Overlord Puts A Twist on World War II
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WRITTEN BY: Andrew Kent
World War II once again has another movie added to its collection of filmography. However,
Overlord provides something new for the popular war genre. The plot revolves around American
soldiers who have a set plan to finally end the war on the eve of D-Day. Nevertheless, the
German army is holding something behind closed doors that could change the outcome of World
War II.
Producer J.J. Abrams has a track record for being associated with the making of eccentric films.
Movies like Cloverfield and Super 8 are just a few of his previously produced projects. Overlord
offers the same amount of creeps while also giving audiences popcorn fun. Director Julius Avery
places his characters in horrifying situations that no ordinary soldiers have encountered before. If
you weren’t aware, Overlord’s premise contains zombies generated from the German army. By
delivering an idea that hasn’t been fully explored, Overlord instantaneously becomes a nonstop
thrill ride from start to finish.
Overlord hits on numerous occasions and brings an unexpected serious tone to an otherwise
insane concept. This film’s war scenes are some of the best I’ve seen at the theater in a while.
They capture the brutality and intense setting of war perfectly. Overlord even gives audiences a
satisfying amount of suspense, particularly in scenes featuring zombies. It’s almost as if Julius
Avery played Call of Duty alongside the making of this movie. There are many scenes where
characters hide from German soldiers as well as scenes where characters fend off zombies.
Overlord’s engine rarely loses steam with constant engaging sequences.
Surprisingly enough, Overlord doesn’t have the amount of flaws movie goers originally thought
ahead watching the film. One nitpick to point out is the difference in how the movie feels
between the first and second halves. We move from a concentrated war film to an anxiety driven
zombie movie. I didn’t have a problem with the change, but the transition wasn’t as smooth as
you would want. Additionally, like several war movies, the soldiers didn’t have much character
depth once again. The audience learns barely anything about some of Overlord’s premier
characters. At this point, I don’t expect much else when it comes to characters in war movies.
Before I reveal my verdict, I must mention that Overlord is a grotesque viewing. This shouldn’t
come as a surprise since most war and zombie movies have loads of violence. The R rating
further entails what kind of movie you’ll experience when watching Overlord. Beyond the few
negatives, Overlord is one heck of a good time. With two halves interconnecting to make one
film, we get two for the price of one. Having great war scenes and thrilling zombie chases,
Overlord was certainly better than expected.
Verdict: B+
