Yes, there is indeed a Navy SEALs vs. Zombies movie out there and surprisingly, it doesn’t reek. I know, I have no idea how that is even possible, but somehow Director Stanton Barrett and Writers A.K. Waters (story) and Matthew Carpenter (screenplay) managed to produce a movie that rises above the mediocrity of countless zombie flicks. Don’t think everything is flawless, though, as the film has issues, the largest spots being in regards to sketchy CGI and an ending that falls flat, but I can’t help being impressed by what this movie managed to do, which was to entertain my judgmental mind. This is certainly not high art, but judging by the name and the presence of Michael Dudikoff (no offense Michael Dudikoff, but when was the last time you were in something astounding? Uh, please don’t hurt me, Mister. Dudikoff,) you probably already knew that before infiltrating this Blu-ray release from Anchor Bay. For anyone that is curious as to whether they should pick this up, read on…
PRODUCT INFORMATION
DISCS: 1
RUN-TIME: 97 min
ASPECT RATIO: 1.78:1
RESOLUTION: 1080p
AUDIO: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
SUBTITLES: English, Spanish
REGION: A
RATING: NR
PRODUCTION DATE: 2015
RELEASE DATE: Oct 6th, 2015
PLOT SUMMARY
When the U.S. Government loses all contact with the Vice President during a campaign stop in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, a battle-hardened SEAL team just back from Afghanistan is sent in. But they’ll soon discover that this is no ordinary tactical rescue: The city is under siege by hordes of fast moving, flesh eating undead. The infection is spreading. Urban warfare has been unleashed. With no cure in sight and time running out, can an elite unit of badass warriors now survive their most horrific mission of all? Ed Quinn (“Eureka”, “Revenge”), Michael Dudikoff (AMERICAN NINJA), pro wrestling champion Chad ‘Gunner’ Lail, Molly Hagan (“iZombie”), Olympian Lolo Jones and NBA legend Rick Fox star in this explosive military shocker filmed with the participation of former U.S. Navy SEALS.
MOVIE
As with all other zombie movies of the like, the movie starts off with an unknown zombie outbreak and the Vice President is trapped in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and it’s up to the best of the Navy SEALs to retrieve him alive. Of course, at first they don’t know that it’s zombies, but it doesn’t take long once they witness the dead rising up and attacking them. As this mission keeps getting more complicated, the group must face all sorts of mayhem from the 28 Days Later inspired flesh eating monsters. Will they overcome the horde, or will they perish with the rest of the civvies? Find out for yourself, as I ain’t ruining anything.
I went into Navy SEALs vs. Zombies with incredibly, super low expectations and maybe this is why I was truly feeling entertained. I couldn’t believe it to be honest with you. I even kept telling myself that there is no way that a movie with a name like that could be watchable, but gosh darn it, it was! Hell, the movie has all the recipes to be a disaster. It seems like the filmmakers had a field day with After Effects, as blood and gunfire are clearly part of some sort of backyard VFX package. The CGI can come off as offensive in parts, and bits of the acting from secondary characters is cringe worthy. Although, I will say that, save for a few hit or miss lines, the SEALs actors were a-ok by my standards.I did take issue with some obscure character decisions, which lead to a few deaths. Honestly, when the undead start attacking, just shoot anyone that is questionable looking. There is also one glaring continuity error. A character mentions to another about the gun they have, but minutes later, the scene takes place where the gun is given to that person. Oops! Annoying decisions and continuity goofs aside, the ending is the biggest issue I had with the movie. I figured out where they were heading a mile away, but one off-hand comment from a character to explain everything ended up explaining nothing.
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| That’s some bad CGI. |
Navy SEALs vs. Zombies will presumably be adored by the Call of Duty fans. It has military jargon up the wazoo, and all sorts of carnage to earn a gratifying grin, even if there is a delicate dusting of cheese over everything. I’m a fan of Call of Duty and zombies, so I feel this movie fit the bill perfectly for those thirsty for corny undead action.
BLU-RAY
The Blu from Anchor Bay achieves a satisfying job of showing off that sketchy CGI, but that’s the problem with HD nowadays isn’t it. Gone is the slight blurriness of older days that the filmmakers could rely on. Now everything is sharp and clear, which can be a blessing or a curse. Navy SEALs vs. Zombies is one such movie that is looking clear, but what’s with the constant changing of the colour grading. One minute the movie is blue, the next gray and finally sandstone, military brown. It’s all over the place, but I guess I shouldn’t blame the Blu-ray for that, as the colour corrector was probably just having a field day in the editing room.
Audio is presented in Dolby TrueHD 5.1, with the audio being quite powerful. Not once did I have a concern with the dialogue not coming through clear and in fact, I felt the need to turn down the speakers or the neighbours might’ve come knocking if I left it at the level it was, and they live a block away.
BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES
– No Special Features
VERDICT
It won’t be for all, but Navy SEALs vs. Zombies manages to impress enough to present it a recommend from yours truly. I was weary at first, but quickly warmed up to the flick and in fact, I was pleasantly surprised on more than one occasion. The Blu-ray from Anchor Bay is the perfect option for anyone that is either a fan or the slightest bit interested.
RATING
