roots in Army of the Dead. While one can expect dazzling set pieces, intricate action choreography and a whole lot of bloodshed, did the Dave Bautista headlined zombie heist film live up to expectations? Well, let's find out!

In a storyline that's pretty much a compilation of all the typical tropes of the overused zombie genre, Army of the Dead sees a modernised zombie taking over Las Vegas, after being let loose from a US military convoy due to an accident caused by a reckless couple, who just had their dream Vegas wedding. As expected, an outbreak takes over Vegas, leading the government to build walls around the city as a regulation to quarantine the mess made. Our titular character is Scott Ward (Bautista), a mercenary able to break free from the zombie outbreak and who is hired by billionaire Bly Tanaka (Hiroyuki Sanada) to retrieve USD 200 million from a Vegas casino vault before the city is destroyed by a tactical nuclear strike. Scott recruits his own team of misfits, with some stereotypical shady ones as well, and away they go on a gory adventure.

To add a sentient soul to the zombie apocalypse, Scott obviously has a troubled relationship with his daughter and refugee crisis volunteer Kate Ward (Ella Purnell), who joins the rebellious team to find Geeta (Huma Qureshi), a refugee and single mother. As they enter enemy territory, all hell breaks loose. Unlike the typical zombies who die when shot in the brain, there's a higher level of species headed by Zeus (Richard Cetrone), the Alpha king and The Bride (Athena Perample), who are faster, intelligent and provoke emotions within them. Let's not forget the fiery zombie tiger, Valentine.

The thing is with movies like Army of the Dead, you really do have to leave your brains out of the window but because it's Snyder, the sentimentality is a visible focus in the shoddy screenplay by Zack, Shay Hatten and Joby Harold. Unfortunately, just like Dawn of the Dead, character development is lacking in extreme folds. In this scenario, It's rather cathartic when a character dies which according to the storyline, wasn't the necessary audience outcome they were probably looking for. Bautista and Ella don't have enough relationship building, except for a few awkward 'snack truck' filler conversations between the action, to reel us in and this is in spite of the fact that the run time is almost two and half hours long.

While most of the characters are lacklustre at best, the saving grace lies on Tig Notaro as Marianne Peters, the snappy helicopter pilot, whose wit comes in handy during several cringe-worthy scenes and even our homegrown Huma as Geeta with a believable American accent. Yes, I wasn't expecting Oscar level acting performances but it's almost as if anyone could have played these characters and it wouldn't have made a difference.

Nonetheless, Snyder fanatics have a lot to sink their teeth into as Army of the Dead has all the ingredients they're craving for after Snyder Cut. In particular, a few high-octane action sequences are thrilling to witness, though would have been a better visual on a theatre screen. With the video game effect, the production design of a zombie-dominated Vegas is chef's kiss while the CGI is also mighty impressive with the zombies looking strikingly fierce and as actual viable threats. Whether it be painstakingly walking on enemy territory lines filled with hibernating zombies, who'd wake up with the minutest of sound made, and only glowsticks to lead amid the darkness or the intense casino battle with a 3 vs. countless situation, Snyder truly marvels at piquing your interest like a pendulum clock.

However, the major buzzkill is when jokes like "Easy, peasy, Japanesee" by Hiroyuki gets added to the mix, taking away the mood set for some popcorn worthy action. And how is that a character runs out of bullets just when it's extremely convenient?

ALSO READ: Huma Qureshi jokes about being 'upset' with Army of the Dead director Zack Snyder for THIS reason

Another Snyder inclusion is obviously the soundtrack used as we're treated with a bloody battle to the modernised version of the classic tune Viva Las Vegas and an acoustic version of The Cranberries hit single Zombie which caters to the sequences at hand. While the Snyder Cut was four hours long, at least the justification was the character development of the beloved superheroes. However, Army of the Dead, at 148 minutes, fails to do that and would have rather been a crisper watch if reduced for time. There's also the timing of when the movie released, with the COVID-19 pandemic, still having the quarantine effect, that makes one wonder; would you really watch it?

In conclusion, Army of the Dead is a mediocre gorefest with thrills and frills which even Zack Snyder's spark can't keep alive.