Army of Thieves Fixes Army of the Deads Biggest Problem

Army of Thieves Fixes Army of the Dead’s Biggest Problem

Army of Thieves is a very different film compared to Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead, but fixes what many perceived as the zombie movie’s biggest flaw.

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Army of Thieves Fixes Army of the Deads Biggest Problem

Army of Thieves might be a spinoff to Netflix’s Army of the Dead, but the upstart addresses one of its predecessor’s biggest criticisms. Returning to the genre for the first time since 2004’s Dawn of the Dead and handed full creative control by Netflix, Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead was much more than a regular zombie movie. Between the undead thrills and casino heist spills, Snyder laid the groundwork for a far more expansive universe, teasing aliens, time travel, spinoffs, sequels, and more. First to broaden the Army of the Dead franchise is Army of Thieves – a Dieter-centric prequel that leans fully into the heist genre, going light on the zombie dressing.

Army of the Dead and Army of Thieves both landed on Netflix to mixed reviews, though the former skewed more toward the positive, and it’s still early days for Dieter’s spinoff. But positive or not, many Army of the Dead reviews hit upon the same recurring criticism – it was spectacularly long. Clocking in just shy of the 2 hour 30 minute mark, even critics who enjoyed Snyder’s zombie comeback broadly felt Army of the Dead outstayed its welcome. Few went so far as to accuse Army of the Dead of filler or padding, but most agreed the pace could’ve moved more urgently.

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Army of Thieves weighs in considerably lighter, just north of 2 hours. With 3 safes to crack instead of just the one, Army of Thieves arguably had more license to go long than Army of the Dead, but the spinoff keeps things tight by shaving off almost 30 minutes from the original movie’s runtime. Even without eyeing the clock, it’s a difference that can be felt while watching. Army of the Dead was accused of taking too long to gather momentum, then dragging in places as the crew explore Las Vegas. And, of course, there were plenty of “Snyder cut” gags too, as some pondered whether a zombie movie really required one of the director’s famous bumper editions (Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead remake ran a full 48 minutes shorter, incidentally).

Though it’s hardly the slimmest heist put to film, Army of Thieves deftly avoids the same problems. Matthias Schweighöfer doesn’t dawdle with Dieter’s backstory before introducing Nathalie Emmanuel’s Gwendoline and kicking off the safe-cracking fun. Army of Thieves then escalates through the Rheingold, Valkyrie and Siegfried jobs at pace before coursing straight toward the finale. The exposition is brisk and character moments squeeze between the bank robberies and slick action sequences, making full use of the 2 hours Netflix has allocated. Army of the Dead’s reviews might be more positive than Army of Thieves’ early reactions, but on this occasion an excessive runtime certainly isn’t a stumbling block.

Two films deep, Netflix’s Army of the Dead franchise is only just beginning. Next on the movie slate is Planet of the Dead, and it’ll be fascinating to see whether Zack Snyder sticks to his guns and doubles-down with another super-sized epic, or whether the sequel takes Army of Thieves’ cue and opts for a leaner, meaner length. Given how the concept is evolving from a single town to an entire planet, Snyder might be tempted to copy Zack Snyder’s Justice League and plump for a buttock-busting 4-hour zombie marathon – even if Army of Thieves proves less is sometimes more.

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Link Source : https://screenrant.com/army-thieves-dead-too-long-problem-fix/

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