A ‘B’ movie with loftier aspirations, 2018’s Overlord, written by Billy Ray, directed by Julius Avery, and produced by J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions, is one of those rare movies that flips the script halfway through. . . but more on that later.
On the eve of the D-Day invasion (during World War 2), a paratrooper squad has been given the gargantuan task of parachuting into a small town in France. . . their mission: to destroy a radio tower attached to an historic church – thus allowing the Allies to gain an upper hand during the paramount, multi-country attack the next day.
The horrors of war are immediately evident, and only five men make it to the ground alive. . . a number that will very quickly dwindle to four: Corporal Ford (Wyatt Russell – son of Kurt and Goldie), and soldiers Boyce (Jovan Adepo), Tibbet (John Magaro), and Chase (Iain De Caestecker).
What was once a sleepy little town nestled in the woods not far from the Atlantic Ocean has now become a Nazi occupied military base, a top secret location buried beneath the ancient place of worship. German troops, led by SS Officer Wafner (Pilou Asbæk), control the streets, their ruthless reign causing fear to permeate through the townsfolk. . . for some darker mystery lurks within this wartime occupation.
For approximately the first fifty minutes, the narrative builds like a traditional war movie – character driven film making that finds Boyce butting heads with the rest. . . constantly told that he was not made for this life (a man who cares for each and every life – the type of guy who catches a mouse and then sets it free instead of killing it) – but perhaps this is exactly what is needed in times of war. Ford, an explosives expert, attempts to lead the ragtag group, while self-centred Tibbet is a touch twitchy, as for Chase, he’s an ordinary soldier trying to deal with the entire situation.
The foursome eventually stumble upon a young French woman in the forest named Chloe (Mathilde Ollivier), and she decides to help the Americans, offering them shelter in her aunt’s home. . . her much younger brother Paul (Gianny Taufer) also lives there – a sidler who constantly pops up without anyone ever hearing him.
Though all seems quite ordinary (other than it being wartime), there are small hints that all is not right – a deformed carcass found in the woods, Chloe’s sickly aunt, now mute, cloistered away after being nabbed and then returned by the Nazi’s, the over-the-top security of the church base, and the unusual use of flamethrowers. What lies within this cloak-and-dagger military base? Can the four troop members find common ground and achieve their Herculean task?
Finding itself somewhere between a World War 2 film, Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth, and features like Dead Snow, James Cameron’s Aliens, Ridley Scott’s The Thing, and the Resident Evil franchise, it will also remind some of the original Wolfenstein video game – winding tunnels, tensely suspenseful scares and loads of killer Nazi’s. With only a 38 million dollar budget, it is awe-inspiring just how immersive this world is – its absorbing graphic novel-like story pulling the viewer into the ever more wild ride. Like so many of these genre switcheroos (Michael Powell/Emeric Pressburger’s Black Narcissus, Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, Jonathan Demme’s Something Wild, Edgar Wright’s Hot Fuzz. . .), it is actually quite impressive just how well it makes the flip – from war drama to over-the-top horror gorefest, a nod of the cap must go to Avery, whose capable, stylish direction holds the whole piece together – a tonal atmosphere that builds to a fever-pitch of bloody mayhem in the best possible way.
The creative one sheet poster for Overlord
Done with as little CGI as possible, the practical effects go a long way – the intricately built underground base a perfect example. . . its confounding crypt-like hallways, science-gone-wrong laboratories, shady underground lighting (only a small portion of cinematographers Laurie Rose and Fabian Wagner’s striking work), creepy locked cells, and experiments gone wrong, a vision to behold (puppetry, animatronics, and hours of make-up used to great effect in several sequences). Likewise, the opening scene, which finds the paratroopers leaping from a burning plane, was actually done by rigging a plane to a gimbal, blowing up the front, tilting it to simulate the aircraft falling towards the ground, and then having trained stuntmen leap trough the real fire – something that most would immediately guess was done almost entirely with computers.
With an oppressing, claustrophobic atmosphere (after all, when you are surrounded with nowhere to escape to, the only path you have is to travel further into the devil’s den), Overlord (the codename for the Battle of Normandy) is a creative amalgam of so many other films and genres – yet finds its own voice along the way. Centred on solid performances from an up and coming cast, Overlord’s gonzo story won’t be for everyone, but it sure is eye catching for anyone who gives it a chance (its substance and style covering up some of the issues it does have). Lastly, Jed Kurzel’s score is also worth noting; a tightly-strung, taut composition that is part Vangelis’ Blade Runner, part Ennio Morricone’s The Thing, and so much more in-between. So, discover the secrets that lay deep inside this chilling, bunker-hidden church in this metamorphosis of a movie – it will be sure to shock and awe.