Director: Julius Avery
Cast: Jovan Adepo, Wyatt Russell, Bokeem Woodbine, Pilou Asbæk, Iain De Caestecker, Hélène Cardona
Rating: 18
Running time: 109 mins
One of the most eagerly awaited releases of 2018, JJ Abrams’ produced war horror OVERLORD is finally upon us.
Here’s the mission boys.
It’s D-Day, June 6th 1944 – and we need a few patriotic soldiers to go in and save God, Life and the Universe itself. There is a tower somewhere in the French Peninsula that is going to hold the key to the future of the conflict and it’s going to be dangerous enough as it is. So, kindly putting it gently to ya, you have to parachute in and you have a matter of hours to change the course of history.
However, our intel has also possibly had some suggestion that there might be something else afoot, though we are not quite keen to know what it could be, but rest assured, if you are prepared to take the plunge and do your duty for God and Country, then please do sign up for ‘Operation Overlord’
OK, pause for the moment.
Here is a suitably and gloriously trashy Boys-Own yarn with sufficient action and redefinition of classic WWII cliche that has been updated for the INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS fanbase. There is probably not a great deal here that has not been done before and even the most dedicated of horror fans will probably pick up on strands of plot-lines and moments that have been seen in a lot of classic and contemporary horrors.
Simply put, the makers of OVERLORD have combined a classic Alistair MacLean mission film like THE GUNS OF NAVARONE and WHERE EAGLES DARE with the dark and delicious delights of DAY OF THE DEAD, HELLRAISER and Stuart Gordon’s RE-ANIMATOR, as well as Eli Roth’s HOSTEL amongst others.
Add to the mix your token female French Resistance fighter, Chloe (played with guts and poise by Mathilde Ollivier) and it’s all here.
Amazingly, this film was shot at Hatfield House and Leavesden Studios and it is a testament to the true power of great CGI and physical effects that this film is a truly spectacular affair. The opening of the film sets the tone in a classic aerial sequence (thanks to the legends at ILM) that is truly breathtaking, modelled on the likes of A BRIDGE TOO FAR and BATTLE OF BRITAIN.
It’s not new, but when it’s done as energetic as this, who cares?
