Army of the Dead is a 2021 zombie heist film directed by Zack Snyder, starring Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, and Ana de la Reguera. The film follows a group of mercenaries who plan a Las Vegas casino heist amid a zombie apocalypse.

There’s a lot to say about the state of zombie films these days and it’s somewhere between being repetitive or being lazy. The story isn’t particularly original but the zombie spin does give it a fresh look. The story is pretty straight forward and aside from some subplots there’s no actual depth. Honestly, by the end of the film I was kind of left scratching my head. But first, let’s take a look at some of the good qualities. Next to the main story, there’s the relationship between leads Scott Ward and his daughter, Kate. There’s a big divide between the two and as the story progresses their relationship does get mended. However, by the end of the film, it doesn’t feel completely earned. Another is a particular romance that pops up and is dropped just as quick leaving me to wonder was it simply introduced for the following scene.

Some of the bigger problems of the film revolve around the predictability of the story, massive plotholes, and an uneventful second act which was probably the worst aspect of the film. Next to the opening sequence, the film never really finds its footing. Sure, there’s the first major firefight and after that it doesn’t capture the same intensity. There’s a subplot regarding a particularly nasty security guard that goes nowhere. The character could’ve been anyone else and it would’ve worked out just as good. And unfortunately, the predictability is rather annoying. You can tell what role most of the characters play, see signs of how they’re going to die, or that they’ll have some special twist. An interesting story but it’s bogged down by so many missteps and missed opportunities that hurt the experience. Is it entertaining? Yes, but if you wanting substance or good character growth you’ll not find it here. (2 out of 5)

The characters are decent and for the most part I liked them. There’s not much given to them in terms of depth, but they were written well enough to be different and interesting. The main leads are Scott Ward and his daughter Kate, and their relationship and backstory is fleshed out the most. There’s a bit of tragedy concerning the two so you’ll want to see them patch things up. But honestly, Scott is a more likable character than Kate. Kate comes off as a bit self righteous and stupid as her actions due directly result in a much more likable character’s death. There’s also Vanderohe and Dieter, who play the serious and goofy dynamic, and they work enough to because they aren’t held just to that. The other characters are decent though some could’ve been fleshed out better. If I had to come up with a list I’d say the best characters are Scott, Vanderohe, Maria, Dieter, Lilly and Chambers.

Unfortunately most of the characters aren’t given much backstory, so you don’t learn much about them. Even the core group don’t really feel like they have much chemistry aside from Scott and Maria. Hell, Guzman and Chambers are barely touched upon and you don’t know what their story really is. Martin and Cummings were the most generic characters who brought nothing to cast. The main villain is a super zombie named Zeus and he’s probably one of the most lackluster characters in the film. He’s literally all bark with barely any bite. Outside of his initial introduction he spends most of the time roaring and growling and riding a zombie horse (or whatever it was) and doing nothing. The Alpha Queen felt more memorable. Her scenes were cool, intense, she felt more expressive, her design was awesome. (3 out of 5)

The performances were pretty good and I have to give a big thumbs up to Bautista. I’ve never really seen him as diverse actor but he sold me with his performance. It was best actor of the year but I bought him with some of the more emotional scenes. The cast also includes Theo Rossi, Matthias Schweighofer, Nora Arnezeder, Hiroyuki Sanada, Tig Notaro, Raul Castillo, Huma Qureshi, Garret Dillahunt, and Samantha Win. I really liked the other performances, I thought everyone did a good job. Nothing truly standout but good. Really liked the quirkiness of Schweighofer and Notaro, I thought they brought a lot of good humor. And thumbs up to Athena Perample as the Alpha Queen. But having said that, the casting does feel like they checked off quite a few boxes. Being diverse for diversity sake seems a little like the woke bells were rung. (4 out of 5)

Visually, this is a good looking movie. It’s shot really well and does give some of the action sequences a dynamic feel. There’s a good attention to the detail with the zombie makeup and let’s be honest, its hard to find a movie that’s got a good budget mess up on the zombie effects. There are plenty of closeups and the effects are great. There’s a good amount of blood and gore both on the side of the human and zombie deaths. One of the best sequences is when you see a shot of a woman firing off what looks like a fifty cal. completing ripping a horde of zombies to shreds. There are some good set pieces and the diversity of scenery keeps the film locations fresh. The special effects are good though there is some spotty effects during the opening. Still, this is a really good looking film. (4 out of 5)

I actually liked the music. I thought it was thrilling, thought it brought a lot of heart, helped emphasize some of the more intense moments. Junkie XL is probably one of my favorite composers and his light brightens many of the dark patches of the film. The sound design is good, nothing stand out but good. (4 out of 5)

Now this is where things get interesting, because the writing and direction are some of the biggest problems that the movie has. I like Zack Snyder. I know a lot of people don’t but I like a lot of his movies. Especially his dark take on comic book movies. I like what he’s done with the DC Extended Universe. But having said that, I’m not sure what to say about this particular film. I didn’t like Snyder’s direction and given how good Dawn of the Dead was can’t help but wonder what happened. There are some questionable writing choices such as the point of having smart zombies. The zombies could’ve been feral and fast moving and been just as effective.

Although the characterization is good, characters make questionable decisions and the plotholes are just ridiculous. There’s a scene where a character learns about a possible traitor in the group and when they have the opportunity to tell someone they don’t. I do not understand what the motivations for Zeus were. Some people he turned and others he didn’t. What was the point of him turning people? It wasn’t like he was trying to create an army to take over the world because he didn’t attack everyone that entered the zone. There are two instances where characters sacrifice themselves for no reason. There’s a time table for a nuke that’s getting ready to blow Vegas off the map and it gets moved up. It hardly seems necessary for that to have happened. Why not have the zombies attack and that be what delays the group. There’s a subplot about a zombie baby that’s introduced and never brought back up. How did zombie get pregnant? Was she bitten while pregnant?

Then there’s the pacing and tone. The pacing feels off because of what the film attempts to do. Because it tries to come off as a comedy and a drama but it doesn’t quite mesh. And the fact that the characters don’t really develop makes the pacing suffer because of the lack of payoff.

The absolute best part of the film involves a scene where one of the characters gets stranded in a room full of zombies and a fight for survival breaks out. It’s the best part of the movie with high stakes, great action, great music, and great camera work. And it’s a shame that even the climax doesn’t feel as intense. If the film had been like that the entire time it would’ve been a better thrill ride even if it lacked substance. (1 out of 5)

In the end, Army of the Dead is one of those films that’s head scratching. There is entertainment value and some bits of humor and drama sprinkled across the surface. But the writing and direction is just piss poor. There’s mindless entertainment and if you like some good acting and plenty of zombie killing this is a good movie. Army of the Dead gets 3 out of 5. It’s a far cry from what I’d expect from Snyder and it’s definitely not for everyone.