Movie Review: Army of the Dead (2021)

Army of the Dead (2021) co-written and directed by Zack Snyder

While moving a super-secret asset in Nevada, a military convoy has an accident and the asset escapes. That asset is a super-zombie, extra-strong and extra fast, and also extra-intelligent (well, probably just normal-intelligent, which is extra-intelligent for a zombie). The zombie bites and turns some of the soldiers, then the group of zombies heads to Las Vegas. The city is overrun and eventually sealed off with a wall of cargo containers, with one military crew led by Scott (Dave Bautista) just barely making it out in time. Months later, Scott is flipping burgers at a diner and mourning the loss of his wife (who he had to kill because she was infected) and his daughter (who left him because both he and she could not handle the situation). A private investor recruits Scott to go into Vegas for one last thing. A vault under one of the casinos has two hundred million dollars in cash. The president of the United States is planning to nuke Vegas to ensure the zombie infection does not spread. They have four days to go in, get the loot, and get out. Scott reluctantly agrees since he will get fifty million for himself and his crew. He recruits some ex-military friends and a German safe-cracker. The investor sends his own military guy (Garrett Dillahunt) who knows the layout of the casino. Scott runs into his daughter at the refugee camp just outside the Vegas wall. She wants to go in because the mother of some kids is lost inside. She argues her way into the crew. The group heads in, sneaking and fighting their way to the casino.

I saw a trailer for this movie and the "Zack Snyder" part turned me off but the goofy humor (they show a zombie Elvis impersonator and a zombie tiger, presumably from Siegfried and Roy's show) appealed to me. So I gave it a try. Unfortunately, the humor is very uneven and mostly absent for long stretches of the movie (which is two hours, twenty-eight minutes long). The movie is very gory and a little too glumly serious at times. Parts of it are creative and interesting. The safe is called "Gotterdammerung" and they use Wagner's work for some of the soundtrack (much like the "Ode to Joy" in Die Hard). The super-zombie has his own quirks and there's a sort of zombie society he runs, though he is mute and not much is explained. It's more of an excuse to pad out the film with tense zombie-menace scenes. The soundtrack is entertaining and well-used. The ending is a downer and the movie doesn't justify its long running time.

Mildly recommended for zombie movie fans, otherwise avoid!