Overlord

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Overlord presents as a high-octane action movie with horrific elements, reliant upon tropes and cliches to shorthand audience expectation. There is blotchy attempt at squad characterization before a harrowing aerial sequence and literally jumping into combat. The movie rapidly shifts from squad-based reconnaissance into an elevated zombie Nazspoitation flick successfully merging genres and tone into an above average ride. The characters are stock, the objectives laughable but villains are suitably horrific and the film plays like an interesting video game. There are some intense moments, mostly focusing on of body horror, but rare scares beyond those of a sudden jump variety. The monster designs are nicely grotesque with plenty of horrible things to see inside eerie subterranean laboratories. The cast is mostly earnest unknowns and every penny saved is literal fuel for copious explosions. Above all, this movie has an excess of production values, looking slick and shiny, gruesome and gory. There’s a nice sense of tension and pacing, but hampered by a predictable last act. Ultimately this film succeeds more often than it founders, flawed but entirely fun and harrowing and makes no apologies for exuberant excess. if you can suspend some of the absurdity this is one of the better ‘B’ movies in recent years.

B