Overlord

Back again, girls and boys! It has come to my attention from some of the fans that older films aren't completely grabbing enthusiasm. That's fine. I can manage a few modern films for reviewing pleasure. I would point out of course, I am the one watching these flicks. The decree has been heard nonetheless and today I thought we would take a look at a Bad Robot Production. With JJ Abrams' production company footing the bill, what say we watch some Nazis getting their just due? This is Overlord.

No jagoffs, I'm not Kurt. That's my dad.

Directed by Julius Avery (Little Man, Solvent, The Tank, Son of a Gun and Overlord) We open with the sounds of news reels depicting the events to happen, footage of the fleets at the ready and the mission ready to go. At the cusp of D-Day, an American paratrooper squad is sent to destroy a German radio outpost when their plane is shot down before reaching their objective. With enough AA fire through the cab, the plane is roached and the men gotta hit the silk or be just as dead.

With five survivors of the crash, Sergeant Rensin (Bokeem Woodbine of The Rock, The Big Hit, The Breed, Sniper 2, Saving Grace, Southland, Riddick and Spider-Man: Homecoming) in command alongside his men; Pvt.Boyce (Jovan Adepo of Blood Relatives, NCIS: Los Angeles, The Leftovers, Fences, and Mother!), Demolitions expert,Corporal Ford (Wyatt Russell of Escape from L.A., Soldier, Cowboys & Aliens, This is 40, Love and Honor, 22 Jump Street and Everybody Wants Some!!), sniper Pvt.Tibbet (John Magaro of Crisis in Six Scenes, War Machine, Orange Is the New Black, Marshall, Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, Overlord and The Umbrella Academy), plucky war photographer Pvt.Chase (Iain De Caestecker of 16 Yars of Alcohol, River City, Taggart, Lip Service, Ultimate Spider-Man, Not Another Happy Ending and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) and Pvt.Dawson (Jacob Anderson of Injustice, Demons Never Die, Skins, Episodes, Comedown, Broadchurch and Game of Thrones).

How about a little fire, Scarecrow?!

Aside from being a little banged up, the team gear up and move out. Dawson finds a landmine, the hard way and well that's all she wrote. The rest of the team beat feet into a village and they encounter a young French woman name of Chloe (Mathilde Ollivier of Walking Home, The Misfortunes of Francois Jane and Overlord) who attends her little brother and aunt; the latter disfigured from some top secret experimentation via the SS.

Making the rounds on a routine check point, SS Haupsturmfuhrer Wafner (Pilou Asbaek of Lucy, Silent Heart, 1864, A War, Ben-Hur, The Great Wall,bGhost in the Shell and Game of Thrones) stops by to sexually harass Chloe with a fashion of practice. Boyce and Ford jack him up and hold him hostage for interrogation and boy is he a sour Kraut. Yup, the Ratzis are back into the supernatural and occult. Cue Wolfenstein music! With B.J. Blazkowicz and Dr. Jones unavailable for Nazi ass kicking, our team must venture this dangerous mission on their own.

Ze Master Race needs a makeover ASAP!

Making their way into the church itself and the smell of cooked bodies wafts the countryside. They say tower and it is a heavy portcullis (heavy grated gate), barbed wire, truck and foot traffic to the likes that would have sent Force 10 from Navarone fleeing into the night.

Deep in the catacombs, Boyce is witnessing first hand how the experiments are going on these poor Frenchmen and brother bring a bucket for yuck. Further exploration and he finds Rosenfeld (Dominic Applewhite of The King's Speech, The Inbetweeners, Watson & Oliver, Sightseers, Les Miserables, Disobedience and The Crown), fellow paratrooper and Boyce's buddy.

With only five men, a handful of explosives and a Frenchwoman, our troops got their work cut out for them.

A creepy serum (No Vita Rays for your Captain America fans) seems to have resurrection capabilities, enhancing strength and creating a denser skin properties. Yeah not gonna go wrong there.

Let me root for Jovan Adepo's Boyce. This kid's got chops. Plunging into a lake, doesn't panic, saws through the chute and gets air in no time. Hits dry land, immediately checks his .45 and starts looking for survivors. Grabs a rifle no longer having an owner, clears it and heads into the woods. I'm damn impressed for a kid barely out of boot camp.  Let's not forget that is paratrooper Airborne training though. Yeah for us civvies, he is Special Forces.  He has a true arc of being scared out of his mind but being there for his squad.

Ewww...juicy.

Wyatt Russell's Ford cares about the mission and his men. His own life doesn't even enter the equation. He can't help but give a damn about the villagers as well. If he was always a hard ass, he couldn't have ever lived with himself .

Now the big argument for the war buffs will be African Americans weren't integrated into making mixed paratroopers. The 555 (African American Paratroopers) never went over seas in spite of being combat ready. Blah blah blah.

The radio tower didn't have one piece of German electronics in it. I saw a Navy unit (USA) and I believe a British receiver. Okay it's a nitpick but dammit howzabout the prop guys hammer together a decent prop and light board. Just give the illusion. I'm not saying hit every TV and radio show up and down the coast but give the pretense is all.

I swear, somebody fart on this plane again, they going without a chute.

With this seemingly WWII flick gets violent, has a solid past, great cast and crew and is a definite popcorn movie. With a hybrid of horror/sci-fi and war time action, this gives a creepy and clever storyline. Yes we have seen the Nazis muck about with supernatural, science based zombies, werewolves and Cro-magnon sex camps. This is trying for something different and combining it with the impeding D-Day event just gives it more.

At the end of the day, this 109 minute flick has more ups than downs. You want to dissect it and play Devil's Advocate over every factual facet, that's for you.   Me?   I had fun but I really wished I hadn't eaten dinner during it.