A Zombie-Heist Filled With Character Drive (Army of the Dead)

Zombies don't exactly take up a positive place in my head especially since this a nightmare that might become the end result of certain virus that's plaguing us. (I'm kidding... I Hope. It's my nightmare too, guys.) Army of the Dead. a revamped Dawn of the Dead, as some would say - a zombie movie I have never seen before - written and directed by Zack Snyder after finally being set free from the clutches of WarnerBros and DC to do whatever story he wants, especially one that he originally made almost 2 decades ago. 

I may not have seen Dawn of the Dead but I've had my fair share of having zombie nightmares based on movies and TV shows I have watched but none of them apparently was as character driven as this 2 hour and 28 minute behemoth of a Snyder film. From an ensemble cast of Suicide Squad-like characters to the exquisitely envisioned set of evolving zombies, the film was more emotional that you'd expect feeling absolute pity and annoyance for each and every one of them for their predictable yet relatable humane actions... even if you never admit it. Fortunately, the only human worth praising that was apart of this is Zack himself. 

Snyder has been given the allowance to play with his favored storytelling aspects such as the limitless gore and the necessary amount of F-Bombs he relies on but the best part that remains stuck in my brain is by no surprise, the cinematography. Every shot of this film is beautiful, whether it is filled with blood or not, Snyder's need to create his movies in full screen scales is well established when the action featured in this film is portrayed in such large and theatric proportions. Watching this in IMAX would have been one hell of a highlight, an opportunity I will never get.

The star amongst the cast is undeniably Dave Bautista. Witnessing his acting chops this time around really makes you wonder about how his previous roles had not been utilizing his talent for good but instead only focusing on his attributes based off his brawn and looks. Snyder, however, creates a character you cannot help but root for when you get to know this particular character, zombies kills and all. This might be my favorite character that Bautista has ever played and for good reason. This is probably why the wrestler turned actor is finally ending his contract with Marvel after Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 3 for his recent enlightenment of being a much greater actor than he is today. 

Army of the Dead may not be for everyone, especially people who are expecting this film to be filled with only Zombie madness when there is way more to love but it is definitely a must-watch popcorn flick for this never ending weekend and a definite favorite amongst fans of the Snyder filmography. Warner Bros executives can eat their heart out because they just lost an ambitious filmmaker, a man who could have brought them such possibilities if they had let him bring to life the plan he had created for the Justice League franchise but we have to move on. He is probably creating a more stories within his SnyderZombie-Verse and cannot be more excited than I was for DC's Snyder-Verse plan all those years ago.