Wow, another gut-wrenching action packed war film that takes on an ominous shroud of terror. It’s perfect for war buffs and horror fans that just can’t seem to get enough. The film Overlord from J.J. Abrams, the producer of the Cloverfield series, takes off in 5 minutes of absolute madness, then turns its guns on the Nazis as a squad of paratroopers look to complete a battalion saving mission. I loved every minute of the fast moving film and it brought back memories of the recent Trench 11 (2017). If you like this one, check that one out for the fun of it.
It’s D-Day and the Allies are headed for France to hit the beaches in the biggest assault of WWII. In the air we find a unit of paratroopers flying in a transport to a drop-off zone inside German occupied territory. Sergeant Eldson (Bokeem Woodbine) informs them that it’s their job to take out a radio jamming tower that if not cleared by 6 am the next morning, could cause major damage to the landing Allied armies.
Their plane is being hit from ground fire, but in a saving pause several paratroopers bail out. On the ground the remaining soldiers are led by explosive expert Corporal Ford (Wyatt Russell) with only a small squad left for cover. They include Pvt. Ed Boyce (Jovan Adepo) who’s fluent in French, Chase (Iain De Caestecker) a photographer covering the war, Rosenfeld (Dominic Applewhite) machine gunner, and Tibbet (John Magaro) a sharpshooter.
The five man squad reach their destination, but are not in the best shape. Director Julius Avery puts the team in danger throughout the movie creating exciting fighting between the Nazis in the small village and later when they make their final assault upon the radio tower. But, as a topper there’s an element of horror awaiting the squad that’s so fierce their mission may never be completed in time. Good all-around suspense and challenges.
The acting by the whole cast is very good with standout performances by Jovan Adepo and Wyatt Russell. The two put on a great show of strength, determination and vengeance to help save their troops about to land on the Normandy beaches. In solid support Mathilde Olivier as a French citizen Chloe and Gianny Taufer as her very young brother Paul, steal the show as they find themselves in the middle of the assault between both sides. With Private Boyce trying to keep them out of danger and complete his mission, there’s enough heroism to make it a separate movie.
I watched the film in the 4K format and it was extremely good, especially the explosiveness of the fighting, the attack on the American transport plane in the opening scene, the wide shots of the small village and well everything about the ultra-high definition. In some scenes you can even read small lettering on things like the baseball and the uniforms. The format makes big screen 4K televisions look like the local theater movie screens for sure.
SPECIAL BONUS FEATURES: Nearly a full hour
“The Horrors of War” How the film was made in six features.
They include: “Creation”, “Death Above”, “Death on the Ground”, “Death Below”, “Death No More” and “Brothers in Arms” Nearly an hour showing how the film was made.
PLEASE Do Not Watch The Special Features Until After You Have Watched The Film
Overlord has been rated R by the MPAA for strong bloody violence, disturbing images, language, and brief sexual content. The film features a lot of violence including an attempted rape that get thwarted in the nick of time. The film does have some subtitles for the French and German speaking characters, but not too much to break the concentration. The film is available in 4K, Blu-ray and DVD as well as Digital HD.
FINAL ANALYSIS: A very good film for war buffs and horror fans. (5 out of 5 stars)
Specifications and additional video information:
Cast: Jovan Adepo, Wyatt Russell, Bokeem Woodbine, Mathilde Olivier, Pilou Asbaek, John Magaro, Iain De Caestecker, Jacob Anderson, Dominic Applewhite, Joseph Quin, Meg Foster,
Director: Julius Avery
Producer: J.J. Abrams
MPAA Rating: R for strong bloody violence, disturbing images, language, and brief sexual content (rape)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Horror
Running Time: 1 hr. 50 min.
Video Release Date: February 19, 2019
Original Theatrical Release Date: November 9, 2018
Language: English
Reviewed Format: 4K
Audio: 4K Ultra High Definition, Dolby Atmos
Video: 4K High Definition
Subtitles: English SDH, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese and English Descriptive Audio
Number of Discs: 2 discs
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures
Released in: 4K, Blu-ray Ultra, DVD
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
