If any of the words in the headline, or any combination of those words get your blood boiling, then this trailer for the upcoming Overlord is just what your day needed. Not gonna over explain anything as I think it basically sells itself. Take a look:
That looks….fairly stellar! Now, yes, we live in a time where zombie films are common place. Monuments to World War II can be erected by the Dvd or Blu-ray cases of movies on that subject from just the last handful of years. None of that stops this from looking like a solid entry into that category. Plus, aren’t we all at that stage where we want to champion further punching and destruction of Nazis? Seems like a Win then.
What helps this particular trailer stand out from the lot is both the cast and the fact that this feels confined to only a few locations. Things may be darkly lit, but that too can help add to the atmosphere (i.e. cut down on costs). Regardless. everything seen above feels like a lean, mean, ass-kicking time. Did you not see the flamethrower?! For those of you needing a more direct through line, here’s the official synopsis:
“Wyatt Russell and Jovan Adepo star as American paratroopers dropped into enemy territory. As they approach their target — a Nazi-occupied village with a German radio tower — they realize that they are a part of something bigger than a simple military operation. They then take on supernatural forces as part of a Nazi experiment.”
If the inclusion of J.J. Abrams has you scratching your head at all, that likely means you haven’t been charting the long gestation period this project has gone through. Early in 2017 the film announced Julius Avery would be directing the film, even though a screenplay has been retained by Paramount from writer Billy ray (with a story from him and Abrams) way back in 2007. By early summer the above synopsis came out. All of this was given a heightened air of importance, as rumors circulated that the project was really a covert Cloverfield film in disguise. That was seemingly put to bed in April, when Abrams, in a video, assured CinemaCon attendees that was not the case. Knowing him, though, that could simply be classic misdirection.
So what do you all think? Does this look good? Do you think this rightly falls into the J.J. Abrams Mystery Box? Are you ready to let more Nazi shenanigans into your life? What’s featured in the trailer? Zombies, infected or just some other kind of genetically altered beasties? Are you curious about Bokeem Woodbine being listed in the credits on IMDB? While you decide where you fall, ponder what exactly is happening to poor Pilou Asbaek in the photo below.
Overlord is slated for release in the US on November 9th.
