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Rating: 4 out of 5
World War II was a horrible time for humanity. The Nazi party was front and center of the evil in the world. During the war, the Nazis performed human experiments in concentration camps. The purpose of these experiments was to help the German military in combat situations, develop new weapons, aid in the recovery of military soldiers, and advance Nazi ideology. As the years went on, Nazi experiments could’ve started to become more exaggerated. You see movies where Nazi doctors tried to make super soldiers or have soldiers be like zombies. Whatever the tales were, the Nazis performed despicable acts against the Jews population for their own gain.
Directed by Julius Avery and written by Billy Ray and Mark L. Smith, Overlord is a wild and intense film about a group of Allied soldiers discovering terrifying Nazi experiments. Overlord starts off intense and crazy. On the eve of D-Day, June 5, 1944, Order 9981 was signed and executed. Several American paratroopers are ordered and dropped behind enemy lines to carry out a dire mission to make sure the invasion is a success. The mission is to destroy a German radio-jamming tower in an old church. The destruction of the tower is vital as it is used by the Third Reich for communication between Berlin and Normandy beaches’ bunkers. As the Allied planes approach, they are met with heavy enemy fire, with many being shot down and many soldiers dying. Private Ed Boyce (Adepo) survives and sees his squad leader Sgt. Rensin was surrounded by German soldiers. Wanting to save his squad commander, he is quickly stopped by Corporal Ford (Russell), who watches Sgt. Rensin is being gunned down. Ford takes command and sees that he is one of four survivors with Pfc. Tibbet (Magaro), and Pvt. Chase (Caestecker) joins him and Boyce. Ford orders that they try to take down the tower. When the soldiers arrive at a town close to the tower, they are met by Chloe (Ollivier), a villager who assists them while caring for her aunt and little brother Paul. The mission becomes a shit show when Boyce accidentally ends up inside the Nazi radio tower. He discovers that the tower is a place where human experimentation is happening. With D-Day fast approaching, Boyce and the others realize that if the tower isn’t brought down, the Nazis could have a force even they can’t handle.
Yoooooooo! I want to say that this film was surprisingly good and crazy. It was a war drama, zombie thriller, and gorefest all rolled into one. There are a few movies out in the world about Nazi human experimentation. Most of the time, they revolve around creating an undead army or giving Nazi soldiers superhuman strength. Most of the time, it’s crazy. This film right here seemed to take all of that and make a good movie that is dark and intense. The story, as explained above, is about a group of soldiers taking down a tower only to discover it is a secret base of Nazi experimentation. Boyce is the main hero of the story but also the outcast because he is black. The film plays a bit to a Black man in a group of white soldiers. Well, Ford seems like the racist, but the other two Boyce partners with are pretty cool.
The story really gets going when Boyce accidentally manages to get into the tower. Before that, Chole is harassed by an asshole SS soldier who wants to cookie and states that if she doesn’t give it up, he will send Paul to be fixed. Okay, back to the story, Boyce witnesses the Nazis burning disfigured village residents. He is chased by dogs and jumps into a truck filled with dead bodies going to the church. Inside, Boyce finds the radio operating room but a laboratory. Boyce discovers the Germans are performing various experiments on the villagers involving a mysterious serum and a strange but large pit of black tar. If you’re not freaking out, I would be. Boyce manages to take a syringe containing the serum and rescues Rosenfeld, who has a freakin tube in his chest.
Yayyy! They recused another team member and have proof of what was going on. Well, shit really hits the fan in this film when Boyce and Rosenfeld return. As the squad prepares to attack, that asshole SS officer refuses to talk, and when he tries to escape, he fatally shoots Chase. Boyce uses the serum, and Chase comes back to life. Yet, Chase is different and starts to mutate. The neck-breaking scene is CRAZY, and then everything goes to hell.
Bringing down the tower is everything you wanted in a film like this because it has the zombie shit going. Chole goes to find Paul, and she is attacked by some crazy-looking, mutated human. She goes ham when she finds a flamethrower and burns that dude to a crisp. Even Ford grows a pair and fights the asshole SS officer who takes multiple shots of the serum and looks like a villain from Resident Evil. Now that I think about it, this film is like an early version of the game and could be a game itself.
What I love about this film is the tone and atmosphere. It is dark and unnerving and makes you feel chills down your spine. I like how the style changes when Boyce enters the secret lab. That is where everything changes. The lab is dark, probably smells extremely bad, and has NOPE written all over it. I love how the film takes that horror turn when Boyce sees people behind steel doors trying to break them down. When Chole is chased, that is freaky, as if you are watching 21 Days Later or some creepy zombie film. All of this really adds to this film and makes it great to watch.
Even the actors did a great job in this film. Jovan Adepo as Private First-Class Edward Boyce was interesting because he was an idealistic African American paratrooper. He ignores some orders because he wants to help and clashes with Ford. He also lets out his aggression when he bashes Chase’s head. You can tell he was pissed. I liked how he was the film’s star, even in war times. Wyatt Russell as Corporal Lewis Ford was good. I give it to him because he seemed to hate Boyce and was all about the mission. Russell seems to start really making a name for himself in the industry. I could follow him in battle because he is all about the mission and nothing else. Seemed to lack empathy about him.
Overlord is one of those films that add three different genres into one. It is a crazy film that has zombies, human experiments, and a great story. Some of the scenes are crazy to watch, but it all adds to the film’s overall feel. The acting is good and not a weak point as each person does their job and makes you believe that shit is going down in the village. Have fun watching this film.
