It kind of looks like Zack Snyder has stepped out of the shadows for a bit to deliver the same type of gritty, sun-baked action movie that’s feels like a step up from the remake of Dawn of the Dead that he released in 2004. This time around though it’s looking as though the main idea is going to be that of a heist movie featuring a high-powered and heavily-armed group of mercenaries that are heading into the quarantine zone to retrieve a king’s ransom that’s most likely going to get at least a few of them killed. Has anyone ever noticed how Las Vegas appears to be one of the favorite locations for a post-apocalyptic storyline? This time around we’re going to be seeing several familiar faces including Dave Bautista and Omari Hardwick, both of who have a lot of experience playing rough and tough characters in past movies and both who have been involved in action flicks. So far the movie looks like it could be something that offers up a lot of fun for viewers since the zombie craze has never really faded and the added bonus of making it a heist movie is kind of interesting even though one has to wonder just why money would be worth that much in a zombie apocalypse, other than to use as fuel for a fire or some other utilitarian purpose. It’s kind of depressing to think that the currency we value so much would be utterly useless for trade at some point, isn’t it?
It was mentioned back in 2008 that Army of the Dead would be a sequel to Dawn of the Dead, but obviously it’s taken a while to get to this point, if in fact things are still happening in the same world that was created, or remade, by in the early 2000s. It wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to think that this would be possible and that it might be what Snyder was hoping for since the idea that the original group that was followed in DotD were supposedly taken out by the horde of zombies that were seen before the credits started rolling. One thing about zombie apocalypses is that they don’t end quietly if they end at all, since every movie that’s ever featured them has made it clear that the cessation of the outbreak isn’t something that’s bound to happen given how much human beings tend to act irrationally in times of crisis, especially when it’s not fully understood what’s happening or why. But the issue of the money is still something that’s kind of hard to figure since in a world overrun by zombies this would indicate that there’s a working society somewhere that needs this capital to keep going since they’re bound and determined to keep things under the same control that existed before the outbreak. Does anyone else find that just a little bit odd?
The idea of staging a heist movie within a zombie apocalypse promises plenty of action obviously, and there will definitely be a number of jump scares to be had unless Snyder is of the mind that jump scares are a cheap and easy way to knock people off their game while keeping them on their toes. There’s a big hope that there’s some story in there amidst the chaos, but of course, the chaos can be the story and it will work just as well. From the trailer it’s worth a look since the idea of people wandering into a quarantine zone, which will take some explaining as well, is usually tantamount to suicide since zombies can’t be reasoned with or even fended off for that long since they tend to come in numbers and waves that are hard to deal with. But from the trailer, it looks as though the zombies are moving slowly again, which is why it might not be set in the same world as DotD since back in 2004 those zombies were up and running, literally, and were far more dangerous because they weren’t about to slow down when it came to seeking out their prey. But it’s going to be until March 21st before we get to see just what’s going on and why, and if it has any bearing on the remake that was released roughly 17 years ago.
Zombie movies do tend to fade and surge now and then as the audience tends to get tired of them only to turn around and embrace them again, and it’s usually because someone comes along and does something with the idea that hasn’t been seen in a while or, if they’re able, does something that hasn’t been seen before. It’s becoming harder and harder to shock people these days and keep them guessing, but at the very least, Army of the Dead looks as though it could be interesting enough to warrant a look.
