If I
had the financing, or creativity, or technical ability, or attention span, I
would make Nazi zombie movie. Nazis and zombies (as has been mentioned here
before) are perfect antagonists, because of their relentlessness. Very few
films have been made that have combined the two, which may not necessarily be a
bad thing. At this point in time, it seems that pop culture has probably
reached Peak Zombie. There are a multitude of movies that have been made, and
books published, about zombies, so much so to the point that they are hard to
escape. While zombies have long been my favorite monsters, frankly, I'm almost
sick of them. Not only are people constantly talking about a zombie apocalypse,
which at one point was an interesting exercise, but has become tiresome.
One
benefit about there being so few movies that have combined zombies and Nazis is
that it allows for the freedom to break free of the typical Outbreak/Attack -
Siege - Escape formula, and to play with the rules of the sub-genre, which is done in this film. Not only
have few of this type of film been made, they have historically not lived up to
their potential. Norway's Dead Snow was the first to fulfill the promise
of the combination. Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead (RVD, not to be confused with professional wrestler Rob Van Dam), this time an
American-Norwegian co-production, continues the story.
Not appearing in this film, which is unfortunate, because he might need the work. |
RVD
picks up right where the original left off, with Martin, the sole survivor,
escaping from the zombie horde, after he and some friends had stumbled upon
their treasure. After crashing his car during the getaway, Martin wakes up in a
hospital, to find that he is under arrest as a suspect in the death of his
friends (he did accidentally kill his girlfriend). As usual, the cops, who are wonderfully inept, don't
believe his zombie alibi, and treat him as a suspect. In addition to being
under arrest, he finds that the doctors, thinking that they had reattached his
arm (which he had sawed off in the original), actually had attached the zombie
arm of Major Herzog, the leader of the Nazi zombies, which had been ripped off
during his escape.
Handsome devil, isn't he? |
The
new arm has super strength, but still acts as if it's controlled by its
previous owner. It does help him escape from the hospital and police, but
leaves a trail of death and destruction in its wake, because it does what it
needs to in order to survive.
Martin taking the new arm for a test drive |
Martin
finds that the Nazis, even after having recovered all of their treasure, are
still on a rampage. He discovers that Herzog and his horde (which has grown inexplicably
from the original) are still around because they are seeking to fulfill a
mission that Hitler had given them: to exterminate a nearby village, in
retaliation for some anti-Nazi sabotage committed during the war.
Along
the way, acquires allies of varying abilities, Glenn, a museum
employee, and the self-styled Zombie Squad, a trio of nerdy American
siblings who've been waiting and preparing for the zombie invasion that popular
media has taught them will surely come. Between discovering Herzog's mission
and gaining his allies, Martin discovers that Herzog can reanimate bodies,
which helps him in acquiring new minions. This new discovery helps him and his
team hatch a plan for stopping the zombies: to reanimate some Soviet
prisoners (who had been murdered by Herzog), in order to get them to fight the
Nazis.
A rare tender moment |
After Martin reanimates
the Soviets, he and his team join together in battle against the zombies, and
as required, they are triumphant.
Not only is this a
fantastic sequel, it is a great movie in its own right. The effects are
quite effective, even to the point of Herzog and other zombies being able to
demonstrate facial expressions, which allows for some comedic effect, as they
respond to surrounding events. The Nazi uniforms appear to be quite authentic
and accurate, and they even have a Panzer!
There is a lot of gore,
much of it used for comic effect (entrails used for siphoning fuel from a bus,
to fuel the Panzer). However, be warned that the zombies, in line with their
evil nature, kill everyone in their path, including men,
women, and children.
"This fuel won't siphon itself!" (Translated from German) |
There are a lot of comic
elements in RVD. The cops are completely unprepared, and the Chief
is completely inept. In addition to he and his force being small town, they
have watched way to many American cop shows/films, resulting in them
overestimating their abilities, leading to much misadventure.
Initially inept,
Martin's team, between their introduction, and becoming heroes, provide some
comedy as well. Particularly amusing is Sidekick Zombie (that's how he's listed
in the credits), the first zombie reanimated by Martin, who is subjected to a
lot of abuse, and follows him around like a puppy.
"Martin, Martin, how I love Martin!" (Translated from zombie) |
Honestly, I only have two issues with this film. First, after all of the buildup, the titular Reds have woefully little screen time. Second, The Zombie Squad, intentionally or not, is extremely annoying.
2/3 cute (l&r), 3/3 annoying |
I can't recommend this film too highly. It is a really fun movie, that moves along at a fairly rapid pace, with few slow moments. There is a lot of humor, most of which hits the mark. Also, bonus points for historical accuracy. Herzog's group is identified as being Einsatz Grupen, which were actual Nazi death squads.
I could've used more of this guy |
While there are two versions of this film, one in English, and the other in Norwegian, with subtitles (a small loophole), I watched the former.
Content Warnings: There is quite a bit of profanity and gore.
Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead is available on Netflix, Amazon Instant, and other streaming services.
I give it 5 out of 5 reanimated zombies.
Note: Stick around until after the credits.
Note: Stick around until after the credits.