Almost 90 years ago, the world was subjected to what most people claim to be the first feature-length zombie film, White Zombie. Since then, the idea of the dead coming back to life has turned into its own subgenre of horror films. That subgenre has, itself, died and risen again several times over the decades as writers and filmmakers attempt to breathe new life and evolution into concept and execution of the living dead. In 2002, Director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland were heralded as the team that reinvigorated the zombie subgenre when they introduced viral zombies that could run in 28 Days Later. This sparked new life and new interest from studios in zombie films.
Producers Eric Newman and Marc Abraham soon after bought the rights to George A. Romero’s 1978 horror classic, Dawn of the Dead, and brought James Gunn on board to write a script with the hopes of re-envisioning the film for modern audiences. Zack Snyder was hired to direct, and the film would be his triumphant directorial debut, as many critics considered his remake a breakthrough for the zombie genre. Not long after this release, Zack Snyder wrote down his idea for another zombie movie, involving a heist in Las Vegas. In 2007, Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead was announced with Universal Studios and Warner Bros. Entertainment sharing the production, but the film never made it off the ground. Fast forward 12 years, Zack Snyder was then approached by Netflix to make a film for them. When Snyder mentioned his Vegas zombie idea that never got made, Netflix acquired the rights and gave him the green light. Now, 17 years after he first stepped on the scene as a feature-film director, Zack Snyder returns to the zombie subgenre with Army of the Dead, and I can tell you that it was worth the wait.
Like Snyder’s first zombie film, Army of the Dead doesn’t waste any time before it throws you right into the chaos. Also like his first zombie film, Snyder again delights the audience with a compelling opening title scene. In a mere couple minutes, set to the tune of “Viva Las Vegas,” we get a sense of what happened in Las Vegas, as well as who our main characters are. By the time the opening credits are finished, you know who the crew is and the tragic history they share. This creates an immediate foundation that grounds you in both the notion of caring for these characters and the belief that they are capable of completing the mission that they are soon after given.
Dave Bautista shines as the film’s lead, acting as Scott Ward, the leader of the mercenary group Las Vengeance. Bautista and his crew were already known as heroes when they extracted a politician from Las Vegas at the height of the zombie incident. Since then, Vegas has been walled off with the zombies trapped inside while the U.S. Government deliberates on what to do next. After the news breaks that the vote to nuke Las Vegas has officially passed, Scott is approached by a casino owner to sneak into Vegas and clear out his vault before the nuke drops. Scott and his team, despite being heroes, have not lived very prominent lives outside of Vegas. When offered a $50 million cut of the vault, however, they agree to team up again for this mission.
I was lucky enough to find a theater within driving distance that was showing Snyder’s Army of the Dead, and I was incredibly grateful to see this film on the big screen. The movie is packed to the brim with action and gore, solidifying its R rating. Just as the trailers hinted, the film has a flavor of humor to it, but I would not consider it by any means a comedy. This is an action film, through and through, packed with zombies of all shapes, sizes, and kinds. Yes, that’s right - there are more than one kind of zombie in this film, and while the trailer spoiled that, I won’t go into much further detail.
One of my favorite novels of all time is the 1954 horror novel “I Am Legend”, by Richard Matheson. Matheson was a legendary author of so many different genres, and even Stephen King said that “I think the author who influenced me the most as a writer was Richard Matheson. Books like ‘I Am Legend’ were an inspiration to me.” Now I know that “I Am Legend” is technically a book about vampires, but unlike the countless horrible film adaptations, the book featured this crazy concept that the vampires weren’t simply monsters, but a new species of humans that wanted to live their lives. If you watch the Will Smith-led adaptation, you’d never know that was a significant story element of the book. I’ve longed for a film version of “I Am Legend” that would truly tackle that concept. I mention all this to say that Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead had notes of this concept in his film that I found intriguing and refreshing. It wasn’t by any means a rip-off of “I Am Legend”, but I found myself enjoying this film even more for giving me hints of direction and story aspects that other films failed to achieve.
On a technical aspect, this film is absolutely glorious. Not only did he direct the film, but Zack Snyder also served as Director of Photography, as he specifically wanted the movie to be shot using Canon rehoused Rangefinder vintage full-frame lenses. Snyder wanted the film to be shot with a 50mm f/0.95 Dream Lens, forcing the cinematography to use a lot of extreme focus points, with the background and foreground coming off as a soft blur. This took me a moment to get used to. In fact, I was momentarily under the impression that the theater’s projector was out of focus (sadly, I’ve had to correct them on that before, mid-film). I quickly learned that this was not the case, and leaned into Snyder’s creative shots.
The other technical aspect of this film that intrigued me was the insertion of actress Tig Notaro into the movie. Army of the Dead was originally shot with comedian Chris D'Elia. When D’Elia’s talent agency dropped him due to sexual misconduct allegations, Snyder and the studio made the decision to replace D’Elia with Tig Notaro. Instead of massive reshoots, inserting Notaro into the crew, Snyder instead shot Notaro exclusively on a green screen stage and digitally inserted her into the film. I knew this prior to watching the film, and so I fully expected a lot of cuts of Notaro standing off to the side, saying her lines separately from the group. Instead, I was delighted to see Notaro seamlessly incorporated into group scenes via CGI magic. I was floored by how well they pulled that off.
The idea of a Director’s Cut or Extended Cut of a film has grown in popularity over the past several decades. In the past, television studios would buy deleted scenes from movies like 1978’s Superman in order to advertise the “3-hour extended cut” for the film’s television debut. Since then, audiences have generally gravitated positively toward the idea of a longer, fuller version of a movie they enjoyed. Many of Snyder’s films have received a Director’s Cut, and almost always these versions have been heralded as “superior” to their theatrical cuts. It was clear to me that for Army of the Dead, Netflix told Snyder to make a single cut of the film, and have it be his cut.
At 148 minutes, Army of the Dead features plenty of lingering shots and scenes that could have been cut or trimmed in order to achieve a shorter runtime. With this being a film primarily for Netflix’s streaming service, however, I saw this run time and simply said “why not.” The film was an absolute blast, and I never felt like it was too long for its own good. As Netflix inches closer to becoming a full-fledged theatrical studio, they might change their mind on long run times. For now, however, I’m happy to watch these fuller, fleshed out films that have time to breathe.
Army of the Dead presented a cool premise, with a fun cast, and a ton of zombies. I had a great time watching this film, and I can’t wait to see it again. Everything from the cinematography, to the soundtrack, to the on-screen font, proclaimed that this was, in fact, a Zack Snyder film. Whether or not you’re a Snyder fan, I don’t believe anyone would categorize that man as a lazy director. It is clear, at least to me, the level of blood, sweat, and tears that he puts into his productions. Army of the Dead felt like a passion project of his, and I’m happy that it finally was filmed.
RORSHACH RATING:
Mental Health Moment: As you can tell by my review, I’m just as intrigued by the behind-the-scenes story of Army of the Dead as I am with the final product. Snyder had the vision for this film over 15 years ago. In 2007, it was officially announced and reported on, but it ended up getting lost in the dark cosmos of Hollywood films that were never made. I’m sure, on some level, that was frustrating for Snyder. Sure, he went on to make other films that he really wanted, like 300 and Watchmen. As a writer myself, I’m sure I would have struggled with a vision that I never got to fully realize. Snyder didn’t give up on his passion, however, and somehow, sometime, down the road, another studio offered him the chance to make that film. Even after he got the green light, he was faced with new challenges and obstacles, but he stuck to his guns and powered through.
If you can depend on life for anything, it would be the guarantee that you’ll be faced with setbacks, challenges, and obstacles, especially when you least expect them. It can be heartbreaking at times and giving up can and will often be presented as the easier path to take. If you are truly passionate about something, I would hope that you don’t let life’s challenges get you down. You could choose to wallow in defeat and self-pity, or you can find ways to transform these roadblocks into motivators. Life’s victories aren’t fulfilling because they were easy. So, as cheesy as it sounds, don’t give up on your dreams. Stay true to your passions and stay hopeful. Somehow, there is a path for you to achieve your goal. You just need the patience and the drive to find that path.
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Victims and Villains is written (and produced) by Josh "Captain Nostalgia" Burkey and others, and edited by Cam Smith. Music by Mallory Johnson and others. Army of the Dead is property of Netflix. We do not own nor claim any rights.
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