OVERLORD (2018) full review

Roaring out of the gate with an intense war scenario this action packed sci-fi thriller from J.J. Abrams and company should hold your interest for most of it's running time. The premise is simple: Paratroop, land, blow up a church tower to make way for the sea faring troops, and somehow survive. This being horror it couldn't be as simple as that. Throw in some crazed Nazi experiments and some suspend your belief moments and you have something solid and special on the horror front. All isn't perfect though as you might have guessed.

The opening scene is breathtaking enough that things dwindle a bit afterwards. A few bone-headed moments and some scenes that reveal cheap sets however cannot derail this leviathan. The cast is pretty good with Wyatt Russell managing to look and sound exactly like his famous father at times (just plain annoying at other times) but the crux here is Jovan Adepo as Private Boyce who is a strong lead with just the right balance of toughness and vulnerability. The bizarre scenes of experiments intermingle with the plight of war for a fun if fictitious romp.

Yep...its Kurt Russell...JUNIOR!

The best formula to follow here is to take it all in stride and enjoy the ride. For horror, especially of the offbeat ilk, the production values are quite strong. I also loved the fact that the filmmakers resisted the urge to plug in a typical horror finale instead just letting the story play out. I highly recommend this one to adventurous horror fans looking for a fun solid take on the "nazi zombie" side niche. You'll love it!

4 of 5