Army of the Dead (2021)
★½ — Army of the Dead (2021)
Zack Snyder returned to the zombie genre here, some seventeen years after his debut feature, the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead. Army of the Dead arrived in a somewhat unusual fashion, released simultaneously on Netflix and in a limited number of cinemas in May 2021, as part of a broader deal Snyder struck with the streaming platform following the troubled, high-profile restoration of his Justice League cut earlier that same year. The film was shot largely in Atlantic City and various Nevada locations, with Snyder himself operating as cinematographer, a role he took on after replacing the original DP mid-production. At a reported $90 million budget, it was a sizeable bet for Netflix on original blockbuster content, and the platform claimed considerable viewership figures in its opening weeks.
Zack Snyder’s zombie heist flick starts with promise. Flashy visuals, a desert wasteland Vegas, and some slick zombie gore effects (which, honestly, are the only thing worth praising here). But everything else is a total write-off. The characters are one-note clichés with zero charm (ranging from grating to outright annoying) and the acting is stiff, wooden, or wildly over-the-top, with no middle ground. The story tries to juggle too much: a zombie outbreak, a casino heist, family drama, and a mysterious zombie queen, all while throwing in random subplots that go nowhere. It doesn’t make sense, it doesn’t build tension properly, and the pacing is all over the place. At nearly two and a half hours, it feels even longer, dragging through dull emotional attempts that don’t land and action scenes that look cool but lack stakes. Even the humour falls flat, landing somewhere between cringey and mean-spirited. You’re never really rooting for anyone, and the film never decides if it wants to be serious, campy, or epic. The zombie effects are impressive (fast, detailed, and creatively gross) but they can’t save a film this hollow. Barely holding on for the make-up work.
Rating: ★½ | Year: 2021 | Watched: 2025-09-01
Where to watch (UK)
Stream: Netflix · Netflix Standard with Ads
Physical: Amazon UK
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