Remember when zombie movies were weird? No seriously. Think back to the era of movies before Night of the Living Dead existed and the zombie genre always swung for the fences with weird/wild concepts. It was no rare occurrence to have our favorite undead villains be the result of magic, supernatural, or science fiction causes. So imagine the surprise in 2021 when Zack Snyder released his long awaited, thought never to be released film Army of the Dead.
For years, Army of the Dead was stuck in a perpetual conceptual phase. Originally envisioned as a sequel to Snyder’s 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead, the film never quite made it past these early concepts. Though not much is known about this sequel concept from 2007, it was described as a story about a father attempting to save his daughter in the backdrop of a zombie-infested Las Vegas. Concepts that would carry over into the finalized version released in 2021.
Right from the jump Army of the Dead subverts expectations. 2004’s Dawn of the Dead, for as good as it is, remains true to the foundations of the zombie genre laid down by the late George A. Romero. But from the beginning of Army of the Dead we see aliens hidden in the background and the crew regularly experiences deja vu, feeling like they’ve done this suicide mission before. Army of the Dead may be another zombie film, but it’s not your typical one.
At one point in the film the news talks about an outbreak happening In Milwaukee, the setting for Dawn of the Dead; though the two films are not actually set in the same universe. And numerous characters state they feel a sense of deja vu over the course of the film, and even eventually stumble across skeletal remains wearing similar clothing. Using these passing references and pieces of evidence I like to propose that not only are multiple universes at play but also the main characters seem to be caught in a time loop. Snyder’s film forgoes the popular post-Romero zombie clichés and embraces the science fiction and fantastical elements of zombie lore.
Did I mention aliens and robots?
Indeed, Army of the Dead seems to acknowledge the existence of aliens in its universe, bringing back the age old pre-Romero tradition of hinting at a sci-fi element as the catalyst for its zombie apocalypse. Proof of this is in the opening sequence. As the military convoy is leaving Area 51 we see two UFOs hit light speed in a blink and you’ll miss it moment. Where Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead is a tribute to the everlasting power and influence of post-Romero undead, Army embraces the sub genre’s 40s/50s science fiction roots.
What follows post-outbreak (most likely alien caused) is a deconstruction of the western genre through the lens of a zombie film. Western films are notorious for their big loud setups. Here we follow mercenary for hire Scott Ward, as he is hired to pull off a $200 million heist in the nearby city of Las Vegas before it’s nuked to kingdom come, which leads him to put together a team. Using the typical western (even samurai) set up of recruiting a team to pull off an impossible task, along with the setting, essentially provides us a modern take on the “Weird West”. Which is typically a hybrid of the western genre with sci-fi, fantasy, or horror.
Eventually the team starts to think they’ve lived out the events of the heist and journey over and over. This may be a subtle cue to the audience that there is more at play than initially thought. Again, the crew eventually discovers corpses wearing clothing and jewelry similar to theirs. Personally I believe they’re caught in a time loop, forced to live the tragic events of the movie over and over with no end in sight for anyone involved. So while Army of the Dead may seem like your typical zombie film on the surface, there are many elements hidden in plain sight that not only position it as a modern Weird Western, but also a call back to the pre-Romero zombie era that we don’t see much of any more.
On October 29, 2021, Army of Thieves will be released. The film is being marketed as a romantic comedy spin off set in the early days of the outbreak, and stars Dieter from Army of the Dead as he’s hired to pull off a heist with another team. Following in the steps of Army of the Dead, Thieves looks to break the cycle/tradition of zombie films and be set in a world that still exists in normal day to day life with the zombie outbreak in full swing. It could be a promising spin on the genre and add to Army of the Dead’s legacy as a love letter to the genre’s roots while also pushing the sub-genre into new and unknown territories.
Editor’s Note: It was announced this week that Zack Snyder is working on a sequel to Army of the Dead for Netflix, which has now been officially titled Planet of the Dead.
