Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead

I have said in the pst, I am not a fan of the horror genre per se, except when it comes to names like either Stephen King, Gullermo Del Toro, George A. Romero, Zack Snyder, Frank Darabont, Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg. Since this one felll into one of rule breakers, I was all in from the get-go.

The reason I don't watch horror movies is pure and simple. I gett too attached to the characters involved with the storyline. The only reason I bring this up is brcause their was a character I liked in the abysmal sequel to "Aliens vs. Predator" titled "Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem," (2007) in which a character I liked died halfway before the movie ended. That is my reason for skipping this genre altogether.

If you give me a horror-comedy, however, I am all-in for the full ride. Some examples that come to mind are Sam Raini's "Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn," Peter Jackson's "Dead-Alove," the Steven Spielberg produced "Gremlins" in 1984, the 1985 "Fright Night" as well as the 2011 version, which contained so,me amazing 3-D visuals.

Now, onto director Zack Snyder's latst, "Army of the Dead," in which greedy individuals fight for their pece of the "American pie," which always come down to the almighty dollar. Bautista's character states his past fight was for his country, but this time it is for themselves.

Bautista is the big name here, having played Drax in a couple of "Guardians of the Galaxy" entries as well as the mediocre "Stuber" (2019) a couple of years back.

In "Army of the Dwad," he is Scott Ward, a recent retired soldier from the United States Army.

He has a daughter, Kate (Ella Purnell, "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children") that he is estranged from, but the duo pair together and try and make amends. She is essentially a caregiver for a group of misplaced youths that encompass her other family.

So, this movie is more of a heist flick crossed over with a zombie lore mixed with a "Dirty Dozen" crossover tale. It is a fun flick, fille with iteresting dynamic about how to appease various members of the undead nation.

Even Lily (Nora Arnezeder) knows how things work in offfering a barter trade for allowing them to pass in the undead world. That is only part of the magic Snyder weaves into this gripping tale.

I've liked most of his entries, save for the ultra-disappointing "Sucker Punch," (2011) which had a downer of an ending.

I'm even one of the few people who liked "Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice." (2016). I liked the extended cut just a touch better, since that one received a B+ on my movie grading scale. It added more umph to the spice and dish details.

This one also deals with intellectual zombies as well. Their is one other zombie with smarts I liked. It was Sherman Howard's "Bub the zombie" in director George A. Romero's "Day of the Dead" (1985). He might be a zombie, but one grows to care for him and his pligt.

Also involved in the storyline are a zombie tiger that came from the showcase of Siegred and Roy, a pair of illusionists who were once a big deal on the Las Vegas strip.

Viewers should be warned, however, since this running time on this tale is 2 hrs., 28 min. If one watches this at home, you can skip around accordingly.

Hate to admit it, but I'm a big fanboy of Snyder's work. Save for the aforementoioned disappointment of "Sucker Punch," I've liked a;most everyting else he has done. I even respected that strange animated tale of 2010's "Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole."

If one has a zombie fix they just can't take a bite of, look no further than Zack Snyder's "Army of the Dead," streaming excusively on Netflix.

Grade: B Review by Ricky Miller