It doesn't matter how good or bad Overlord is - the movie was always going to be DOA. For the last six years, I've been hammering how much I want to see studios make original content and put their faith into the public that we want to see, even crave, original works. Then again, maybe we don't. Bad Times at the El Royale was one of the best original movies of the year and no one saw it. Overlord is a wholly original piece that SHOULD have been one to draw in horror audiences and at the very least make back its budget. But the studio fucked up and fucked up hard. It decided to pit a niche Nazi horror movie against The Grinch. Seriously? A kid-friendly Christmas movie? Yes, people flocked out to the theater this past three-day weekend, but hardly anyone was going to see Overlord and that's unfortunate because it's actually a very fun movie that specific audiences will love, but when people look back on this film, it's most likely going to be labeled a flop and part of the reason studios only churn out already established work.
So... what's actually pretty funny about this review so far is I wrote the above paragraph over a week and a half ago. I've been a little busy since then, but not busy enough that I couldn't finish the review. I just didn't know what to say about Overlord. I feel like I was up on the movie when I left and at this point I'm a little down on it. I just had a big spiel about how we take these great original movies for granted, but the truth is people... they're not all great. Overlord is just fine. There's no big complaints I have about the finished product and I enjoyed myself while watching it... but not even ten days later and I don't remember a lot of the movie. That's not a wholly great sign. I think I've figured out the problem with the movie, though - it didn't go big enough. Think of it this way... Nazi zombie movies aren't necessarily that common in our movie zeitgeist. For one to sneak its way through and open nationwide, there's gotta be something special about it, right? And that's the thing with Overlord... there wasn't.
It shouldn't have been "that run-of-the-mill" Nazi-Zombie movie because those don't exist. It should've been this balls out, bonkers, bananafuckingcrazy movie that really knew how to impress its core audience. But it didn't. It was just... fine. Part of the problem is that the trailer (which played before every goddamn movie I saw for the last two months) gives away everything. There wasn't anything that nutty or surprising that came my way and I was expecting everything. When there was a quiet or tense moment during the movie, my brain would revert back to the trailer to try and remember what "shocking" moment hadn't appeared yet. And it left a lackluster taste in my mouth. But again... there wasn't anything wrong with the movie either. I can't really chastise a movie because it wasn't crazy enough or it didn't leave a big enough impression especially if it was a decent movie in its own right. But it just wasn't decent enough for a big release. This movie would've been killer on Netflix because it's above average for Netflix. But for theaters... it's just fine.
But I did call the fact that no one saw the damn movie. A week and a half later and I'm shocked it's still in theaters. By Thursday, it'll be gone in favor of the cluster of sequels and spinoffs and prequels and remakes about to flood cinemas. Who knows... maybe I am right. Maybe it just wasn't that great of a movie and that's why it didn't leave an impact. Maybe it'll fade out into obscurity and when it's referenced by those random few who love it, they'll have to consistently answer the question "What's Overlord?" But maybe... maybe... it'll hit streaming and develop a cult following and I'll check it out again years later, having forgotten that goddamn trailer, and finally realize how the film impressed enough studio figureheads that it made it's way through the cracks to a nationwide release.
C+
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