Zombie Massacre 2: Reich of the Dead (2015)

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Captivating movie !

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Zombie Massacre 2: Reich of the Dead.For the first 35 minutes this could be a typical World War 2 film. Germany, Spring 1945, US soldiers cut off from their unit take shelter in a deserted building after wiping out a German patrol. Exploring the building one soldier comes across medical diagrams and hears moaning. In a bloody basement ward he finds a concentration camp prisoner, but its a Zombie and bites him.The other soldiers come under attack from Zombies in striped uniforms.and kill them. Yes, the nazis are turning prisoners into Zombies. A soldier rescues an escapee from the main hospital where the experiments are carried out and she leads him back to it.Dr Mengele is responsible for these heinous transformations!Produced by Uwe Boll this is a watchable Zombie film. 5/10'

Watching this film is a frustrating experience; it's a mixed bag. Powerful moments, direction, location, nicely restrained CGI effects and pacing are punctuated with some wooden acting (Aaron Stielstra as Sergeant Calhoun and Ally McLelland as Matt) and some dreadful dialogue. We are witnessing hard-bitten soldiers trapped in an unforgiving environment facing, as the title suggests, the living dead – so naturally every sentence should be comprised of macho cliché and relentless expletives so out of context, the profanities are unintentionally quite funny. As a result, we spend a lot of time with people it is impossible to like. We can't even long for their deaths, because their stilted delivery doesn't provide us with any personality.Only Andrew Mills as Will lends his role any pathos, sense of fear or even, dare I suggest, personality. That is why, in the scenes toward the end, when he is all but alone against the modest hordes of zombies, does the tension improve greatly. Luckily, the end credits supply us with character pictures to go with the actors, because it is hard to work out otherwise, who is who.To concentrate on the positives, the visuals are stunning. There is a bleak oppressive nature to the choice of location, and the soldiers' sense of isolation and hopelessness is expertly conveyed. The film has a slightly grainy took to it, which enhances the punishing conditions – and by that token, the occasional flashbacks to Will's sunny, carefree childhood, come across as tear-jerkingly wholesome and idyllic, which imbues the return to his present predicament with an even greater emotional impact.The ending is an enigma. Will is guided by a young woman to the sprawling run-down hospital run by Doktor Mengele, who is responsible for the creation of the undead hordes (another lunatic striving towards the perfect solider motif). The woman turns out to have been an hallucination. And yet, the end would suggest she is the spirit of Will's mother, which begs the question, why would she lead him to his doom – because that is exactly what Will's fate turns out to be. On top of that, a final scene suffused in the closing credits seems to indicate Will's entire experience has not been real at all, suggesting a 'dream ending' cop-out.Zombies during war-time is a theme that has been visited several times ('Frankenstein's Army', 'Dead Snow', 'Dead Mine' for example) and works rather well. With a little more effort made to give the leads personalities, this would have been so much more satisfying.

Actually not really. But it sounded good. Like the title sort of. But then again, we've been there, seen that. Something that cannot be said about the characters in this, who are oblivious to what is going to happen. To distinguish itself, the movie tries to go meta or even philosophical if you will at times. There's a muddled time-line or at least a "flash", which seems unnecessary, complicating things further, getting in the way of any fun this could've been.Still better than the first one, this hasn't really put anything in its favor acting wise. Effects are decent for a low budget movie or if you're willing to lower your own expectations. But the story will not keep you at the edge of your seat, the ending will rather confuse (until part 3 will be released? If it's going to be released that is) than enlighten you ...

WWII battle worn soldiers come across a Nazi complex where experiments are taking place to resurrect dead prisoners. Zombie Massacre 2: Reich of the Dead (2015) is dark, gloomy, more serious than their 2011 entertaining ride Eaters and more sombre and grounded than Zombie Massacre a.k.a Apocalypse Z.Again filmmaker talents Luca Boni and Marco Ristori deliver a grim competently constructed bleak zombie horror that is stylishly shot with some good blood and gore effects presented on a saturated colour palette. The practical effects come better off that some of the CGI explosions and splatter. The sets and location look outstanding for the budget.With actors Andrew Harwood Mills, Dan van Husen and Lucy Drive who is stunning as Erin the rest of the cast are on form and give performances as their picked off one by one that far surpass those in the first outing. Zombie Massacre 2 is slower and more dramatic than Boni and Ristori's previous work, and while the story isn't the most original there's plenty of gore, creepy visuals, dead soldiers, vertical white stripes zombies, creepy faces and the like. Boni and Ristori are becoming somewhat cult directors and need a breakout mainstream film but for the moment we have to wait a little longer, nevertheless, it's still agreeable zombie fodder.