Overlord (2018) Review

"What did you do to me?!"

-Pvt. Chase

On the night before D-Day, a squad of of paratroopers is flown into France to take out a German radio tower to prevent the Germans from calling for reinforcements when the invasion begins.  Most of the squad is killed in the landing and the few who survive make it to the small village where the radio tower is located.  They discover that beneath the tower is a lab where the Nazis are performing experiments on people and what happens next is more nightmarish than any of them could have imagined.

What Works:

When I saw the trailer for Overlord, I was immediately intrigued and excited for the film.  I just wanted it to be twisted and weird.  I wanted what they found in the lab to be very f****d up and I was extremely satisfied on that front.  I won't go into details, but what out heroes find and witness is disturbing and insane and I loved every second of it.

The characters are all very likable and interesting.  We're rooting for these characters to make it and their odds of survival aren't great which really adds to the tension.  They have various arguments about what their next moves should be and each of the characters has a point.  No one's point-of-view felt forced and I really appreciate that.  The one paratrooper I didn't like, Tibbet (John Magaro), actually has a solid character arc and I liked him a lot by the end of the film.

This film is intense and you really get the sense anyone could die at anytime.  The opening sequence is insane and we witness a bunch of characters get wiped out right off the bat.  Our characters are constantly in danger throughout the film and they never get a moment where they can truly take a breather.  I really enjoy that in films and it worked well here.

Our main antagonist, Captain Wafner (Pilou Asbaek) is a bit cartoonish in his level of villainy, but he still gives a solid performance.  He is very menacing and has a great voice for the role.  He adds a lot to the 3rd act of the film especially.

Finally, I love the haunting visuals this movie has and I don't just mean what we see in the lab.  That stuff was great, but it wasn't all we get.  Early in the film we have the plane crash sequence which is brutal and intense and will leave a mark, but we also get a fantastic shot of various paratroopers hanging from trees having died in the jump.  It's an unforgettable image and one of my favorite shots from the film. 

What Sucks:

There are a few character decisions throughout the film that don't make a lot of sense.  Most of them are in regards to the noise level.  Our heroes are very loud at times and we know the Germans are close by.  It was a bit frustrating because these characters should be smarter about their volume levels.  I've had exactly zero military training and I know that.  These guys are trained soldiers, they should know better.


Verdict:

Overlord lived up to my hopes and expectations and gives us a really fun and insane movie.  The characters are solid, the antagonist is great, the tension is extreme, and the images are haunting.  There are a few irritating character decisions, but this movie has absolutely got it going on.

 9/10: Great