Army of the Dead: Las Vegas Invasion, Netflix's Bold New Zombies Movie

“Resurrecting” a story written around the time of his first film, Zack Snyder makes its debut in Netflix on Army of the Dead: Invasion in Las Vegas. With high doses of action, comedy and violence, the feature pays homage to zombie classics and is not afraid to bet on clichés in exchange for fun. We watch and tell here (without spoilers, of course if Army of the Dead should be worth two and a half hours of your time.

Eleven Men and a Zombie Horde

Newlyweds flirt on a road trip and crash a military convoy. As a result, we have the escape of a violent creature, generating an apocalypse in the city of sin. Las Vegas is then taken over by zombies. Years later, protagonist Scott Ward (Dave Bautista) receives a proposal from a casino owner to take a share of the 200 million dollars in the vault surrounded by the undead. Scott assembles his team of mercenaries and sets off on an adventure. This may be a way of summarizing what is Army of the Dead, a true “bank robbery movie, with zombies”.

For the first time we see Dave Bautista in a drama-laden role where there is still room for brutality. the debut of Army of the Dead arrives days after news broke that he will be leaving the Marvel universe after his performance in Guardians of the Galaxy 3, which will be launched in 2023, the franchise responsible for leveraging the former MMA fighter's career. Given his physique, Dave is often called on for jobs that fit the “tough with a heart” stereotype, but in Army we have a family responsibility over and above punching the undead – and it was nice to get a taste of the actor's versatility.

It's easy to assume that Army of the Dead it won't bring anything new to the generic zombie horror formula, however, the surprise is: fear is replaced by adrenaline. We have a race against time, after all, Las Vegas will be the target of a nuclear bomb. For this reason, the film rarely loses the beat, which makes it more cadenced when we change the point of view (among each group of mercenaries). The proposal was risky, but luckily it works. Snyder manages to deliver a movie-worthy zombie action movie.

There are scenes gore and dismemberments, but these moments are justified by the “fun” that refers to even the most modern zombie games. The obligation to kill the undead is just another obstacle for the protagonists. We have breaks in rhythm (and in focus) throughout the two and a half hours and, even so, one of the few consistencies is the apparent pleasure in giving headshots sure and finish off anyone who comes their way.

Brains... brains...

A great counterpoint to the clichés is the division of the zombies, as we have the superior couple (alpha) and the lower ones (all others). Intelligent creatures are far from new to the genre, however, alphas are introduced as thinking beings with physical abilities far superior to the rest - they can run fast and seem to enjoy the death of humans more. It was interesting that this caste was established from the start, resulting in the viewer's genuine curiosity to understand the limits of monsters' intelligence.

A pity that, with the exception of the main duo, the zombies of Army of the Dead. Considering that one of the timelines we've been following is dedicated solely to showing their side throughout these days (pre-nuclear explosion), having throwaway characters didn't seem like a deliberate choice for Snyder. At least this is rewarded in the loving core of alphas, with a big reveal in the second act.

Dawn of the Dead and inspiration from George Romero

Zack Snyder wrote Army of the Dead while recording Dawn of the Dead, from 2004, his first feature, which is a remake from the classic Awakening from the Dead, from the renowned director George A. Rosemary. By the way, in English both are Dawn of the Dead – with the changed translation to make life easier for Brazilians who want to distinguish them without having to mention the year.

Romero is considered by many as the “grandfather” of zombie films, having written, directed, filmed and edited the eternal reference in the genre. Night of the Living Dead, in 1968. In it, incredible as it may seem (at the time of American cinema), we have an example of accidental representation, loaded with social criticism: the black protagonist is one of the only ones to survive the attack of the creatures, being shot dead at the hands of (living) humans who mistake him for a zombie.

The independent film served as a portfolio to found what would become Romero's "quadrilogy of the Dead", which continued with Awakening from the Dead some years later. Dario Argento, renowned Italian filmmaker, financed the project and it is believed that without his help, the zombie genre could not have flourished. Soon after, Day of the Dead explored themes such as society, tragedy and humanity, taking a turn from the terror of its predecessors.

after that we had Land of the Dead, the most recent, which “ends” the quadrilogy with its intelligent zombies – strong inspiration for the current Army of the Dead. Romero then decides to leave for the found footage (terror where the characters hold the camera, as well as REC e the blair witch) with diary of the dead. following the story of daily, we have the most obscure The Isle of the Dead, low-budget slapstick, which was Romero's last before his death.

The maturing of the genre served as the basis for Snyder's film, which would be nothing without the aforementioned features. With the project announced over a decade ago, luckily Netflix acquired the rights to Army of the Dead da Warner Bros. – who knows the complications of Justice League imagine what could go wrong with Snyder there. Among interviews and behind-the-scenes footage, the filmmaker seems comfortable with his freedom to direct and (apparently) have full control over his work. Zack becomes more of an “independent” director who managed to show his unique vision of a zombie movie.

behind the scenes Army of the Dead (also on Netflix)

Speaking of backstage, Netflix also launched the Army of the Dead um special making of of the movie. In just under half an hour, we have answers to everything you might have been wondering about the movie. One example is the recreation of Las Vegas, as the team used images captured by drones (and cranes with cameras) to photograph the real location. Few real sets were made and the rest was a virtual setting, something that can go unnoticed in certain outdoor scenes.

Remembering that Snyder's universe does not end there: still in 2021 we will have an expansion of Army of the Dead to spin off Army of Thieves, directed and led by Matthias Schweighofer. Thieves was advertised as being similar to the popular A Master's Exit, what is "that heist movie with MINI Coopers“. In addition, still without a confirmed date, the anime Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas will depict the events before Invasion in Las Vegas, returning with the same actors in their respective roles.

Army of the Dead: Invasion in Las Vegas it's at viewing on Netflix. So, what do you think of Zack Snyder's new zombie movie? Tell us in the comments below!