Movie Review: Overlord (2018)

Few movies manage to capture that sense of thrill, unpredictability, and a plot that sounds pretty straightforward and B-Movie like yet surprisingly comes out as one of the sleeper hits of 2018. That's Paramount Pictures and Bad Robot Productions' "Overlord" in a nutshell - a War Horror film produced by seasoned director J.J Abrams and directed by Julius Avery that tells the story of a group of paratroopers that are dropped into Nazi territory the day before D-Day to take out enemy towers... Only to discover something more sinister is at work that could change the course of the war if unleashed.

Overlord Trailer

From the onset - Overlord looks like your typical World War II film with Germans conducting ihumane  experiments to turn their soldiers into superhuman weapons, but it becomes more involved and personal as the story runs its course. You follow the story of Pvt. Ed Boyce, his commander Corporal Ford, and a ragtag band of surviving American soldiers as they are dangerously airdropped in enemy lines to conduct an important sabotage mission. What follows is a lot of tension, collusion with an unexpected ally, and a lot of dread that could make for a nice shooter and stealth game. I've compared much of the movie to the classic iD Software game "Wolfenstein", and it shows with its action, pacing, and concepts that remind me of the Nazi shooter that sees all kinds of enemies and monstrosities out to kill you as you march to defeat Hitler and his soldiers.

Now the comparisons to Wolfenstein aside, Overlord makes for one heck of popcorn movie with its good share of gore, dirty comedy, and stuff you'd expect from Abrams' produced films. The protagonist Boyce played by Jovan Adepo is likeable and it's definitely Abrams giving another young actor his shot at stardom. Corporal Ford is played by former hockey player Wyatt Hawn Russell, and he's a pretty strong and awesome deuteroganist character too. The main baddie is Game Of Thrones' own Pilou Asbaek - who shows his demented and twisted side like Euron Greyjoy by playing the Nazi commander Captain Wafner. All these elements make for some good casual war horror movie fun in Overlord - with the Nazi zombie monstrosities giving standard gruesome fare that you root for the heroes to shoot and dispose of before they get killed grotesquely.

Overall, I'd definitely recommend Overlord to fans of War films, Horror Movies, and those who want to see Abrams and his company succeed in yet another experiment that has potential to spin-off to other sequels. I definitely would like to see more of these movies and adding some monsters and horror fare like in the vein of Cloverfield is always welcome. Big thanks to UIP Philippines and Columbia Pictures Philippines for bringing this movie to our shores! The film is now playing in cinemas around  the Philippines.

Rating - 4/5

I'M BACK! Updates, Cosplay, and Game Review: Spider-Man (PS4)

Yes folks... I'm BACK and with a video game review to highlight that fact! After a brief hiatus and reevaluation of things in the past few months, I've decided to blog ever so often rather than force it on a daily basis (see my news site Pop Culture Crusader). As it is, I've gotten so busy with work, cosplaying, and multitasking on a lot of things can only been done so much, and it's time to give myself a bit of break on putting pressure on myself to blog on a daily basis... But here I am again missing the blogsphere and writing again as I prepare for my next set of adventures! I'll try to be more active on this site with my personal entries aside from movie and game reviews - so that being said: here we go with the first entry in a while!

Movie Review: Ant-Man and The Wasp

Sometimes it pays to be the little guy among the bunch of heavy hitting superheroes with their own movies, and in the case of Marvel Studios' 2015 film "Ant-Man" - the gamble to introduce a size-changing superhero who also happens to be the creation of Stan "The Man" Lee, Larry Lieber, and Jack Kirby paid off in spades when it was introduced as a concept that was part superhero flick/ part heist movie. Originally under the direction of Edgar Wright, the "Ice Cream Trilogy" director also wrote the screenplay alongside Joe Cornish. However, Rudd left the project in 2014 due to creative differences - with Peyton Reed stepping in to take over directing duties and bringing the final product to the big screen on July 2015. Opening to critical acclaim and with veteran actor/ comedian Paul Rudd emerging as a hilarious and awesome casting choice for the main role alongside a stellar supporting cast that includes Evangeline Lilly, Michael Pena, and Michael Douglas, a sequel was definitely happening... And it has finally arrived in theaters!

Thanks to Walt Disney Studios Philippines and Marvel Philippines, I got to see the aptly titled sequel "Ant-Man and The Wasp" last week - which brings Peyton Reed back in the director's seat and Rudd and Lilly reprising their roles as the titular Pym Particle using heroes. With a great balance of action, drama, and comedy, this is one Marvel Cinematic Universe film that definitely deserves to be put out there following the emotional impact of the previous MCU movie, Avengers: Infinity War. No spoilers will be served on this review of course... But I will say that this is an ASTONISHING SEQUEL. Here's my full review for the movie, which is now playing in theaters!