As history nerds and zombie nerds, we couldn't have been more excited for Dead Snow. Nazi zombies were great in Call of Duty: World at War, and we were both excited to see this idea on the silver screen. We were excited for this premise, but we didn't really expect it to be so well executed. We were hardpressed to find any real faults in this film. Dead Snow is a gore filled zombie flick, sure to not disappoint hardcore fans of the zombie genre, and horror fans in general.
Quick Spoiler Free Summary
The movie starts out with a group of young medical students on a trip to an isolated cabin in the Norwegian Alps. As the trip progresses, they discover that they are in posession of a treasure once belonging to the Nazis. They soon find themselves fighting off hoardes of undead Nazis. What follows is a a blood filled romp through the snowy moutainside of the Norwegian Alps.
Review
Plot- 4.5/5
The setting of the movie is fairly banal (cabin in the woods), however this is where the cliches end. The rest of the movie develops an imaginative plot, that we found to be easily enjoyable. The characters really didn't fall into any archetypical patterns, and were very easy to identify with. It is easier to identify with these normal, everyday people, than with pretty boys and rich pricks in horror movies today. All in all, the plot made for an excellent movie.
Acting- 4/5
I (Chuck) watched with Swedish audio and english subtitles. The acting was definitely believable, and made it easiy to become attached to the characters. Even without reading the subtitles, I could easily tell how each character felt at different points in the movie. They were able to convey feeling with their voices and body language, even though I had no idea what they were saying. Although with the English audio dubbed over the Swedish you lost a little bit of the feel, the way the characters acted seemed very believable.
Special Effects- 4.5/5
The special effects in this film were on par with Hollywood blockbuster movies today. There was no point in the movie where we felt like there was a lack of, or overuse of effects. So many zombie movies have their undead looking like something out of a high school drama production, and less like the fervently rotting corpses they are intended to be. Janne Røhmen, the makeup artist, really captured the essence of what a zombie should look like.
Fear- 3/5
To the everyday horror fan, this film can be full of parts that can put a little scare in you. However, for the horror junkies, this may not be a movie to make you pull the covers over your head. The eerily convincing zombies may provide some small chills, but not enough to keep you up at night.
Gore- 5/5
The gore in this film is phenominal. The gore in some instances was over the top, but not to the point where it seemed silly and out of place. The copious amounts of blood in this movie rivaled that of the lawn mower scene in Peter Jackson's Dead Alive. Dead Snow proves to be a splatterfest for the ages.
In Conclusion 4.2/5
All in all, this movie was great. The different elements added together to make for an enjoyable, blood filled extravaganza. We both agree that Dead Snow is our favorite movie of the last year. We highly recommend this movie to the casual horror fans, and the hardcore horror junkies. This wasn't a great zombie flick, it was just a good horror flick in general. America has Evil Dead, New Zealand has Dead Alive, and now Sweden has Dead Snow.
