It is always difficult to give a damn about characters who sideline basic common sense for impulsive & mind-numbingly stupid action, and then find themselves in all sorts of trouble for which they are solely responsible. The premise of zombies in World War II setting may sound outlandish but it was also feasible, that is until the writers decided to fill the story with characters as brainless as the undead.
The story of Overlord follows a small group of American soldiers behind enemy lines whose mission is to destroy a radio tower in order to ensure the success of Allied invasion the next day. But their mission turns into a horrifying nightmare when they learn about the secret human experiments that the Nazis have been carrying out on the town's residents, and must act before the pandemic spreads.
Directed by Julius Avery, the film isn't subtle at all in telling the viewers where the inspiration for numerous moments come from, and is an unabashedly silly, pulpy & gleeful gorefest that may delight B-movie fanatics. Not one character is penned down properly, the rookie protagonist being the worst scripted of them all, and so we are never invested in them and keep a safe distance from the horror they later find themselves in.
And with terrible characters come terrible performances. Wyatt Russell's character is the only one with any presence of mind but even he discards it later so as to not feel being left out. The incompetent rookie keeps making moronic choices for the entirety of the story, and his idiocy rubs off on everyone around him. The crimson violence, gore & bloodshed is present in good amount yet the film never goes full tilt with it the way zombie films tend to.
Maybe every single complaint I have regarding Overlord is a deliberate choice by the filmmakers. Maybe it's supposed to be this absurd, outrageous & preposterous war horror parody filled with witless characters that just throws everything at the wall, hoping that audience will find some of it interesting & amusing. Either way, I have low tolerance for these shtick treatments, and even more so when within the laughable premise lies a potentially intense, gripping & solid horror flick.
