‘OVERLORD’ Review

To start, there are two factors to get out of the way, Much to my sadness, this is not a Cloverfield sequel. And second, Overlord is what you get when you take fantastic writing and mix it with a Wolfenstein game.We have to start there, because everything I have to say beyond that always has those factors attached to it.

Overlord is the new brainchild of J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot company. While many initially thought it to be a Cloverfield sequel, it turned out to be something completely else.  Abrams, who is known to have a little hand in all the movies his company makes, hired the right people for this job. Combining the talents of a fresh director with an inventive style (Julius Avery), and the writer of the Captain Phillips (Billy Ray) and The Revenant (Mark L. Smith), this company made a film to behold.

The story of the film revolves around an Airborne unit who launches into France in order to take down a German radio tower to pave the way for a successful D-Day invasion the next day. While making their plans to take down the tower, the troop discovers that Nazi scientists are attempting to create super soldiers using experiments that would make your skin crawl.

The first place this movie succeeds is that it doesn’t need the horror elements at all. At it’s base and for a good portion of the film, this is a genuine war movie that is well-written, wonderfully acted and just amazing to be hold. That being said, when the horror elements are introduced, they do not feel forced at all. The gore and violence feel genuine, and the fear and uneasiness you feel is well-earned and not cheaply garnered in any way. In addition, this movie’s shift is seamless between the horrors of war and the horrors of the zombies shown on the film.

This is, in a big way, due to the wonderful score that this film has which manages to drift you from scene to scene and setting to setting with transitions that are so natural. However, when you consider that the composer Jed Kurzel also worked on The Babadook, you expect nothing less.

A big thing that carries this picture is the acting of those involved. Since his appearance in Fences, Jovan Adepo has really staked his claim in the movie business and “Overlord” is no exception. Second to that, it’s nice to see Wyatt Russell in something other than a comedy and it shows his range as an actor to see him this believable. And as a little side note, seeing Agents of Shield actor Iain De Caestecker in a film, even if his English accent was a little noticeable in spots.

Overall, this is a wonderful film. It’s a little horror-lite, so if you can stand the gore factor a non-traditional horror fan can find a lot to love here. And if you are a traditional horror fan, you can really respect the angles and choices made here. It is a watch in the theater, and I would watch it again.