Runtime:
109 minutes
Directed
by: Julius Avery
Starring:
Jovan Adepo, Wyatt Russell (no relation), Mathilde Ollivier, Pilou
Asbaek, John Magaro
From:
Paramount
The past few days I did revisit some flicks; at home I saw Bullitt again, which is still very good. Last night before watching this I got to experience Die Hard on the big screen again, which is always tremendous. As for Overlord, it was a B-movie good time:
What a motion picture to see on Veterans Day.
The AC/DC-blaring trailer for this film was something witnessed by me quite often as I went to the cineplex the last few months; as it was a rare effective modern trailer-albeit one which makes it seem more like a horror film than it actually is-I was intrigued by what looked to be just like a B movie of old. Well, it WAS like a B movie of old, a slice of exploitation (Naziploitation, to be exact) where the villains do vile experiments and the heroes have to stop them. This is in the midst of an otherwise standard World War II tale where a troop has to sneak behind enemy lines and take out a radio tower-in a church, because Nazis are A-holes... that is a summary of why a character in the film explains the setting-before the D-Day invasion can begin.
Of course this is preposterous and at times the characters can do some pretty stupid things. I imagine the target audience won't care too much as it does deliver on the thrills they expect. There are detestable bad guys, stock character heroes (including a young lady who in these films either help the resistance or already are a part of it, along with a leader who barks orders, in this case played by Wyatt Russell-no relation), humorous situations, and plenty of bloody violence-at times things get gruesome. Plus, many Nazi bastards are blown away and especially in the modern American climate, that is always something to get excited about. There are nice practical effects and memorable action scenes, especially the opener... seeing this at a Dolby Cinema means that this was one of those films where the seats shake; now, it doesn't toss you around like a D-Box or 4DX seat... instead it just vibrates. The movie starts off explosively so the seats will rumble almost nonstop for a few minutes.
This manages to work both as horror and a war picture; those that enjoy the latter should like how a small ragtag group of soldiers have to face what seems like insurmountable odds in order to help the greater good. This may not be lighting up the box office like a retro flamethrower but maybe in the future this genre effort will find more of an audience.
The AC/DC-blaring trailer for this film was something witnessed by me quite often as I went to the cineplex the last few months; as it was a rare effective modern trailer-albeit one which makes it seem more like a horror film than it actually is-I was intrigued by what looked to be just like a B movie of old. Well, it WAS like a B movie of old, a slice of exploitation (Naziploitation, to be exact) where the villains do vile experiments and the heroes have to stop them. This is in the midst of an otherwise standard World War II tale where a troop has to sneak behind enemy lines and take out a radio tower-in a church, because Nazis are A-holes... that is a summary of why a character in the film explains the setting-before the D-Day invasion can begin.
Of course this is preposterous and at times the characters can do some pretty stupid things. I imagine the target audience won't care too much as it does deliver on the thrills they expect. There are detestable bad guys, stock character heroes (including a young lady who in these films either help the resistance or already are a part of it, along with a leader who barks orders, in this case played by Wyatt Russell-no relation), humorous situations, and plenty of bloody violence-at times things get gruesome. Plus, many Nazi bastards are blown away and especially in the modern American climate, that is always something to get excited about. There are nice practical effects and memorable action scenes, especially the opener... seeing this at a Dolby Cinema means that this was one of those films where the seats shake; now, it doesn't toss you around like a D-Box or 4DX seat... instead it just vibrates. The movie starts off explosively so the seats will rumble almost nonstop for a few minutes.
This manages to work both as horror and a war picture; those that enjoy the latter should like how a small ragtag group of soldiers have to face what seems like insurmountable odds in order to help the greater good. This may not be lighting up the box office like a retro flamethrower but maybe in the future this genre effort will find more of an audience.
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