An easy way of pitching a movie is comparing it to those that came before it. For example, 1987’s “The Monster Squad” is best described as “The Goonies” meets the Universal Monsters. Taking two known ideas and pairing them together gives a concise picture of the tone and story while inadvertently making it sound much less original. This is true of Zack Snyder’s new movie “Army of the Dead,” which is a mash-up of multiple titles, including “Kelly’s Heroes,” “Ocean’s 11,” “John Carpenter’s Ghosts of Mars” and the “Left 4 Dead” video game franchise. However, these familiar strains make some of the characters and plot beats appear formulaic and predictable, robbing them of any real impact. Though there are some good performances, fun action sequences and impressive gore effects, that won’t prevent audiences from feeling every second of the film’s 148-minute runtime.
After an army snafu lets loose a zombie-producing monster, the beast makes its way to Las Vegas, and an undead outbreak unfolds. With the infected rapidly ripping through the city, a few brave citizens join the military in fighting back the horde long enough for the city to be walled off from the rest of the world. Refugee camps are set up next to the barriers, with many people displaced and facing an uncertain future, while a deadline fast approaches in which the government will nuke the entire metropolis. Eager to take advantage, the incredibly wealthy Tanaka (Hiroyuki Sanada) approaches one of the heroes of Vegas, Scott Ward (Dave Bautista), with a proposition: enter the city before the bombs fall and steal $200 million from a casino vault. Scott agrees and assembles his team, including old combat friends Maria (Ana de la Reguera), Vanderohe (Omari Hardwick) and Marianne Peters (Tig Notaro), along with new members like safecracker Dieter (Matthias Schweighöfer). Unfortunately, Scott’s daughter, Kate (Ella Purnell), insists on accompanying the crew so she can find some refugees that have gone missing. Once inside, the motley gang finds a crumbling Vegas, a plethora of zombies and a different breed of monster standing between them and their fortune.
Co-written alongside Shay Hatten and Joby Harold, “Army of the Dead” is easily the least stylized movie that Snyder has made since “Dawn of the Dead.” The opening credits, which depict the fall of Vegas and the rise of these heroes, is the closest to his usual visual panache — it’s essentially a zombified version of his “Watchmen” intro — though the rest of the film is devoid of speed-ramping or long, lingering shots insisting on some significance. It’s certainly better photographed than similar action blockbusters, and the editing is much more coherent than the vast majority of those as well. However, there’s no real flair or impressive visual style to “Army of the Dead,” which is abandoning one of Snyder’s core strengths.
The movie is easy to follow, with simple objectives, predictable twists and some entertaining interludes. Though much of the cast isn’t given much to do, a few of the actors find ways to imbue their characters with memorable personalities. Bautista, who is a better performer than this script, conveys the reluctance of a warrior who is confident in his skills but hurt by the tragedy to which they’re tied. He’s given worthless banter and barely anything approaching a real arc with Purnell, who does her best with a bunch of nothing dialogue and a role that seems to exist solely to suggest some emotional heart to the story. Garret Dillahunt, playing the company man who’s chaperoning the crew for Tanaka, is the obvious snake but finds fun moments of cockiness amidst his smarminess.
Notaro is also excellent as the smartass, pragmatic helicopter pilot who makes no bones about simply wanting a paycheck. It’s worth noting that her entire performance was done on a green screen after the previous actor had to be removed due to (alleged) sexual improprieties. If one isn’t aware of this fact, it’s not that noticeable, but viewers may observe the unusually high number of shots where Notaro is all on her own. The best parts of the cast, though, are Hardwick and Schweighöfer, who not only have enjoyable characters but create a believable sense of chemistry with each other in a short amount of screen time. Schweighöfer’s Dieter is a heist movie cliché — the eccentric genius who isn’t as tough as his compatriots but ends up becoming endearing in his own way, largely thanks to how he plays off Hardwick.
The make-up effects, including the gore and creature design, utilize a mix of practical and CG that are suitably putrid and fun. There are a few shots that stand out as cartoonish, and the wide shots of the ruined city look like a video game backdrop, but none of it is too distracting and is often offset by some impressive viscera and zombie dispersal. The muddled mythology of the “evolved” monsters at the heart of Vegas is a convoluted way to create more intelligent and difficult opponents, but it barely makes any sense. It’s simply for plot convenience rather than any greater narrative, and when paired with the fairly rote script, which combines the obvious tropes of both zombie films and heist films, it robs the story of any real innovation or surprises.
There are little things around the edges that affect “Army of the Dead” as well. Attempts at satire and social commentary about the U.S. government fall flat, like someone watched “Robocop” and almost understood how to skewer such topics. Additionally, the Vegas environment offers up some fun visual gags and clever spaces to stage combat, and there’s some inventive weaponry and kills as well, but too much of it is just destruction en masse. Snyder also continues to be the worst at curating a soundtrack. The man is skilled on many levels, but picking needle drops is not one of them.
“Army of the Dead” is a fine action-horror movie that has some standout moments of splatter and thrills, but the winning performances and cool spectacle are often undermined due to its by-the-numbers story, despite this particular mash-up being unique. If it were 45 minutes shorter, it would be an easy recommendation as a tight adventure movie filled with double-crosses, stacks of money, flashy ordinance and grotesque monsters. Instead, those positives are spread too thin over too familiar of a narrative that only occasionally delights.
Starring: Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Ana de la Reguera, Theo Rossi, Matthias Schweighöfer, Hiroyuki Sanada, Garret Dillahunt, Tig Notaro
Director: Zack Snyder
