ST. LOUIS — "Everybody loves a lobster roll."
That wry statement, spoken by a character very late in "Army of the Dead," is true, and you could say the same thing for zombie movies. They are catnip for moviegoers, an easy-to-understand plot device that bleeds into a thrilling tale more often than not. The only problem with that success rate is being able to stand out. Zach Snyder's latest go-for-broke gore fest manages to crack the safe of the genre, leaning less on the kitchen sink or die method of his other films and more on the franchise-building precision that has eluded him in the past.
Out of all of his films, "Army of the Dead" carries the most rhythm and the sharpest screenplay. This is "Triple Frontier" (another great Netflix film) meets "Dawn of the Dead," which I would have told you last week was Snyder's best work. But I think his new movie takes that crown, even if it tips its head often to the Ving Rhames-led remake.
Carrying a soundtrack of the year contender, stuffed with stellar cover songs, "Army of the Dead" thankfully subverts many of your expectations from a zombie heist flick. Characters may speak in the same redemptive language that audiences have become accustomed to, but the beats are a little different here. I found it to be unpredictable and surprising in certain key moments in the third act, and you bet it left room for a sequel. Two and a half hours later, I can tell you more of this would be lovely.
Dave Bautista has presence to spare, due to his soulful physicality and methodic voice. But Scott Ward is his finest achievement yet, the biggest piece of pie from a movie that the wrestler-turned-actor has been given-at least on this kind of scale. He lifted up the underseen "Bushwick," but Snyder's uproarious affair lives or dies on him. While he delivers the vicious action that has become his calling card, Bautista gets to flex the dramatic muscles a lot here. Instead of playing a type, he got to build a character, one that has a not-so-private inkling to open a food truck. Ward is just one of the mercenaries hired by Tanaka (the great Hiroyuki Sanada) to infiltrate the zombie-infested Las Vegas for $500 million in case, but he has the most miles on his soul heading into battle. Bautista taps into that heartbreak mercilessly.
But the quality doesn't end with him. Not even close. I am now a big Omari Hardwick fan. Pay attention to his Vanderohe, who has more to his story than you'll originally surmise, and that's a good thing. His presence is magnetic. Cheers to Snyder for replacing Chris D'Elia with Tig Notaro, who gives the film a much-needed funny bone. She's effortlessly funny as the helicopter pilot or as she refers to herself, "the second most important person on the mission."
The first is Matthias Schweighofer, the safe-cracker who hasn't seen a lick of battle. You'll fall in love with him by the end, the same way you do Ana de la Reguera's Maria Cruz ("Goliath" fans will recognize her), who will follow Scott anywhere--even into the worst place on Earth. Raul Castillo, who thrived in Benjamin Bray's "El Chicano," shines here with hair to match Schweighofer's goofy mastermind.
Ella Purnell, playing Bautista's daughter, has a couple signature moments-while "Sons of Anarchy" fans get to appreciate Theo Rossi all over again. Every suicide mission is better with Garret Dillahunt involved, and Nora Arnezeder's "Coyote" has some of the best lines while being our navigator.
"Army of the Dead" feels like a catharsis for its filmmaker. Snyder needed to create something all his own without anyone tarnishing it, and entertainment's biggest streaming giant gave him the keys to a big $90 million house-or soundstage. Snyder and Netflix are a match made in heaven. The shackles of old studio systems are gone, and the Godfather of zombie action-horror fandom has returned to his favorite playground with colorful aplomb. No one knows the terrain better, which gave him all the energy required to turn it on its head.
I've never laughed this much during a film where people's heads are turned like a salt-shaker, and all of them are genuine and aren't found in the preview. The running time never feels like a weight, and that's due to someone knowing exactly what they are. Snyder gets to let his freak flag fly here and we are the recipient of a film that should play well in theaters but exploded on streaming. Oh, and the zombie tiger was very much worth the cost, picking up one of the film's best kills.
There's plenty of gory carnage for avid fans of the undead. "Army of the Dead" unleashes surprising cast fatalities, with each anti-hero getting their slow-motion sendoff. If you don't know the name Huma Qureshi, you will after leaving this one. A film with this much eye candy and polish doesn't flinch when it comes to the realistic perils of its genre's villains. Speaking of the screeching and blood-thirsty forever-walkers, they have personality and something extra like the antagonists carried in Will Smith's "I Am Legend."
In the end, Snyder's vision and execution stands alone. This is his baby and it's a beauty, one built with purpose and charisma. If there's a spring launch pad, it's "Army of the Dead." Instead of just producing a decent thrill, it pulls a few of the genre threads inside out, finding hidden laughs and soulful beats that freshen the landscape that movie fans adore so much.
I think of genre movies like cars. When you get a car, it doesn't have to be the greatest car ever. Plenty came before it, and plenty will follow. You just need a good car. When it comes to zombie films, with a little heist seasoning thrown on top, you usually just need to make a decent car, or movie.
Zack Snyder just made his greatest one yet.
