Welcome one and all to part 12 of my weekly blog The 52 In 52. If you've missed the previous 11 blog articles the premise is simple. I have a pretty sizeable collection of DVDs and Blu Rays and a lot of them have been gathering dust on the shelf. Each week I will be watching and reviewing a film in my collection. Last week I reviewed The Zero Theorem.
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Overlord was released in the latter part of 2018 and was directed by Julius Avery and produced by JJ Abrams through Paramount Pictures. The story follows a squad of soldiers during World War 2 that are tasked with disabling a German radio tower in order to stop D-Day from happening. After their plane is shot down they arrive at their destination by foot only to discover that inside of the Nazi base there is something a whole lot more sinister happening. Corporal Ford (Wyatt Russell) and his team including Private Boyce (Jovan Adepo) and local Chloe (Mathilde Olivier) must not only destroy the tower but, also the entire base. Only Captain Wafner (Pilou Asbæk) stand in their way.
I must say I really enjoyed Overlord a lot. I found the mix of action and horror genres really balanced and highly entertaining but, it is the cast of characters that really drive this film. Wyatt Russell is every inch the action hero from the very beginning. The one liners and stern looks solidify this in a very obvious way but, he is the glue that holds the film together. Jovan Adepo is great in the fish out of water, vulnerable hero of the film. He shows a lot of range from vulnerability to action hero in the blink of an eye. Whilst Mathilde Olivier has some great scenes I would have liked to have seen more action scenes for her character. Pilou Asbæk is every inch the maniacal villain, grinning in an almost comic book way.
The action is fast paced from the very beginning of the film, there is very little background story for the main characters other than a few hints at their life before the war. The main story builds in a way that doesn't have many surprises but, is a satisfying enough story.
The practical effects used in the film are impressive especially the make up work used in the transformation of Captain Wafner in the final act of the film. Whilst the gore is heavy at times it isn't over the top like a lot of modern zombie films and TV shows. The music throughout is very generic science fiction/horror from the 80's and 90's.
Overall Overlord is a fresh look at the zombie horror genre. The story holds little in the way of surprises but, is highly entertaining. The cast of characters are really what makes this film special with a lot of promise for the future. Overlord is a fast paced gore fest that is a call back to the 80's and 90's.
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