Zombies have been rising in popularity since George A. Romero first had the dead rise from their graves back in 1968 with Night of Living Dead. Since this first incarnation, zombies have been making a huge impacts across pop culture and hordes of the iconic creatures can be seen across multiple forms of media.
Even big name gaming franchises, like Call of Duty, have used the creatures for their iconic Nazi Zombies mode and fans have been eagerly awaiting to see something similar hit the big screen. Well, the wait is finally over as the J.J. Abrams produced zombie flick Overlord delivers on bringing both blood-soaked zombie carnage and video game styled action to the big screen.
The film follows a group of soldiers — with slightly more focus being put on Boyce (Jovan Adepo) and Ford (Wyatt Russell) — as they attempt to take out a radio tower after surviving D-Day. For those thinking that only those storming the Normandy beaches had it rough, Overlord’s opening surely proves that those traveling through the air didn’t have it much better. It’s just one of the film’s tense and heart-pounding set pieces that are extremely fun to watch. (The explosive end sequence literally feels like its ripped straight out of your favorite video game.)
Things quickly don’t seem just like your typical war movie once Boyce sneaks into a secret lab and sees what the Nazi’s are really up to. Now, while some viewers may feel like these characters are dumb because they aren’t shooting them in the head or even calling them zombies, it actually makes the film feel more accurate since Romero hadn’t created the iconic creatures yet. This little fact actually makes the film work as another archetype for what zombies are and has the advantage of being able to create its own rules and look for zombies.
Overlord kind of takes a misstep when creating the rules and mythos around these zombies that ultimately makes some parts of the film feel confusing. The set up for these creatures’ creation is great. There’s a real sense of mystery as it is never fully explained what’s in the serum that brings dead soldiers back to life. There is great appreciation to be had for the more scientific approach taken for these creatures as it fits the stories of Nazi experimentation.
Where the film loses itself is when our heroes go to kill these creatures — inconsistency plagues these scenes. One zombie gets his brain bashed in with the butt of a rifle and is killed for good. Yet, another gets clearly shot in the head a multiple times yet still spring back up to give chase. This may come off as a small gripe, but the mythos is that shaped the zombie genre (shot to head = dead) is something Overlord has issues with.
Overlord definitely get the look of a zombie, though. The film creates a truly unique zombie look and feel. The most interesting aspect of them are that these creatures can look different based on what happened to them before they turned — and if they were alive or dead. Most of the time, they can be seen having boils or veins disgustingly popping out as their blood rushes to their eyes. Their haunting, wheezing breathing can’t be ignored. They’re fast moving zombies whose incredible brute strength is on full display with each bone-cracking move.
Others actually carry some of their old battle wounds and scars along with them, only adding to their gross appearance. One creature in particular, Wafner (Pilou Asbaek), carries a facial scar where he was hit with a bullet and every time he smiles, seeing the missing flesh and shattered teeth will send chills down your spine.
Overlord builds up suspense excellently throughout the creature’s moments through excellent sound design and great performances from the cast. Hearing moans or whispers down a long corridor makes you fearful for the characters when they attempt to stop the horrifying experiments happening to their fellow soldiers.
However, the soldiers’ reasoning for diverting from their mission of destroying a radio tower to fighting to stop Hitler’s creation of a thousand-year army feels a little lackluster. The decision is done in one conversation and it doesn’t fully feel developed. It doesn’t matter much, though, as these characters are still fun and charming enough to cover up plot deficiencies. While our heroes do come off a little bit like caricatures, but it’s never annoying. The great performances more than make up for their character’s been there, done that backgrounds.
While it may falter on a couple of steps, Overlord is that video-game styled zombie film that many have been waiting for. It’s a thrilling ride from start to finish and brings some solid performances and blood-filled warfare that audiences won’t surely forget anytime soon.
Rating: 8 out of 10
-Tom Moore
