Overlord
3/4
Starring: Jovan Adepo, Wyatt Russell, Mathilde Ollivier, John Magaro, Pilou Asbaek, Iain De Caestecker, Dominic Applewhite
Rated R for Strong Bloody Violence, Disturbing Images, Language, and Brief Sexual Content
There's a nice 95 minute genre flick buried inside "Overlord." It has other problems, such as an inconsistent tone and a tendency to take itself too seriously at times. But its length is its biggest Achilles' heel. Shave ten minutes or so off this horror flick and you'd have a nice little genre flick. Okay, maybe not so nice, but you get my drift.
Boyce (Adepo) is a simple guy from Louisiana who has found himself right in the middle of World War II. In preparation for the D-Day landing, he and his squad are tasked with blowing up a radio tower in a church. But his plane is shot down, and when he gets to the ground, he finds that the only ones left are the wisecracking jerk Tibbet (Magaro), the shy photographer Chase (De Caestecker) and the hard-edged, mysterious bomb expert Ford (Russell). They take refuge in the home of Chloe (Ollivier). a local girl who lives with her younger brother Paul (Gianny Taufer) and her ill aunt. The four of them have only a few hours to complete their mission. But unfortunately, Chloe is the favorite plaything of a brutish Nazi commander by the name of Wafter (Asbaek). And just when things couldn't get any worse, they make a horrifying discovery about what the Nazis are doing in this little town. Failing their mission won't just throw the invasion into jeopardy, but the entire world as well.
"Overlord" takes too long to set up. As interesting as these scenes are, they take too long. For example, the scene that details the fate of their commanding officer (played by Bokeem Woodbine in a cameo) could, and should, have been left on the cutting room floor. It hampers the effectiveness of the middle section, where the central mystery is revealed. That said, when it takes off around the 40-minute mark, it doesn't stop. There's plenty of action and adrenaline, and more than a few spooky moments. And some decent shocks for good measure.
The cast is composed of character actors and up-and-comers. Newcomer Jovan Adepo is more than able to carry the film, but he has plenty of support. John Magaro has some good one-liners and Iain De Caestecker does what he can with such limited screen time (I admit to being disappointed at this, as I was eager to see more of him after his charming performance in the little seen "In Fear"). Wyatt Russell has no problem playing the heavy with a heart of gold; he has the screen presence and machismo to pull it off. And Danish actor Pilou Asbake creates a truly loathsome villain, especially when he goes into full-on berserk mode.
Those who shy away from movies with blood and gore should not even bother with this movie. "Overlord" has the red stuff spewing in all directions from beginning to end. That's not a problem (this is, after all, a horror movie). That said, I have to wonder if the film's war scenes in the beginning are too intense for something this silly. The opening is so intense that it casts a pall over the majority of the film. Director Julius Avery lingers too much on this material, and should have opted for a less realistic approach. All that was needed was to set the stage, nothing more. Other scenes go too far in this direction to the detriment of the overall quality of the film (such as one on-screen death that feels more devastating than it needs to), but it's most noticeable in the beginning.
For all its flaws, "Overlord" delivers on what it promises. It's loud, violent and scary. It is too long and falls to some common traps of the genre (such as characters undergoing brain cramps), but all in all, I did enjoy myself. Let's just hope that for his next film, Julius Avery has a firmer idea of what he wants his film to be.
Starring: Jovan Adepo, Wyatt Russell, Mathilde Ollivier, John Magaro, Pilou Asbaek, Iain De Caestecker, Dominic Applewhite
Rated R for Strong Bloody Violence, Disturbing Images, Language, and Brief Sexual Content
There's a nice 95 minute genre flick buried inside "Overlord." It has other problems, such as an inconsistent tone and a tendency to take itself too seriously at times. But its length is its biggest Achilles' heel. Shave ten minutes or so off this horror flick and you'd have a nice little genre flick. Okay, maybe not so nice, but you get my drift.
Boyce (Adepo) is a simple guy from Louisiana who has found himself right in the middle of World War II. In preparation for the D-Day landing, he and his squad are tasked with blowing up a radio tower in a church. But his plane is shot down, and when he gets to the ground, he finds that the only ones left are the wisecracking jerk Tibbet (Magaro), the shy photographer Chase (De Caestecker) and the hard-edged, mysterious bomb expert Ford (Russell). They take refuge in the home of Chloe (Ollivier). a local girl who lives with her younger brother Paul (Gianny Taufer) and her ill aunt. The four of them have only a few hours to complete their mission. But unfortunately, Chloe is the favorite plaything of a brutish Nazi commander by the name of Wafter (Asbaek). And just when things couldn't get any worse, they make a horrifying discovery about what the Nazis are doing in this little town. Failing their mission won't just throw the invasion into jeopardy, but the entire world as well.
"Overlord" takes too long to set up. As interesting as these scenes are, they take too long. For example, the scene that details the fate of their commanding officer (played by Bokeem Woodbine in a cameo) could, and should, have been left on the cutting room floor. It hampers the effectiveness of the middle section, where the central mystery is revealed. That said, when it takes off around the 40-minute mark, it doesn't stop. There's plenty of action and adrenaline, and more than a few spooky moments. And some decent shocks for good measure.
The cast is composed of character actors and up-and-comers. Newcomer Jovan Adepo is more than able to carry the film, but he has plenty of support. John Magaro has some good one-liners and Iain De Caestecker does what he can with such limited screen time (I admit to being disappointed at this, as I was eager to see more of him after his charming performance in the little seen "In Fear"). Wyatt Russell has no problem playing the heavy with a heart of gold; he has the screen presence and machismo to pull it off. And Danish actor Pilou Asbake creates a truly loathsome villain, especially when he goes into full-on berserk mode.
Those who shy away from movies with blood and gore should not even bother with this movie. "Overlord" has the red stuff spewing in all directions from beginning to end. That's not a problem (this is, after all, a horror movie). That said, I have to wonder if the film's war scenes in the beginning are too intense for something this silly. The opening is so intense that it casts a pall over the majority of the film. Director Julius Avery lingers too much on this material, and should have opted for a less realistic approach. All that was needed was to set the stage, nothing more. Other scenes go too far in this direction to the detriment of the overall quality of the film (such as one on-screen death that feels more devastating than it needs to), but it's most noticeable in the beginning.
For all its flaws, "Overlord" delivers on what it promises. It's loud, violent and scary. It is too long and falls to some common traps of the genre (such as characters undergoing brain cramps), but all in all, I did enjoy myself. Let's just hope that for his next film, Julius Avery has a firmer idea of what he wants his film to be.
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