The Halloween season may be over but this latecomer may just be the cherry on top of the the recent horror films! Overlord is the latest war/horror film from Paramount Pictures and JJ Abrams’ Bad Robot. It is starring Jovan Adepo, Wyatt Russell, Pilou Asbaek, and Iain de Caestaecker. United International Pictures had us at the advanced screening earlier this week in Glorietta and it may have just dethroned Halloween as my top horror movie of the year! I bet you are curious, Bingers, here is why!
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The Horrors of War
The moment Overlord started, I knew right away that it was going to be pumped! A squad of soldiers were sent on a mission in France to take down a tower to pursue their attack against the German forces. A colorful array of characters cramped inside a military plane set the tone of the film from the get-go! As they get closer to the drop-off point, they were met with bullets and things got awry. At this point, the film is still taking the route of a straight-up war movie. Gunfights, escapes, and explosions, sure, I get that there needs to be a fine setup before the main event.
Avery played on the duality of the narrative. What started as an illusion for a typical war movie slowly transitioned to becoming a full-pledged horror movie. I must say, things got even more exciting! I have read several books and watched movies that played around with German’s experimentation during the war to create super soldiers and Overlord did just that! Apparently, the tower is more than just for communications because its basement also houses a laboratory for creating super soldiers.
The Winter Soldier Gone Bad
And when I say gone bad, I mean it positively! The Germans in the film concocted but yet perfected a serum to create human with heightened powers. Not only it enhances their physicality, it also fuels their rage. And for a film with such huge characters amped up by the effects of the serum, riot is set to ensue! Overlord reminded me of the pure fun The Predator had. It screamed masculinity and overpowering rage. Alongside the action and the gore is its unintentional humor that the audiences, particularly I, enjoyed!
It defied the laws of physics and shrugged away the depths of filmmaking. But hey, there is no way I will be dismissing it as a crappy movie. It is better qualified as a B-movie best enjoyed while munching a tub of popcorn on a Friday night! Also, while the film wholeheartedly embraced the craziness of its plot, the characters found their spotlight individually. Save for the bloodfest, Overlord‘s intensity and originality gave me a rush!
Overlord is crazy and reckless like it was injected with the raging hormones of a teenage boy! I LOVE IT!!!
Director: Julius Avery
Cast: Jovan Adepo, Wyatt Russell, Pilou Asbæk, Mathilde Ollivier, John Magaro, Iain de Caestecker
Binge-level: 4.5 out of 5 stars
