‘Overlord’: A War Movie, but With Zombies

It’s hard to know what to make of Julius Avery’s “Overlord.” On the one hand, it is an entertaining film that effectively blends action and horror elements to create a memorable film experience. On the other hand, the blend of hyper-realistic war scenes and supernatural elements can lead to confusion as one wonders what kind of movie “Overlord” is trying to be. Still, despite that confusion, watching “Overlord” makes for a (very) bloody good time.

On the eve of D-Day, a group of soldiers, including reluctant Boyce (Jovan Adepo) and battle-hardened Ford (Wyatt Russell), are tasked with bringing down a German-controlled radio tower behind enemy lines. Outnumbered and pinned down, the company soon discovers a secret Nazi experiment, supernatural forces, and find themselves in a situation far more dangerous than they could have ever imagined.

In a society saturated with zombies and war films like “The Walking Dead,” “Dunkirk,” and “Saving Private Ryan,” it is impressive that “Overlord” manages to distinguish itself with some truly unique and outstanding scenes scattered throughout the film. The first scene, spanning the first 10 minutes of the film, is one of the most intense in recent years. As the soldiers’ transport plane flies into enemy territory, it is met with a barrage of heavy German artillery. The ensuing chaos, as the soldiers attempt to survive the barrage and parachute to the ground, is unrelenting, heart-pounding, and horrifying in a way similar to the Normandy invasion depicted in “Saving Private Ryan.” The film is instantly engaging and the suddenness of the onslaught helps pack the following scenes with tension by setting the precedent that chaos can ensue at any time.

Additionally, while the war elements are plenty horrifying, elements of classic horror present themselves to great effect when the soldiers come face to face with the results of the Nazi experiment. The film relies on unsettling imagery and tense moments to create fear, which are highly effective and truly scary. An expertly written scene, in which a character is exposed to an experimental treatment which causes him to mutate, is highly disturbing as the tension builds to a shocking climax. Ultimately, “Overlord” cleverly blends action and horror to create an entertaining movie from start to finish.

The film is also bolstered by strong writing and well-rounded characters. The dialogue flows and nothing feels clunky. There is little to no exposition, and the audience learns about the situation along with the characters as new developments present themselves. By the end of the film, there is still relatively little information presented on the nature of the Nazi experiments. This may seem like a negative, but the lack of information bolsters the mystery of the circumstances and keeps the narrative compelling throughout. The characters themselves all have interesting personalities, and no character remains static. Even the less relevant characters experience some development throughout the narrative, which keeps them interesting and worth watching.

However, despite the film’s strengths, there is still something that feels off about it. While it is hard to pin down exactly what that thing is, the most likely culprit is a lack of understanding about the nature of the film prior to its viewing. The trailer for the film, featuring undead soldiers (reminiscent of the “Call of Duty” zombies), gunfire, and flamethrowers set to AC/DC’s “Hell’s Bells,” strongly suggest that the film would be a relatively simple, action-packed zombie movie. However, after witnessing the horrifyingly brutal first 10 minutes, it is very clear that this is not the case. This can leave viewers initially disoriented and confused as to what “Overlord” is striving to be. It takes a long time for any zombies to show up, and it’s almost disappointing once they do, as the film has already strongly established itself as a capable war drama.

This confusion could largely be avoided if it were clearer from the beginning what type of film “Overlord” really is. It is not a zombie movie. It is a war movie that has zombies. This distinction is represented in the film’s title, which, at first glance, could easily be interpreted as referring to a ruler, perhaps in reference to whatever entity has spurred the creation of the zombies. However, when the credits roll and there hasn’t been any trace of an overlord, it’s easy to feel underwhelmed and confused.

The title, however, most likely refers to Operation Overlord, the codename for the Allied operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied Europe during World War II. The events of the film comprise the fictionalized first mission of Operation Overlord. Following this distinction, it is much more accurate to view the film as a war movie containing supernatural elements and creatures. Anyone expecting this film to involve American soldiers gunning down hordes of zombies with machine guns will be largely disappointed.

Overall, “Overlord” is a well-written, entertaining film with some truly unique and memorable scenes. Though it suffers from a misleading advertising campaign, those who approach it with the right mindset should find it a highly enjoyable experience.