Overlord
Jovan Adepo discovers the horror hidden in a small French town in Overlord.
Sometimes, you just want to watch GIs punch some zombies.
What’s Overlord About?
On the eve of D-Day (codename Operation Overlord), a paratroop unit is given an important assignment: They must drop behind enemy lines and destroy a radio tower that will cripple German communications.
But after they’re shot down, the team finds itself scrambling to complete they’re mission. New GI Boyce (Jovan Adepo) and grizzled veteran Ford (Wyatt Russell) must hide in a small village and regroup. Unfortunately, Nazis might not be the only thing they have to worry about as they plan their mission.
It seems the local Nazis have been conducting experiments on the villagers with terrifying results. Can the GIs complete their mission while avoiding an undead army?
What Makes Overlord Good?
Sure, John Wayne starred in a lot of WWII films, but did he ever punch a zombie?
Overlord is exactly what it says on the tin: A WWII zombie movie. It’s not trying to break new ground, it’s a genre movie that wouldn’t be out of place at a grindhouse movie night.
What makes it a step above other Nazi zombie movies (and this is a surprisingly fertile sub-genre of horror) is that actual care went into making this film. Director Julius Avery crafts a movie that would be a pretty entertaining war movie without the zombies. Part of that is due to some great choices in atmospheric filmmaking and part is due to some great cinematography from Laurie Rose and Fabian Wagner. There is one especially dizzying scene as Boyce careens from a shot-down plane that would fit right into one of the Spielberg WWII properties.
The movie also develops its characters, something that’s nearly unheard of in Dead Snow-type films. Overlord wants you to get to know the characters that inhabit their world, so when they start dying, you’ll actually care. The filmmaker also employs the “kill off the name actor quickly so the audience knows you mean business” trick, but it works, so I can’t be too fussed about it.
Overlord also takes its time. Avery isn’t in a rush to get you to the zombie battle, and that works in his favor. By working with a strong story and ensemble, there isn’t a need to march the undead out too soon. One can play a bit with genre conventions.
The other strong point in Overlord’s favor is a great ensemble. Adepo is a sympathetic lead and an easy character to root for. Russell, looking remarkably like his father, offers an excellent grizzled counterpoint to Adepo’s righteous innocence. As the two navigate the horrors of what the Nazis are doing as well as their need to complete their mission before dawn, they form a compelling bond.
Granted, Overlord isn’t high cinema, but it’s not trying to be. And sometimes it’s OK to not worry about metaphor and frame composition and just enjoy a good old-fashioned zombie flick.
Verdict
Overlord was made for crowds and popcorn. Try this out at a Halloween party.
Overlord is rated R and available to stream on Paramount+.
